In this episode of Home: The Second Story, Sheri Scott and Marilyn Moedinger talk with Caleb Fetter, President and Managing Partner at RMS in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. RMS is an electrical services provider, lighting specifier, and technology integration company. As Caleb puts it, they are “not just the AV guys.”

Caleb explains why electrical, lighting, and technology planning need to happen much earlier in a custom home or renovation project than many homeowners expect. He says the ideal time is usually after schematic design, as the project moves into design development. That is when the architect, builder, client, and technology team can talk through goals, budget, finish level, and how the home will actually be used.

A major theme of the conversation is that good technology should make a home easier to live in, not more complicated. Caleb pushes back on the idea that smart home systems mean too many apps, touchscreens, or voice commands. When done well, technology can simplify daily life with carefully planned buttons, lighting scenes, wired infrastructure, and systems that are tailored to the homeowner’s routines.

We talk about lighting design, LED technology, and why cheap or default choices are not always the best choices. Caleb explains that better lighting does not always mean a dramatically higher budget. Sometimes it means bringing the right people in early, asking better questions, and giving electricians or lighting professionals enough time to make thoughtful recommendations.

For homeowners who are not building luxury homes, Caleb’s advice is still clear: find professionals who listen to your goals, understand the quality of experience you want, and are not just trying to sell gadgets or win the job with the cheapest bid. He also explains why “wireless” homes still need wiring, especially for internet infrastructure, security cameras, doorbells, generators, and other connected systems.

Sheri and Marilyn close the episode by reflecting on how important it is for homeowners to advocate for what they want. Technology, lighting, and integration affect daily life in a home. Planning them early can prevent frustration later and create a better experience from design through move-in and beyond.

(00:00) Intro

(00:39) What RMS does: electrical, lighting, and technology integration

(04:10) Why the end of schematic design is the right time to start

(06:34) Budgeting early for lighting and technology

(08:22) Homes are more complex than they used to be

(10:17) The myth that technology makes a home harder to use

(12:13) Why RMS avoids the phrase “smart home”

(13:55) Why architects and builders need specialty experts

(16:49) RMS’s role in lighting design

(19:20) How RMS connects design with field implementation

(24:16) Advice for homeowners outside the luxury market

(28:05) The future of LED lighting, connected devices, and AI

(39:03) Caleb’s favorite part of helping homeowners

(42:42) Recap

(53:35) Summer vacation announcement

Have questions? Want to be on our show? Email us! admin@htsspodcast.com

Learn about our hosts:

Marilyn: Runcible Studios: https://runciblestudios.com

SherI: Springhouse Architects: https://springhousearchitects.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this snack-sized episode of Home: The Second Story, we talk about uncertainty and how much of it shows up when homeowners are deciding whether to renovate, build new, or take on a custom residential project. Big projects come with big unknowns. There is uncertainty in the market, in the environment, in pricing, in interest rates, and in our own lives. No one has a crystal ball. No architect can predict exactly what will happen with school systems, real estate, gas prices, construction costs, or a family’s future needs. What we do have is experience working inside uncertainty every day.

Uncertainty is not new. It can feel like this moment is more unstable than any other, but every era has had its own major disruptions. The 2008 housing crash changed the path of Sheri’s career. COVID changed the way projects were built, priced, and planned. Those events were not neat, singular moments. They created ripple effects that are still shaping the construction industry, especially in pricing, supply chains, and client expectations.

We also talk about the uncertainty that lives inside the project itself. In renovation work, we can plan carefully and still discover hidden problems the first time a contractor opens a wall. There may be rot, structural issues, or conditions that no one could have seen ahead of time. The way to prepare is not to pretend those surprises will not happen. The way to prepare is to build in contingency money, extra time, and emotional capacity.

On new custom homes, uncertainty often shows up through cost tracking and decision making. Even when most choices have been made, a team may need to pause, review the budget, and adjust. Sometimes that means removing a design feature that would have been beautiful but is not essential. That does not mean the team failed. It means the team stayed aware, communicated, and corrected course before the end of the project.

We also remind homeowners to look at how they already handle uncertainty in daily life. A family vacation can be disrupted by weather. A dinner plan can change when the grocery store is missing an ingredient. These moments require contingency planning, flexibility, and calm decision making. A residential project is the same kind of problem, just at a much larger scale.

The key is knowing your own tolerance for change. A fully custom home involves the most decisions and the most uncertainty. A renovation, semi-custom home, or existing house may be a better fit depending on your capacity, life stage, and appetite for decision making. There are ways to reduce the unknowns, but there is no way to remove them completely.

We close by talking about timing. Many clients wait because they hope prices will come down, but construction rarely gets cheaper over time. Commodities like lumber can fluctuate, but labor shortages, manufacturing costs, and long-term market pressures continue to push prices up. The best time to do a project is usually now or ten years ago. A strong team will not promise that nothing will go wrong. A strong team will help you prepare, react well, and keep moving when surprises happen.

(00:00) Welcome & introducing today's topic: uncertainty

(01:15) Why clients want someone to tell them what to do

(02:52) Career milestones: the 2008 crash & COVID's lasting impact

(04:05) Supply chain ripple effects and permanent price changes

(05:26) Two questions: should I do the project, and how do I design for longevity?

(06:22) Renovation surprises: why contingency budgets matter

(08:02) Managing budget in new construction — staying aligned as a team

(10:43) Drawing parallels: how you handle everyday uncertainty applies here

(13:01) Knowing your tolerance for change and decision fatigue

(15:33) Why waiting for prices to drop is usually a mistake

(17:53) The skilled trades shortage and rising labor costs

(19:30) Final thoughts: making uncertainty more manageable

Have questions? Want to be on our show? Email us! admin@htsspodcast.com

Learn about our hosts:

Marilyn: Runcible Studios: https://runciblestudios.com

SherI: Springhouse Architects: https://springhousearchitects.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this one-year anniversary episode of Home: The Second Story, we look back at what the podcast has taught us about homeowners, custom projects, and the conversations people need before they begin. The show started as a way to let past clients talk to future clients, because a homeowner’s voice lands differently than advice from an architect. Over the past year, that format has expanded to include homeowners, industry professionals, snack episodes, and mailbag questions. The goal is still the same: help people understand what a custom home or renovation really feels like before they are deep in it.

One big lesson is that people want help at the beginning. The most downloaded episodes are about how to start, what a project costs, and how to assemble the right team. Those questions come up constantly because early uncertainty is hard to sort through with Google or AI alone. A real professional can give context. A number like $400 per square foot may be a starting point, but every project depends on the site, access, soil, scope, location, and team.

We also talk about the emotional side of construction. Renovations often start with excitement when demo begins, then crash when the house is stripped down and unrecognizable. New construction has a similar letdown after the foundation and framing go up quickly, then the project slows while trades begin their work. These moments are normal, but they can feel alarming to homeowners who have never been through them. Part of our job is technical, but part of it is helping people feel steady when the project gets stressful.

Another theme is that problems are not the real issue. The real issue is how the team responds when problems happen. Good architects, builders, designers, trades, and suppliers make the project safer because they know how to gather facts, make a plan, and keep moving. That is why starting strong matters. Who you choose in the beginning shapes the entire experience.

We also talk about knowing yourself. Homeowners often overestimate what they can take on and underestimate how much coordination a custom project requires. Picking finishes is only one part of the work. The real value is in making sure every piece fits together, works over time, and supports the way the family actually lives. A custom home should be custom. It should not be built around resale fears or assumptions about what a house is supposed to have.

After one year, the podcast has shown us that the same questions and emotions come up across the country. People are trying to make homes that support family, work, aging parents, kids, gatherings, privacy, and everyday life. The details may change by region, but the experience is familiar.

Finally, we invite homeowners and industry professionals to come on the show. There are many good people in this industry ready to help homeowners get the details right.

(00:00) Intro
(02:41) Adding industry professionals to the mix
(02:48) Reaching 20,000 downloads
(04:37) Why starting and cost episodes perform best
(06:56) Why online answers can miss project context
(08:51) The emotional side of home projects
(14:35) Helping clients process bad news
(15:57) What homeowners wish they knew earlier
(21:22) Assembling the right team
(22:35) Trusting the vibes when choosing people and places
(25:17) Resale value versus lifestyle investment
(28:13) Why custom should actually be custom
(29:23) Why mailbag episodes are useful
(32:13) Outsourcing the wrong things
(32:52) Undervaluing your own time
(35:52) Why design work is more than picking finishes
(38:45) Collaboration and execution
(39:05) Why hiring professionals can save money
(43:01) Invitation for future guests
(44:44) Closing and contact information

Have questions? Want to be on our show? Email us! admin@htsspodcast.com

Learn about our hosts:

Marilyn: Runcible Studios: https://runciblestudios.com

SherI: Springhouse Architects: https://springhousearchitects.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.