Novice to all home automation here. My wife and I just bought our first home (Arizona, USA) and are looking to get into simple but useful home automation. I’ve seen friends/family have smart light bulbs and other small things connected to Apple TV/Homepods, but that’s about it. IMO I see these as done after-the-fact or “retrofit” and I’m the type of person that would prefer replacing the fixture (light switch, outlet, fan), cut into drywall if needed, get in the attic, etc. My wife and I are slightly into the Apple ecosystem (iPhones, IPads, newest Apple TV) mainly because the ease and beauty of their interface, but I definitely prefer functionality and reliability over looks when it comes to things like this especially if there exists some platform that could combine HomeKit and google/amazon products.

Things I have in mind that I would like to be able to control/monitor via phone are the garage, air conditioning, lights and fans throughout the house, robot vacuum/mop, and outdoor lighting.

I understand some of this can get complicated I’m not expecting all the answers from one Reddit post, only looking for a good place to start and over time add more and more.

If there are any recommendations to products, forums, quality YouTube channels where I could learn more about this topic they are much appreciated. Thank you!!