⭐ Most Popular Guide
M&D
By
Mark & Diane Benson
•
March 26, 2026

How We Automated Our Entire Home for Under $1,500 (Complete Device List)

3 months into homeownership: We transformed our house into a smart home on a first-time buyer's budget. Voice control, automated routines, and zero monthly fees. Here's everything we learned.

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What We're Working On Right Now

Follow along as we transform Emma's room into a sleep sanctuary

Currently Working On

Emma's Smart Nursery: Monitor, Night Light & Motorized Curtains

Progress
75%
Days in
8
Budget
$320
The first time Emma said 'Alexa, turn on my nightlight' and it actually worked? She was SO proud. Teaching her voice commands has been the cutest part of our smart home journey.
— Diane on why we're obsessed with curtain automation

Whole-Home Smart Automation: The Budget Breakdown

DIY Cost
$1,480
Professional Install
$5,200
You Save
$3,720
💰 That's money we put toward new flooring instead. Designer look, DIY budget!

Alexa vs. Google Home vs. HomeKit: The Breakdown

We set up all three ecosystems in our home (yes, really) — here's what we learned
Feature
Amazon Alexa
⭐ Our Pick
Google Home
Apple HomeKit
Easy Installation
Budget Friendly
Device Compatibility
Privacy Focused
Smart Display Options
DIY Friendly
💡 Why Alexa? Mark has a Google Pixel and Diane has an iPhone, so we needed something that worked for both of us. HomeKit comes free with iOS (whether you want it or not, lol), but Alexa ended up being our happy medium — plus the budget-friendly Echo Dots sealed the deal.
💡 Dad Joke: Why did the smart home break up with its owner? Too controlling!

Hey! We're Mark & Diane 👋

Navigating our first home in Salt Lake City with our 3-year-old Emma and golden retriever Copper.

We can't afford a designer, but we've got gumption and an obsession with curtain motorization.

Read our full story →

Our Journey in Numbers

26
Smart Devices Installed
$3,700
Saved vs. Pro Install
3 months
In Our New Home
1 dog
Chief Quality Tester

Smart Home, DIY & Home Automation Guides

Everything we've learned (the hard way) about automating our home on a budget. From smart lights to security systems, we're testing it all so you don't have to.

Product Experiences

Lessons From a “Dumb” Smart Lock: Why Convenience Isn’t Always Smart

Our smart lock looked great and installed easily, but after constant battery changes and unreliable auto unlocks, it slowly turned into a very expensive manual lock. Here is what we learned from living with it for years.
December 3, 2025
Home Automations

Two Smart Devices That Save Time: Automated Irrigation and Robot Vacuum Insights

Our Rachio irrigation system and Roomba Combo j7 Plus are not perfect, but they save us hours each week. Yard care and floor cleaning became set it and forget it tasks that fit naturally into family life.
December 3, 2025
DIY Projects

Must Have Accessories for Perfectly Hung Curtains

Curtain spacers, brackets, gliders, and rings may not sound exciting, but the right accessories completely changed how our curtains looked and moved. Here are the small upgrades that made a big difference.
December 3, 2025
Smart Home Basics

Blackout, Pleated, or Standard: Choosing the Right Curtains and Shades

With fourteen windows and zero experience, choosing curtains felt overwhelming. After testing blackout, pleated, and standard panels in every room, here is the simple guide we wish we had from the start.
December 3, 2025
Comfort & Daily Living

Ergonomic Upgrades for the DIY Tech Lover: How a Trackball and Keyboard Changed Our Work Life

Months of bad posture caught up to us during renovation. Switching to an ergonomic trackball and split keyboard made work, DIY planning, and late-night coding far more comfortable.
December 3, 2025
Comfort & Daily Living

Waking Up Smarter: How SmartShade Helps (and Sometimes Fails) to Start Our Day

We thought SmartShades would transform us into early risers. Instead, we discovered a routine of soft sunlight, the occasional WiFi hiccup, and plenty of mornings where we hit the SmartButton and slept in anyway.
December 3, 2025
Home Automations

From Home Depot to Your Living Room: SmartCurtains Installation Guide

Installing SmartCurtains sounded intimidating, but with a few tools and a free afternoon, we turned our bare windows into a smooth motorized setup. This guide breaks down every step we learned while outfitting fourteen windows.
December 3, 2025
Smart Home Basics

Affordable Home Security: Door and Window Sensors You Can Install Yourself

Door and window sensors turned out to be one of the easiest upgrades we installed in our fixer upper. Affordable, quick to set up, and surprisingly powerful, they gave us instant peace of mind during renovation chaos.
December 3, 2025
DIY Projects

Catching Pests on Camera: My DIY Smart Home Mouse Trap Adventure

A cheap security camera, a glue trap, and one mysterious mouse created the most unexpected DIY smart home stakeout. Here is how we used simple tech to finally understand where our uninvited guest was hiding.
December 3, 2025
Curtains

We Motorized Our Living Room Curtains for Under $200 (No Electrician!)

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December 3, 2025

A DIY blog by Mark & Diane Benson. We're documenting our curtain motorization journey and smart home projects from our Utah fixer-upper.

Company
Curtain GuidesAbout Us
Popular Guides
Affordable Home Security: Door and Window Sensors You Can Install Yourself
Blackout, Pleated, or Standard: Choosing the Right Curtains and Shades
Catching Pests on Camera: My DIY Smart Home Mouse Trap Adventure
Get in Touch
Questions about curtains? We'd love to help!hello@markanddianne.com
💚 Affiliate Disclosure

We're proud affiliate partners with RYSE, the motorized curtain system we use throughout our home. When you purchase through our RYSE links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

© 2025 markanddianne.com. Made with ☕ and determination in Salt Lake City, Utah.