CHAMBERSBURG The Franklin County Builders Show returned to Chambersburg this weekend after three years in Waynesboro, and brought with it, new ideas for construction and remodeling.
Some trends could be considered optimistic.
Corey Green, owner of Corey’s Construction out of Hagerstown, Md., said he has seen an increase in homes being built, compared to previous years.
“We are building more new houses this year,” Green said. “Before, we were doing renovations on older homes. People were cautious
He said this is good for not only his business, but the general area.
“Construction is a good indicator of the economy,” Green said. “It’s a good way to see how the economy is doing.”
Melody Shubert, a landscape designer who does work for Kurt’s Pond and Landscaping LLC out of Fort Loudon, said they have seen more people wanting to spend time outside by adding landscaping, flowers and other features.
“People are making the outdoors a living area,” Shubert said.
Many flowers chosen for landscaping and outdoor areas are all-season flowers, she said, with a lot of color.
“We aren’t seeing as many fountains because of the upkeep,” she said. “We are seeing more people interested in things like the bubbler rock which can be turned on and off again.”
The cold weather this year has also impacted other businesses present at the show.
“We’ve had an extended season this year,” said Brooks Whitson, a service technician with McCrae Heating and Air Conditioning. “Usually it slows down at the end of January and February. With this extreme cold weather it has been stressing the units and we have had a lot of repairs and break downs as well as more heating units being sold.”
At the show, Whitson said they had received many questions from visitors about their systems and some were interested in scheduling appointments for them to be inspected.
Many who came the event said they are gathering ideas for future projects.
Darlene Sieders, McConnellsburg, said she is looking to redo the bathroom in her home.
“We are looking at bath-fitters and maybe turning our bathtub into a shower,” Sieders said.
John Olson, Mercersburg, said that he and his wife were looking at paving their driveway.
“After this winter, we realized that it should be done,” Olson said. “It actually froze over this year.”
Donna Sommerville, executive assistant with the Franklin County Builders Association, said that they were receiving “pretty good traffic” on Saturday.
“A lot of people we have spoken with said they are glad it has been moved back,” Sommerville said. “Waynesboro was good to us but we wanted to be closer to where we are centrally located.”
The location was primarily chosen because of its location.
“It is easy access off Route 11, Interstate 81 and Route 30,” she said.
The show continues 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
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