Property Brothers' Las Vegas digs will give you smart-home envy
Check out the specialized turf, poolside TV projector and smart-home controls.
At the pool, where there was once just a bunch of dirt.
The half-acre backyard of Jonathan and Drew Scott's family compound in Las Vegas was piles of dirt when they bought the property. So the brothers did what they usually do and upgraded the hell out of it.
The Scotts, best known for their home-renovation show Property Brothers on HGTV, travel a lot for work, but use the home as a landing pad for themselves, friends and family when in town. Last month, a CNET crew took a break from the CES tech show in search of everyday tech being used elsewhere in Vegas. We found just that at a home tour of the residence hosted by the celebrity identical twins.
"It was a dumb house when we bought it because it had no smart tech at all," Jonathan said while showing off a tower of multimedia and home-monitoring equipment in a living room cabinet. "Anywhere in the world, wherever we are, we can control every aspect of the home, from the access to the lights to the sound."
The twins, who bought the home in 2011, used the place to highlight their interests, which include smart-home technology and green energy.
That once dirt-filled backyard now has a pool, hot tub and water slide. Plus, the brothers added in a drop-down TV projector that shines across the pool onto a 15-foot projection screen.
"Who doesn't like watching a football game from a hot tub," Drew asked as he walked across the backyard toward the pool.
Instead of grass, they installed artificial turf in the backyard to save on water and avoid having a brown lawn in the dry Vegas heat. Under the turf, they used polymer covered sand granules that absorb moisture and slowly evaporate it to keep the surface cool.
The roof also has enough solar panels that they're able to fully offset their electricity use, Jonathan said.
Inside the home, the brothers placed a collection of medieval armor and weapons by the front entrance, highlighting their lifelong passion for collecting gear from the Middle Ages. The assortment includes a full suit of armor that's fitted for Jonathan's body, and halberds, maces, shields and pikes. In the middle of their two-story-tall living room display is a massive broadsword.
Upstairs is a game room that includes a pool table, wet bar, pinball machine and a Property Brothers-themed arcade game system.
With so many amenities, it's surprising they ever leave.