re: What are your favorite home upgrades?

- cat 6e/7 (whatever is cheaper) to every room. EVERY. ROOM.
- solid core interior doors
- have the contractor buy better quality outlets and not the shitty plastic 10 for a $1 crap. i bought better quality outlets and replaced 100% of the ones in my house
- pasta filler you mentioned
- paddle switches
- taller baseboard trim (underrated update that makes your house look higher end)
- board & batton the entry hall or bedroom because if you don't your wife will want this a month after they finish your house and its a super cheap update while they're still putting in drywall.
- inside water cut-off (if you don't already have one) + leak detector
- mud room/area for kids to kick off muddy shoes if you don't have one already
- are you in la? consider a whole-house dehumidifier if your HVAC doesn't already have one.

i wouldn't have them install any smart switches, etc. better to do that yourself later when you figure out what you want to automate. sometimes the right solution is a smart bulb vs dedicated smart switch.