We all enjoy our homes and with advances in all manner and kinds of technology, items once seen as the preserve of the rich and famous are now within reach of the ‘ordinary’ homeowner budget. Here we list 5 of the latest luxury items more and more people are opting for…
Home Cinema
Big TVs are one thing, but the advent of the home cinema system now sees many people enjoying the sights and sounds of films and the like on the big screen, matched with superior sound quality from surround sound systems. The days of brash sound and visions, more an assault on the sense, have been replaced by more sophisticated sound and vision, meaning a more comfortable atmosphere is created but losing none of the ‘quicken the heart beat’ effect.
And there is a choice too, from the all-in-one packages that give a great experience to more complex (hence a bigger price tag) systems, where bespoke vision and sound systems are created. But still, if you are a film buff and are looking for an improved viewing experience without the price tag of the local cinema complex, then your own home cinema is a great way to go.
Hot Tub
Once seen as the preserve of colder climes and used to warm the shivering human, hot tubs are becoming a popular choice here in the UK too. Built usually on the patio, full of deliciously hot water, you can relax your weary and aching limbs at the end of the day. Basic hot tubs are now well within reach of even the tightest of budgets, but you can also ‘upgrade’ your tub with dancing disco lights, as well as a variety of settings, from massage to a far more invigorating setting.
Sauna
Again, borrowing an essential item from far colder climbs, the sauna is used by many to heat their very core during cold winters, as well as providing many other health and emotional benefits during grey winter months. Build from wood as a separate unit outside of the home, saunas can also be built into the home too and can be heated with the traditional hot coals or with an electric ‘element’. Still seen as new and exciting, many people have realised their dream and added a sauna to their property.
Swimming pool
Again, often seen as the preserve of the rich and famous, not so much for their building cost but for the heating and maintenance costs often associated with them, the installing of a pool useable throughout the year is beginning to become popular in the UK. With the basic, above ground swimming pool, with heat and filter starting at a modest £600 or so, getting a swimming pool to relax in or adding an endless pool to train or swim in (prices start from £1200), is now far easier.
Coupled with this the fact that solar energy and other forms of alternative energy sources are now also more reliable for heat, they are an investment that are no longer such a big drain on your bank account.
Games rooms
We all have different hobbies or prefer different ways to kick back and relax. For some spending time relaxing and enjoying each other’s company over a few drinks and games of pool or such like, the games rooms is the perfect addition – and a value-adding investment – to their property. Games rooms are becoming a bespoke room, created to the specifications of the customer, with a pool table and other games, but also with fantastic lighting and sophisticated surround sound systems too.
Why not add affordable luxury items to your home? You could be adding value too!
Steve Bateman from Master AV Services has a passion for home based technology and wrote this blog based on his experiences of fitting luxury home items in houses large and small, as the cost of these items is more reasonable the generally assumed.