Local homeowners from Annapolis and beyond check out everything from environmentally safe landscaping to more efficient insulation. The show continues next weekend.
Scott Smith, owner of the home expo, has been bringing the home show to Annapolis for six years. He said he’s seen people start embracing more environmentally friendly design for the practicality and cost savings things like better insulation and energy-saving appliances bring.
Some homeowners also are buying smaller homes, but focusing on comfort and personal touches like custom kitchens and outdoor living spaces, he said.
“People want to enjoy their homes, not just live in them,” he said.
Ciminelli’s Landscape Services, based in Lothian, offers living retaining walls, pervious pavers, rain gardens and other environmentally friendly landscape options that are very popular with homeowners who live near the water in Anne Arundel County, said Janet Lewis, an office assistant.
But green isn’t just a trend for the company, said owner Matt Ciminelli.
The landscape company has been “green” for decades, and he encourages homeowner avoid chemicals, get soil tests and plant things that don’t require excessive effort—the right plant in the right place, he said. His philosophy is not to try to save the whole Chesapeake Bay at once, but focus on one house at a time.
Sandy Wood of Severna Park met Ciminelli at the home show four years ago, and said she was so happy with the work that she kept getting more and more landscaping done over a period of three years. Sunday, she was browsing the home show because she may need to have some work done inside her home.