Smart Integration in the Southern Living Showcase Home

From inspiration to reality, Paragon Building Group Builder is the go-to home builder in Raleigh, N.C. founder and president Joshua Mauney runs his business as more than just a stereotypical home construction company. The Paragon approach to home design is an all-encompassing client experience with a focus on the end goal. His passion for design started early on in his career while working in the field.

“I saw areas of design being overlooked in builds, and places to improve what homes can be,” said Mauney, adding that his end goal is designing and building a house that is not just a commodity but a home to grow old in. “What should the home experience be like for the client? We want to create a different sense of what a home can be.”

By partnering with interior designers, technology integrators and accessibility designers, Paragon Building Group can achieve the ultimate client experience and create a customized home. As members of the Southern Living Custom Builder program, Paragon built the 2021 Southern Living Showcase Home in Pittsboro, N.C. The Southern Living Custom Builder Program from the Southern Living publication is an invitation-only program that selects custom builders that are acclaimed for their quality of service as well as the quality of their builds.

Providing Inclusive Home Designs

Universal design makes homes, public spaces, and products more accessible, safer, and more convenient for the widest range of people possible. The principals of universal design ensure equitable use, provide accommodation, are intuitive, communicate effectively, have tolerance for error, designed for efficiency and use of space to incorporate all manners of people.

Raleigh-based company LifeStage Home Design provides inclusive home designs for all styles of families and offers several designs through the Southern Living Custom Builder Program. They brought their ideals of universal design to this Southern Living Showcase Home. Their touches are seen throughout the home design, from the first-floor master bedroom, walk-in showers, wide doorways, and no-touch water bottle filling station, complete with an elevator to provide an aging-in-place home.

Weaving Together Technology & Interior Design

Southern Studio Interior Design from Cary, N.C. got involved early in the building design along with technology integration company Neuwave Systems, based in Raleigh, N.C.

“We did virtual electrical walk-throughs making sure the interior design and the technology were both congruent with the overall build and with each other,” said Elizabeth O’Neal, Southern Studio creative director and lead interior designer for the Southern Living Home.

She designed an interior that was warm and inviting but still allowed potential homeowners to come in and imagine themselves in the open rooms. Livability and texture — along with the sound of the interior design and technology — display ultimate hospitality and educate potential buyers on universal design. The accessibility, ease of use, comfort, and enjoyment the home will bring is apparent in even the smallest details.

Establishing Whole Home Control

Neuwave Systems was able to seamlessly integrate technology throughout the home, starting in the driveway and leading all the way through to the landscaping in the backyard. With security cameras visible on the drive in, it was apparent home security was an important part of the design. Alarm.com was the security manufacture of choice for the home which featured Alarm.com doorbells and control panel.

Control 4 panels were accessible in every room providing audio, temperature, and lighting control for the eventual homeowners. “We wanted to ensure that the future homeowners had the basics already installed but also leave the door open for upgrades and further integration,” said Neuwave’s vice president, Mark Masters. In-ceiling speakers skillfully installed throughout the interior and exterior blend in with the interior design of the home flawlessly are controlled from the AV rack hidden in the upstairs closet. Legrand lighting and control were also installed throughout the home rounding out the interior.

Designing for Outdoor Living

Audio with stunning acoustics from the installed Sonance landscaping outdoor sound system, along with wall-mounted loudspeakers on the deck, make full use of the outdoor space. Two motorized Phantom Outdoor Screens along with an outdoor Sunbrite televisions allow for a comfortable area to gather on the porch regardless of weather. Neuwave also prewired for additional outdoor televisions and speakers on the deck.

Reaching the End Goal

The two-million-dollar home is complete with smart appliances, central vacuum, full outdoor kitchen, beautiful landscaping, and the ability to grow. Paragon’s end goal of the Southern Living Showcase Universal Designed Home was to create a different sense of what a home can be by creating a home that is loved and that can love back.