Good, Better & Best for a Smart Home
Smarthome guys published “Good, Better & Best Product Recommendations for a Smart Home” on their site. Sure they promote hardware and software which they sell. But it may give you a right idea for automation your home. The article split by automation area - climate, security, entertainment, light etc. There are also different recommendations for retrofit and new constructions. This is reasonable because for existing flat or house it’d be difficult add automation stuff without breaking an interior finish. But you can reduce damage by using proper hardware. For example, some popular wireless technology such Z-Wave, ZigBee or INSTEON.
Anyway, read thet recommendation and make your choice 