Many production builders and residential architects spend their careers focused on designing layouts for primary households, with an emphasis on how the floor plan will work for various age demographics in their usual day-to-day lives. Elements such as mudrooms for backpacks, office space for quiet working, or storage for holiday decorations might be at the top of homeowner wish lists for their main home, but not necessarily their secondary home.
Vacation homes take on a slightly different purpose and offer respite from ordinary life tasks. At the beach, builders, including Marnie Oursler, president of Bethany Beach, Del.–based Marnie Custom Homes and host of DIY Network’s Big Beach Builds, know copious bedroom suites, outdoor living spaces, and pools are the main priorities for those looking to build on the coast.
“The mentality is different with beach houses, because you’re not in a day-to-day grind of kids, homework, dinner, and practices,” says Oursler. “It’s so much fun, because the houses are more laid back and catered to how people will congregate in the spaces throughout the day while on vacation.”
In one of Oursler’s recent projects, dubbed Point Break, in Fenwick Island, Del., the owners were interested in a waterfront home with five bedrooms and the pool as the main focal point. With the home’s close proximity to both the bay and the ocean, the owners also stressed the importance of weather resistance in case of a disastrous storm, hurricane, or flood that could possibly compromise their investment.
Coastal Comfort
Oursler and local architect Tim Tice responded with a 3,986-square-foot, U-shaped floor plan on the long, narrow lot centered around the above-ground pool. The team decided—for sun exposure, space, and maximized views—to place the pool on the side of the home, moving the main entrance to the side facing the bay. This contradicts the design of most neighboring homes, but it created the ideal outdoor entertaining area on the second level, with access to the pool from three of the home’s rooms, including the great room, main hall, and one of the bedrooms.
“Function is still a huge part of the design process,” states Oursler. “It has the same function as a traditional primary home, but it takes a different form because it’s more relaxed.”
With the pool being central to all activities, guests can gather in either the indoor or outdoor living areas and still be connected. Large sliding glass doors from the great room and hallway open to the pool deck, providing easy access from the nearby kitchen and main walkways. The master suite and a guest room also command a view of the pool.
An additional outdoor deck on the back side of the house with lounge furniture overlooks the owner’s private dock and boat. A fire pit area was created directly off the dock, and a hot tub was added on the ground level as well for enjoyment year-round.
A stacked stone fireplace centers the great room and faces the custom gourmet kitchen outfitted with white cabinets, a herringbone backsplash, and a shiplap island with butcher block countertops.
Engineered hardwood flooring was utilized throughout the home for its ability to withstand moisture, such as the outside humidity when the sliders are open, and for quick cleanup if beach sand makes its way into the home.
Down the hall, cable rails with a nautical “X” pattern line the staircases and are accentuated by a custom-made wood and rope light fixture in the main stairwell. An elevator was also added to the project for easy mobility between the home’s three floors.
Bedrooms and windows face the water for optimal views. The master bedroom boasts a clean look with a cathedral ceiling with shiplap detail, while the master bathroom features dual vanities and a statement marble shower.
Unlike many primary homes, Oursler tries to maximize the amount of bedrooms in her beach homes—in order to sleep more guests—but doesn’t prioritize features like huge walk-in closets. Instead, she gives special attention to the guest suites with either eye-catching nautical details or built-in bunk beds.
“It started out for the kids, where we could get a lot of cousins, brothers, sisters, and friends into one room and still have a little bit of privacy with cubbies in each bunk, a light, an outlet to charge their device,” says Oursler. “Over time, it’s just gotten more elaborate, and we are also designing these beds for adults and adults with kids.”
The custom-built bunk room in Point Break features a queen and a full bed—both outfitted with individual lights and outlets. A unique shutter barn door window treatment and storage drawers in the stairs create a complete suite for any guest.
The additional suites each have their own “at-the-beach” feel with fun pops of color, wood accent walls, hanging ropes, and coastal lighting fixtures.
“The clients were great and had a lot of neat ideas,” Oursler says. “That’s definitely what makes these houses so special, because they were excited about it and were open to new ideas and collaborating together.”
Weather Resistance
While the concept of weather resistance has gained traction in many areas of the country, coastal builders are constantly applying the latest resilient strategies and looking for the best new products to protect their projects from Earth’s elements.
“There are a lot of challenges on the coast. Wind and storms are the biggest obstacles,” Oursler says. “The weather really takes a toll on everything, so anything owners may have on their primary homes is definitely weather stricken at the beach, with the wind, the salt air, and the amount of rain.”
Per flood zones and local building code requirements, most of Oursler’s projects are built on concrete pilings to prevent rising water from entering the home.
Point Break’s ground level, for example, includes a two-car garage, open storage space for beach equipment, and a small covered entry. Each of the ground spaces were treated like the exterior and boast waterproof materials, while the main living starts on the second floor. Exterior HVAC units are also raised for flood protection.
In addition to pilings, products for the entire exterior envelope—including housewrap, siding, roofing, decking, and windows—are carefully chosen for their ability to endure the harsh environment for as long as possible.
“A lot of houses are designed with roofs for the rain to come straight out of the sky,” says Oursler. “At the beach, rain goes every direction, including horizontal. We have to protect the house from the driving rain at any sort of penetration.”
Due to the driving rain, housewrap is very important, according to Oursler. She recommends and utilizes DuPont’s Tyvek. Additional building product suggestions include a 50-year architectural shingle on the roof; Jain Building Products’ NuCedar cellular PVC siding or James Hardie’s HardiePlank fiber cement siding; cellular PVC trim and soffits; Andersen’s 400 series or Stormwatch windows; and stainless steel cable and PVC railing.
“We use a lot of PVC,” explains Oursler. “The biggest benefit is it doesn’t need to be painted. That’s one of the main reasons we use it, but it’s also light, so it’s easy to install, and it has a good R-value.”
Marnie Custom Homes also tries to select products for its houses that are maintenance friendly. Although it’s difficult to find anything that’s completely maintenance free—especially being exposed to beach air—the builder aims to use new products that are low maintenance for homeowners.
“In the end, my goal is to have my clients enjoy their second home,” Oursler says. “It’s their chance to escape from the real world.”
