Marty & Beth’s Beach House
South Bethany, DE
Where family history meets the water.
Decades before they owned it, the clients spent a week together in this South Bethany beach house while they were still in college. It was here that their relationship took hold. After marriage, children, and many summers spent nearby, they were given the unexpected opportunity to purchase the same house and continue its story for another generation.
The property sits at the confluence of two canals, where tidal water connects the neighborhood to Delaware's inland bays and, beyond them, the Atlantic. Native grasses and layered plantings soften the canal edge, and herons, egrets, osprey, and terrapins move through the shallows at low tide. But the original stilt house had never made the most of its setting. The panoramic water views at the canal corner sat behind a screened porch and a walk-out deck, cut off from the interior that should have had first claim on them.
The main living level opens toward the canal.
By incorporating the former screened porch and walk-out deck into the conditioned space, the living room, dining area, and kitchen expanded into a generous social core oriented toward the water.
Expansive glazing draws daylight and views deep into the plan, while the relocated open-riser stair brings light into the center of the house and strengthens the connection between levels. A new fireplace and media wall anchor the living area, and the kitchen opens directly onto the gathering space rather than sitting apart from it. Together, these changes make the main level feel substantially larger, without adding to the house's actual footprint.
Project Team
Design
Carib Daniel Martin A+D
Construction
Structure Custom Homes
Engineering
Karins and Associates
Pilottown Engineering
Landscape
Free Country Landscapes
Photography
Peak Visuals
The ground plane makes room for arrival.
What had been a large, uninviting expanse of asphalt was reorganized into two distinct zones: a defined parking area surfaced in clamshell gravel and a canal-facing outdoor living space. Between them, a new entry foyer and internal stair create a threshold from the street while adding privacy. A bathhouse was folded into the original storage area, extending its utilitarian role into the family's daily beach routine.
A quiet retreat discovered within the roofline.
Replacing the original roof structure unlocked space that had previously been trapped within an underused loft. The new geometry creates a private owner's suite above the activity of the main level, with a bedroom, ensuite bathroom, built-in bar, laundry, and carefully framed views toward the canals.
An adjoining lounge offers a secluded place to read, work, or begin the day, while remaining flexible enough to become an additional bedroom as the family grows. Built-in storage makes use of the roof's lower edges, and a Juliet balcony opens the suite toward the water. The raised roof also expands the volume of the living room below, allowing a single architectural move to improve both levels of the house.
We appreciate your thoughtful preparation and attention to detail throughout this process. We knew what we wanted it to feel like, and it feels just like that. Every time I walk in, I pinch myself.
— Marty & Beth