As usual, this year’s Homearama builders will deliver on expectations that visitors will find products and concepts they’ve never seen before – products designed to add convenience and luxury to your life at home.

They can be found in the 17 fully decorated and landscaped showcase homes open for display at Edinburgh Meadows, located just off Route 168 in southern Chesapeake, from Sept. 29 - Oct. 14.

Here are just some of the innovations on display:

An easy-to-reach Microwave Drawer by Sharp are in display in both House 17, The Witherspoon by TCI, and House 5, The Reece Michael by Area Builders of Tidewater. Available in a variety of configurations, including 24- and 30-inch stand-alone units, the 1,000-watt oven is ideal for open-kitchen plans, islands and tight spaces. Its design eliminates the need to remove dishes to stir the food and its height is convenient for just about anybody. Available from Ferguson, the microwave is large enough to hold a 9-by-13-inch dish. The line’s Easy Open unit opens and closes automatically with a gentle push or pull of the handle.

With the push of a button, you can do so much more than brew the perfect cup of cappuccino with another appliance from Ferguson in House 17. The Dacor Coffee System, which can be plumbed directly to a water line, can steam and froth milk, grind beans and adjust to accommodate cups of every size. It’s constructed entirely of steel, to easily match the stainless-steel appliances still popular today.

But you do have other choices for appliances. For those who like a colorful kitchen, Viking’s top-of-the-line appliances are now available in 14 finish options, such as the burgundy color seen in House 3, the Kendall Ann by the Walters Co.

And let’s not forget the stylish hoods over the cooktops, such as the Zephyr 42-inch Milano island hood from Ferguson. Bedecked with a hand-formed glass canopy, the unit features touch-sensitive controls, adjustable lighting and powerful blowers.

Footwarmers

Underfoot, several homes are equipped with floor-warming systems featuring a mat that’s prebuilt like an electric blanket. Thin heating wires are embedded in a durable material laid under a flooring surface such as tile, stone, laminate or even engineered wood. The mats are available in several standard sizes, as well as custom-made to accommodate unusual angles and curves. Floors installed by Southern Touch featuring NuHeat mats can be found in Houses 3, 5, 6 13, 14 and 16. House 1’s radiant system features HeatWeave from Watts Radiant of Chesapeake.

Lowering the lights
Homeowners won’t need a ladder when it’s time to clean the high lights in House 8, The EarthCraft House by Miller Custom Homes. With the flip of a switch, the foyer chandelier and another big one upstairs will gently lower to the floor thanks to two Aladdin chandelier lifts from Coastal Lighting. The controls, which are tucked away in a closet, also can be locked to thwart mischievous little fingers. If you’re curious to see the lights in action, there will be demonstrations.

…And the light bill
Speaking of lights, all the bulbs used in House 8 are fluorescent rather than the incandescent many of us still use. Although they are more expensive — the bulbs cost anywhere from $2 to $8 — they typically last between 10,000 to 15,000 hours and come in different hues. In the long run, they’re much more economical: An 18-watt fluorescent bulb is equivalent to a 75-watt incandescent.

Technology bells and whistles abound
Hidden in the walls of House 1, The Daniel Penn by R.L. Blount Custom Homes, and House 5 is high tech wiring installed by Converge, a high-tech company that boasts of high quality products and superior service. You can start a movie in the theater room and catch the ending in bed ... everyone can listen to music they like at the same time via a central audio distribution center, as long as they’re in different rooms … while watching TV, you can check to see if the garage door is closed, turn on lights, start the fireplace, check for intruders … the list goes on. Basically, anything you can do manually you can do with the push of a button in these fully automated homes. And, thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to be home to do so.

House 5 also has built-in speakers resembling the recessed cans in the kitchen, while the “invisible” ones in the dining room are built into the drywall. You’ll also be hard pressed to find the outdoor speakers around House 1. They’re placed throughout the backyard and look like Malibu landscape lights.

An almost-invisible product can be found in House 13’s outdoor kitchen. “Now you see them, now you don’t” remote-controlled screens by Progressive Screen Systems are motorized retractable screens that tuck up out of the way when not in use. Available from Garage Concepts, these screens also work well in garages where you want a breeze, as seen next door in House 14, The Majestic by Joey Corp.

The hottest new fireplaces

Fireplaces are always hot buttons at the annual Homearama and this year is no exception. Feast your eyes on House 8’s hearth in the family room. A brand new product from Robert H. Peterson Co., available locally from Ray Johnson’s Fireplace & Patio and Taylor’s FireWorks, the hot-yet-oh-so-cool natural-gas fireplace features tempered and tumbled glass with no sharp edges. The Real-Fyre Glass Burner System is available in clear, black, emerald, sapphire or bronze.

The Twilight II, an inside/outside see-through gas fireplace by Heat & Glo, is the focal point of the family room in House 2, Mystic Manor by Designs of Distinction Ltd. Instead of having to invest in two separate fireplaces, homeowners can install a single direct-vent unit and enjoy a clean-burning fire simultaneously from the interior and exterior any time of the year. When not in use, the unit doubles as a window.

Fashionable Faucets
Moving on to the kitchen nearby, House 2 is equipped with matching kitchen and bar faucets from Delta. The
Allora pull-down spray faucets feature magnetic closures that intuitively connect with the spouts when not in use. The sinks are made of MoenStone, a granite composite material that’s more forgiving than porcelain.

House 8’s faucet finesse features hands-free faucets in the children’s and guest bathrooms. Delta e-Flow faucets are designed to help prevent the spread of germs and conserve water. The faucet automatically turns on when the electronic sensor detects movement and shuts off in 10 seconds. Water from the smart faucet in the kitchen, the Pascal Culinary Faucet from Brizo, will come on with a slight tap. There’s also a hand-free mode.

The showy faucets found throughout House 1 are all from ShowHouse by Moen.
All these faucets are available from Ferguson.

But wait, there’s more
Keep an eye out for the central vacuum systems in several homes, the everything-in-its-place garage systems, the steam showers in the master baths, the tankless hot water systems, the residential elevators and the 142-inch screen in that huge home theater (not to be confused with the 84-inch screen at a pool house).

Oh, and there’s a 20-foot waterfall from the pool at House 13, the Majestic by Joey Corp.