Annapolis is Maryland's capital and home to the United States Naval Academy. Its Historic District has one of the largest collections of 18th century buildings in the country, and exterior changes there go through the city's Historic Preservation Commission. Across Spa Creek, Eastport grew as a working maritime neighborhood with smaller frame houses on tight lots.
West Annapolis and Murray Hill have houses from the early and middle 1900s, and neighborhoods farther out on the Annapolis Neck were built up after World War II. Interior work in an older Annapolis house often means narrow stairways, small rooms and limited space to bring materials in. Being on the water also brings humidity, which matters when choosing flooring, cabinets and bathroom ventilation.