Daily Record Financial News &
Friday, November 24, 2017
Vol. 105, No. 007 • One Section
35¢
www.jaxdailyrecord.com
LIGHTS, CAMERAS
APP-TION!
February start date for work on hotel
Ease of integration and controls brings more builders into the smart home market.
Home2 Suites planned south of St. Augustine Outlets shopping mall.
Photo by Andrew Warfield
Glenn Layton demonstrates using a tablet to control the smart home features of his Twenty Mile Village home in Nocatee. The tablet can be removed and taken anywhere without losing connectivity to home automation devices.
By Andrew Warfield Associate Editor
G
lenn Layton is the goto guy when it comes to building smart homes. Literally. In 2013, Layton was selected by HGTV for its first-ever smart home build, a 2,350-square-foot computer surrounded by an energyefficient exterior in what was then the fledgling Paradise Key development in Jacksonville Beach. As a result of the prominence that accompanied the project, Glenn Layton Homes often is regarded as “the”
smart-home builder in Jacksonville. Layton is quick to point out, though, that he is far from alone in the smart homes construction market. “We have kind of been dubbed the smart-home builder because of the HGTV Smart House, but there are a lot of builders out there doing some great stuff,” he said. That “great stuff” includes anything from the simple remote control of lighting, security and door locks to comprehensive whole house automation features, including thermostats, water heating, window shades, scene lighting, audio/video and more. Most builders, if not all, are respond-
ing to, on some level, their customers’ demands for smart home technology. And it’s only the beginning. Back when HGTV selected Jacksonville and Layton for its inaugural smart house giveaway promotion, Layton said the technology required cumbersome central controls. In the four years since completing that build, rapid advancements in technology — namely hand-held devices and the avalanche of apps they can operate — quickly scaled down smart home controls that can be operated by a smart phone or tablet. All of the included feaSmart
homes continued on
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Peachtree Hotel Group of Atlanta expects to start construction in February for the proposed Home2 Suites by Hilton in St. Augustine and complete it in April 2019. The final price tag for the fourstory, 90-room hotel is expected to be about $10 million, said a Peachtree representative. Jobs are projected at 20-25 upon completion, while also generating construction employment during building. The St. Johns River Water Management District is reviewing plans for Peachtree Hotel Group to develop the hotel on 2.31 acres at 250 Outlet Mall Blvd. Plans show the more than 57,700-square-foot hotel will include a covered patio and a pool. It is the third Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel identified in the area. Home2 Suites said previously a 104-room, five-story hotel should open in January 2019 at northeast Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Boulevard. Chaffee Point in West Jacksonville also is slated for a 90-room Home2 Suites. Home2 Suites by Hilton calls itself the innovative midscale, all-suite extended-stay hotel “designed for savvy, sophisticated, cost-conscious travelers staying a few months or a few nights.” Home2 Suites offers complimentary breakfast; customizable guest room design; laundry and fitness areas; free Wi-Fi internet access; outdoor spaces; a 24-hour business center; expansive community spaces; and it’s pet-friendly. kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com (904) 356-2466
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