[davismwfl]

Depends on the square footage of the house but in general.

I'd want a single closet/small room where I could put all the equipment for the media/entertainment, cable boxes etc. Then use IR extenders or better yet, one of those wireless remote control systems.

I'd do speakers in the ceilings/walls of most every room/area with zones and volume controls in them. Depending on the square footage, you may need multiple receivers to make it work nicely where everyone can listen to different tunes. Also, outdoor tunes have to be available too.

Wire the house for both wired network and of course wifi. Depending on budget and size of the house, fiber would be nice for at least interconnecting sections of the house.

Along the idea of the wireless remote system, turn an iPad into the house controller. Make life as easy as possible, something you could hand to your grand/parents and they would be able to push buttons and make it work. I have seen systems like this and drool at how nice it is, and it isn't like it is crazy expensive. No more 4 remotes or a "single" remote that works 95% of the way but takes a small training session to even turn on the TV.