There’s a different approach possible, that could be less expensive and is rock solid reliable. If you’re focused on cheap, some of the requirements will put a lump in your throat, but in the long run it’s less expensive than smart dimmers and far more reliable that Z-Wave.
If you buy a Lutron Smart Bridge Pro and use Pico buttons for the control of smart bulbs, you can use many different smart bulbs and fully control them as if you had installed a smart dimmer. I prefer Hue bulbs with a Hue bridge and the Hubitat Hue Bridge integration. Picos are around $15 each and are highly customizable.
For fan control you can use the Caséta fan controller, or any number of other compatible controllers out there. There’s a Pico for fans if you’re wanting a separate control of the fan at another location and want the fan icons on it (but it’s not a different Pico in any other way). For things like exhaust fans, you can use a regular switch or a regular fan timer with a Shelly 2.5 installed behind it.
If you need a smart dimmer on a light that cannot use smart bulbs, then you can add one to the mix, but still control it from multiple locations with a Pico. Pico’s can be programmed to control multiple light in multiple was from a single Pico if you want.
The advice to do it in small chunks is good, but if you want to drop the cash and do it all at once, that is your prerogative to do so. I can tell you for sure my setup is almost exactly as I’ve just described, and it works without a single issue day after day. However, this is my third smart home build, so I’m was able to approach it from a place of experience. If someone had recommended I buy all this stuff and do it as I’m suggesting (and actually @mike.maxwell sort of did, but I didn’t listen at the time), then I might not have learned as much. However there’s no question I would have saved a lot of time and had more money for playing with the fun stuff, instead of wasting it on lighting projects that didn’t pan out.
