Integrated sound systems, wall-mounted plasma screens and curtains that swish across windows by remote control are no longer the preserve of playboys in penthouses.
These days, most large scale renovations will include a new sound system and degree of home automation while buyers at the top end of the apartment and new homes market expect a high degree of home automation - right down to the flat screen over the bath.
High tech features are also appearing in second-hand houses and one recent internet survey claimed that more SSIA money will be spent on home entertainment systems than on any other home improvement.
A relatively new addition to the field of interiors, people don't necessarily have technology on their shopping list when they go househunting. Intending to install it when they move in, many are surprised when they find it already in situ.
"Technology is hot at the moment and people love to see it," says Ronan O'Hara of Hamilton Osborne King.
"Whether your home is wired for broadband or has an integrated sound system, it certainly will be perceived to add to the value of your home."
Homeowners can now choose from a basic surround sound system, with quotes starting from around €10,000, or move up the scale for an audio-visual package that combines all four or five remote controls into one and allows speakers, which run off one central player, in every room.
At the top end you could consider a home cinema system with drop-down mechanical screen or one central system which integrates entertainment, lighting, heating and security.
Teching up your home can be costly, particularly in an old house where installing the speakers means cutting into ceilings and walls.
"High ceilings, a centre rose and two speakers glued set in can be a bit jarring," says Simon Ensor of Sherry FitzGerald. Will Mullin from Bang and Olufsen disagrees.
"It's a misconception that modern technology can only go into a chic modern house. It can look really fantastic in other settings. It's not just matt black anymore," he says.
Products are a lot more subtle now and are available in lots of colours and finishes. Equipment with lots of glass features can look good in older homes and, for chic city pads, speakers in blue, silver or red can look great.
This technology, which still has a major "bling" factor and remains a big feature of TV programmes like MTV's Cribs, can be relatively inexpensive to install, says Karl Murray of Dublin distribution firm Soundaround.
Soundaround can supply a six-channel system which will pipe television, CD and DVD and digital radio round the house. Expect to pay around €350 per room for the equipment plus installation costs.
When it comes to selling your home, you want to add as much value as cheaply as possible, Murray says.
Soundaround maintains that you will certainly make your money back if you install a multi-room sound system, according to a survey it carried out.
The cost of installing a multi-room system in a standard three-bed semi in Ireland is €3,000 plus installation costs, but the perceived value of this system is around €10,000-plus, says Murray.
"Developers are tripping over themselves to install cabling that makes their homes future-proof and the same applies to the second-hand market.
"Undertaking messy work, such as installing sound cabling, means the new owners will have less work to do, making your home more attractive."
For second-hand homes, Murray's advice is to install sound systems when you are doing the wiring: "If you are rewiring anyway, it doesn't involve a lot of work. Otherwise it's a bigger job because people won't accept surface cables anymore - but still, the job will be done in a weekend.
One reader found that it took a good deal longer to install surround sound as part of an overall renovation. Her builder went ahead and finished the ceilings before the speakers were delivered and so had to plaster all over again once they were installed.
