Home Automation System – Doesn't Fit In

I considered not writing about HGTV’s 2010 Dream Home giveaway because I don’t want it to get any attention. The home is located in San Pedro Overlook, New Mexico near Sandia Park. It’s on the other side of the Sandia Mountains from Albuquerque. I really want to win this house so I don’t want anyone knowing about it. I came to the realization that I’m unlikely to have any impact on it’s promotion.

The custom-designed 3,900-square-foot HGTV Dream Home 2010 will mix southwestern architecture with modern design. Created with the bold, innovative ideas, architecture, art and design that make HGTV Dream Homes so exciting and unique, it includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a home office, gourmet kitchen, home theater and a guest casita. The amazing home site is nestled in the gaze of the majestic San Pedro Mountains with breathtaking scenery and a plethora of outdoor activities. Nearby, the historic towns of Santa Fe and Albuquerque offer an international art scene, amazing cuisine and a rich, multicultural heritage.

I could totally dump nearly everything I own and move into the house as it is. I would be happy to commute to Albuquerque. The only thing I would need to do wire it for my home automation system. And figure out how to pay for the taxes.

Please do not enter the contest.

When I was a kid growing up in Arizona one of the few memories I can recall is visiting the Ahwatukee Arizona “House of the Future” with my Cub Scout group. The house was built in 1979 at a cost $1,200,000 dollars. It was a demonstration for a planned community. It appears to have lost money every year it was sold.

Surprisingly there is no Wikipedia entry on the subject but I did find a June 23rd, 1980 article from InfoWorld on Google Book Search.

The house was designed by Charles R. Schiffner of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Built over 30 years ago it featured an advanced home automation system with five Motorola 6800 processors linked together. The system was designed by Motorola who was the major employer in Arizona at the time.

It’s important to note that the Ahwatukee home is not a computer controlled home, rather the home permits the tenant to to be in complete control of his environment, making the important decisions which will then be carried out by the microcomputer system.

That’s a quote from Charles E. Thompson, some marketing genius who seems to want to keep people from being scared of the computer controlled house. It’s also worth mentioning that 30 years later, I have been able to reproduce everything that house was capable of for a few thousand dollars and that such home automation capabilities have not yet caught on although the energy saving technologies have.

The house still exists today at 3713 Equestrian Trail, Phoenix, Az and can be seen on Google Maps. Although they gave tours back in the day for $3, I can’t seem to find any information on who the current owner is or even pictures of the interior on the internet.

Update 2016-01-14 More pictures of the house can be found at PrairieMod’s “More House Of The Future“.

Update 2012-12-27: I have found 10 photos from my trip from the early 1980’s.

Tag: Home Automation System

HGTV's New Mexico Dream Home Sweepstakes

Ahwatukee Arizona's House Of The Future