Let’s face it, we live in a world where do-it-yourself is an increasingly attractive option. Everything from scanning your own merchandise at the store to performing your own major home improvement tasks is within reach. In the case of home automation, something that just a few years ago was relegated to the super-rich and required a minimum of five figures to get started is now available to the average homeowner with a screwdriver.

Getting started in home automation requires a few steps, but luckily the hardest part is just deciding on what you want! With items available to meet almost every desire imaginable, it’s easy to get caught up in the perfect vision of your home without knowing where to start. These simple steps will help guide you as you move towards the house of your dreams:

1. Write down your plan.
The vision you have now will help guide your decisions as you go, and it’s easy to get sidetracked so having a clear vision of what you want to refer to is a big help.

2. Start simple.
Every castle starts at the foundation and home automation is no exception. Begin with a base system and learn the basic functionality first, then leverage your new found knowledge into expanding your modules and devices.

3. Get help.
Every home automation project will have snags, and trying to overcome them yourself is like cutting your own hair - you can do it, but the end result won’t be pretty. Others out there have probably dealt with the same issue, do a search and see what you find then ask for help on relevant websites. You’ll be surprised how strong the home automation community is.

It may sound like this is oversimplifying things, but it’s really not. Today’s home automation solutions don’t require complicated circuit diagrams and organizational schematics, just some common sense and a desire to live more automatically.