America and Porches: Celebrate both this Fourth of July

Porches are part of the unique American social architecture. the space between public and private life. The US, having the second-largest average house size in the world, gives us an added location out front to chat with neighbors or throw parties. A singular display to everyone nearby, they're a veritable profile avatar. Evolve Technology will add sights, and sounds, and can resolve security issues for porches. 

Porches Are Making a Comeback

As life outside the home returns, people are rediscovering the power of community. porches can help with that. Access the neighborhood and the outdoors, but without leaving home. 

The rate in this country for new single-family homes built with porches is up 10% since 2005. and two-thirds of such houses built in 2017 had them. 

The uptick in preference for porches parallels the collective thirst for a better-connected neighborhood. in days of yore, the porch was just that, the settings for an analog social network, a kinetic next-door app.

"They were family places, designated for gatherings. spending time on the porch was considered healthy, something like what jogging is these days," says Pleasures of the Porch: Ideas for Gracious Outdoor Living by Maureen Lamarca & Daria Price Bowman.

They can also be a workshop or annex to the kitchen; peeling apples or potatoes for a family's holiday feast. For work, they can also be a great, perfect-temperature, breezy spot for September paper-grading or, with the right wi-fi signal and data, checking email or the markets. 

Front of House

The porch, in the 2020s, needs some attention. A security system gives greater control to you, the homeowner, over porch pirates. online shopping isn't just shoes, video games, and books anymore, either. Think about your son's new laptop for college. 

Someone in Texas must have lost an expensive item since a few years ago, local government and law enforcement ran a decoy package sting to catch porch pirates. 

Protect your home, starting before the front steps. 

Evolve Technologies uses Control4's newest 4Sight which gives you not just voice controls, but a virtual face-to-face with anyone in your home. And it can do that from anywhere. 

|| 4Sight From Control4 by Evolve Technologies ||

• The intercom anywhere feature lets you "buzz" someone in remotely
• Wireless video calls from control4s home touch screens 
• Ability to set "ifttt"-style automation with "when >> then" personalization 
• A browser bookmark or favorites feature with when >> then for shorter voice commands for multiple settings (lights and Spotify and smart locks, for example) 
• Tiered (urgent or regular) push notifications to your phone 
• Control4 platform has cross-functionality with thousands of apps and can be integrated with a home device like Google Assistant or Alexa 

This system works with the ultra-discrete eave or porch ceiling-mount Control4 cameras. 4 mp-option and less than 5 inches at their widest point, they weigh less than a pound, and the newest models use only a single cable. IR sensors enhance motion sensing at night. 

Didn't You Say Something about Fun on Porches?

Of course, the porch isn't limited to service as a mailbox. Connect your playlist to sound-studio quality with a (literally) hand-crafted-in-the-U.S. speaker system. Triad's indoor and outdoor audio features high-resolution sound across their product line to reengineer digitally compressed sound into a rich at-home experience. Use built in streaming or have Evolve program it to any screen, screens or device in your home. On-demand. 

For a classic-look porch or high-activity settings, Sonance speakers are the premier architectural and landscape audio. flush mount, bookcase, in-wall, and ceiling-nested speakers will let you max out that porch real estate. Maybe set up that swing or go all out with a screened porch for those mosquitoes. 

Nested or retractable TVs from screen innovations or Seura smart screens can make for a fun movie night on the porch, too. 

Out Front 

Doorbells do a lot more than they used to. Take introductions as an example. Every nervous sophomore boy used to have to face down a girl's dad. Now, dad can spy if that boy's tucking away a vape pen as he approaches. 

Introductions were one thing, but now two-way audio and video are doorbell top picks for a new doorbell. The range of audio and motion sensors on smart doorbells can be adjusted to minimize nuisance disturbances but zero in and give an immediate alert for possible intruders. 

We Have Company

An attractive porch setup is a great way to entertain. Audio and video from cutting-edge premium brands are an ideal entertainment set up--for entertaining indoors or out. Think of security, automation, and the good parts of 21st-century technological advances within reach. 

Here's the catch: a big box store doesn't have the community investment and established success of Evolve. This is especially the case for greater Dallas Fort-Worth. Josh L, Josh A, and Bryce are in the mix for each premium home installation Evolve does. They're not sending a TV off a warehouse shelf during a four-hour window, like retail home services. Their reviews depend on meeting the details and ensuring quality services end-to-end. 

As you enjoy this Independence Day, out front on a screened-in, a pavilion, or a sun-room, remember and celebrate the unique community we all share living in the USA. Happy Fourth from Evolve!