Tourgoers can see this saltbox home, located in a waterfront community in Ocean View. This home is one of the five homes that will be available for in-person viewing in 2022, and one of 12 that will be available for a virtual tour.
People love to gather in the open kitchen of this South Bethany home.
This is just one of the bedrooms in this home in an oceanfront community near Bethany Beach.
This niche highlights the woodwork and staircase in this canalfront South Bethany home. This home is one of the five homes that will be available for in-person viewing in 2022, and one of 12 that will be available for a virtual tour.
Water views enhance most rooms in this South Bethany home, including the dining area and chef’s kitchen.
Patrons with Combo tickets will be able to ascend these steps to take in views of Beach Cove and Fresh Pond State Park.
The three-story exterior design of this new home is designed with a delicate balance between the contemporary glass facades and tongue-and-groove tigerwood siding.
This great room with 20-foot ceilings and a wall of windows overlooks the 14th fairway at Salt Pond.
Tourgoers can see this saltbox home, located in a waterfront community in Ocean View. This home is one of the five homes that will be available for in-person viewing in 2022, and one of 12 that will be available for a virtual tour.
People love to gather in the open kitchen of this South Bethany home.
This is just one of the bedrooms in this home in an oceanfront community near Bethany Beach.
This niche highlights the woodwork and staircase in this canalfront South Bethany home. This home is one of the five homes that will be available for in-person viewing in 2022, and one of 12 that will be available for a virtual tour.
Water views enhance most rooms in this South Bethany home, including the dining area and chef’s kitchen.
Patrons with Combo tickets will be able to ascend these steps to take in views of Beach Cove and Fresh Pond State Park.
The three-story exterior design of this new home is designed with a delicate balance between the contemporary glass facades and tongue-and-groove tigerwood siding.
This great room with 20-foot ceilings and a wall of windows overlooks the 14th fairway at Salt Pond.
Among the annual events of summer in Southern Delaware is FOSCL’s major annual fundraiser, the Beach & Bay Cottage Tour, and this year’s Tour is here! The 30th Tour to benefit the Friends of the South Coastal Library has both a virtual component and, for the first time in three years, an in-person component.
The virtual portion of the Tour, featuring 12 homes in a variety of styles and personalities, is taking place now and will continue through Aug. 6. Five of the homes, which have been pre-selected, will be presented for in-person viewing July 27 and July 28.
The homes are located along the coast from Fenwick Island to North Bethany, downtown Bethany Beach, and inland, including canal and bay views. A special feature of the Virtual Tour are two of the Tour’s original homes, one from the very first Tour in 1992, and the other from the second Tour. Each of the 12 homes feature a professionally-produced video, which offers Tour patrons with an opportunity to view each home as often as they want from anywhere during the three-week Virtual Tour period. Additionally, five of the 12 homes will be available for in-person viewing by holders of Combo Tickets.
The 30th Beach & Bay Cottage Tour is being presented by Leslie Kopp and the Leslie Kopp Group. Virtual only tickets, at $35, and Combo tickets, at $50, may be purchased only through the Cottage Tour’s website at beachandbaycottagetour.com.
“We will sell 500 Wednesday-only Combo Tickets, and 500 Thursday-only Combo Tickets this year,” said Kathy Green, Tour chair. “And, holders of Combo Tickets will receive a printed booklet covering all 12 homes and a 30th Anniversary Tote Bag.”
The Cottage Tour is produced by the Friends of the South Coastal Library. This year’s Tour is the principal source of FOSCL’s funding for 2022 and 2023, and all net proceeds directly benefit the library’s operations.
No Cottage Tour would be complete without the raffles. The winners of the Dinner Raffle will dine in style at either Big Fish/Rosenfelds, the Cottage Café, DiFebo’s restaurant, Good Earth Market, Mancini’s, Off the Hook, SoDel Concepts restaurants, Touch of Italy, The Café on 26 or The Parkway.
The Art Raffle, featuring some local artists, offers framed artwork from Tara Funk Grim, Laura Hickman, Claire Howard, Wayne Lyons, Jeanne Mueller, Amanda Sokolski and Cheryl Wisbrock. Tickets for both raffles cost $1 each and available online only at beachandbaycottagetour.com. Winners will be selected on Aug. 8 and notified on Aug. 9.
With the Adopt a House program for hostesses, many organizations will be involved in the 2022 tour. Participants this year are the Barefoot Gardeners of Fenwick Island, The Beach Gals of the Reserves, Coastal Gardeners, Friends of Eileen Giaquinto, Friends of Laura Martin, Friends of Molly Decker, Friends of Sandy Powell, Gardeners by the Sea, Ladies of Bishop’s Landing, Ladies of Windhurst Manor, Marie’s Athletes and South Bethany Friends & Neighbors.
“I want to thank all of the hundreds of volunteers that make this Tour a success,” said Green. “In particular, I would like to recognize our Tour Committee for the efforts that they have put into this Tour since last year. And, of course, our Tour would not be possible without the cooperation of the homeowners who have agreed to share their homes with our community.”
It’s not too late to make a donation to support the Tour. Donors of $150 or more will receive an invitation to the Tour Cocktail Party to honor the homeowners and celebrate the Tour’s 30th anniversary. They will also get a Tour tote bag. To purchase Tour tickets or raffle tickets, or to make a donation, go to beachandbaycottagetour.com.
“Treat yourself to a special look at some of the loveliest homes in the Bethany area while benefitting one of our community’s best assets – our South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach.”
The first five homes are part of the in-person tour option and may be toured in-person by holders of combo tickets only. These homes are also available on the virtual tour.
Presentation of Home 1 is sponsored by Gold Sponsor SEA Studio Architects.
Having outgrown a vacation home in the Cat Hill section of South Bethany, Jenny and Kris Keller realized they’d need something larger to accommodate year-round retirement living and the expected number of houseguests they’d be hosting. Wanting to stay in South Bethany they purchased a canalfront property and worked with SEA Studio Architects to build a three-story contemporary home filled with natural light and water views.
The contemporary architecture of the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath house, completed in 2021, reflects the architect’s and builder’s efforts to blend a modern aesthetic with the Kellers’ focus on functionality and comfort. Wood on the ceiling beams and floors contrasts with clean white and black accents to create a balance that warms the minimalist tone. Since this is their primary residence and not a vacation home, it was important to them that the style be a simple coastal interpretation, rather than strictly beach-y. The decor and furnishings are transitional, incorporating natural materials and neutral tones in textures, colors and finishes allowing industrial-style artwork and vintage memorabilia to provide interesting highlights.
A unique architectural element is the slightly angled kitchen area designed to take maximum advantage of canal views and breezes. While visually separated from the main house by its own roof, it is connected by a lower breezeway that is topped by the main entry to the home. Two en suite guest rooms sit adjacent to the main living area, while the primary bedroom and family quarters are located on the upper level. A lower-level family room, equipped with a kegerator, opens fully via a glass-paned garage door to the rear deck, where kayaks and paddleboards sit ready for easy launching into the canal.
Presentation of Home 2 is sponsored by Gold Sponsor Bruce Mears Designer/Builder.
Stacked covered porches and Carolina-blue siding define the classic coastal styling of this new 5,000-square-foot Bethany Beach house set on a double lot just steps from the beach and two blocks from Garfield Parkway. Homeowners Holly and Jack Leachman’s families have been longtime visitors to Bethany, and together they have a long history on this street, having spent 20 years vacationing in the home next door. When the neighboring lot became available, it provided them the perfect opportunity to create this warm Southern-style home with plenty of windows and porches to catch the nearby ocean views and breezes.
Wide front steps and an open front porch welcome guests to the lower level, with easy access to five en suite bedrooms and an adjacent TV lounge and laundry. Upstairs, the main level includes a large open kitchen, dining area and living room with a dedicated cocktail bar and sunroom. A total of 20 feet of collapsible patio doors open wide to a covered porch with retractable screens and adjacent deck offering multiple opportunities for large groups to enjoy the outdoors. A rear screened porch adjoins the dining room for more intimate gatherings.
A separate primary suite and an additional en suite guest bedroom are positioned at the rear of the main floor, both sporting private decks, while an upper deck tops the home with expansive views of the ocean and town. An exterior bathroom, conveniently located next to the lower-level side entry, welcomes visitors returning from the beach. Attention to thoughtful details such as this typify the Southern hospitality that went into creating this warm coastal retreat for generations of the Leachman family to come.
Presentation of Home 3 is sponsored by Gold Sponsor Miken Builders.
Delaware natives Kathy and Mike Cummings relocated from Wilmington to Bethany three decades ago to raise their family near the beach. After 18 years on Parkwood Street, they decided to sell in 2021 and build a new home just two lots away, to serve as a family-friendly retreat for gathering with their three children and five grandkids close to the beach and town amenities they’ve always loved.
With sleek black-framed windows and railings and a Nantucket-style gambrel roof, the 2,900-square-foot home brings to mind a modern coastal farmhouse. The black-and-white styling continues inside, with sophisticated black lighting fixtures coupled with custom board-and-batten wainscoting and nickel-gap shiplap accent walls.
Rustic wood elements and nautical accessories warm the soft white background and create a casual coastal ambiance that reflects the family’s longtime love of the shore. Vaulted ceilings framed with exposed beams and accented with black lantern pendants add a sense of drama to the upper hallway leading to the three second-floor bedrooms. Five-panel solid wood doors with black hardware add further to the architectural interest.
Unique features include a private second-floor outdoor shower off of the primary bathroom and a lower-level shower for the backyard pool, accessible from a rear glass garage door. With a classic family beach portrait sitting centerstage on the mantel, it is clear that time with family is the primary focus of this couple as they look toward retirement.
While originally from Baltimore, the Ewells have established a deep and enduring connection with the Ocean View area, having married on the beach in 1977 and built a getaway home in Quillen’s Point in 2004. Occasional use for vacations eventually gave way to plans for retirement and the realization that renovations were in order for their 18-year-old traditional 3-bedroom, 3-bath saltbox.
Beginning in 2015, the ground floor was enlarged, followed in the ensuing years by an expanded kitchen, a porch-to-sunroom conversion, a new screened porch and an upgraded guest bathroom, powder room and primary bath, resulting in a total expansion to 3,800 square feet. Most recently, an in-ground pool and deck were added to complete the transformation.
The home is now filled with sentimental family heirlooms, as well as unique artwork and memorabilia from their extensive worldwide travel. The Ewells now divide their time between their two slices of coastal paradise, with summers in Ocean View and winters in Captiva, Fla.
Home 5 — The Bayside Hamlet Home
After owning a beach house in Quillen’s Point for 30 years, the owners spotted a prime lot on a neighboring marshy cove of the Indian River Bay and waited patiently to acquire it at auction in 2009, eventually tearing down the original house and rebuilding in 2020. The unique location offers 360-degree water views with direct access to the ocean, a community boat ramp and protected state-owned preserves to the south.
Every aspect of the home’s design was planned to take full advantage of the location’s panorama beginning with construction at maximum elevation. Three curved wings include the main living area, primary suite and guest bedrooms, all with high ceilings and tall windows and doors to capture expansive water views from every angle. In the open kitchen a mirrored backsplash conveniently provides a water outlook for the cook and diners seated at the island. Covered porches surround the home for spacious outdoor living and lead to the private boat dock. Extensive molding, vintage accessories and imported tiles add subtle character in the great room, kitchen and baths but don’t compete with the natural vistas of water, marsh and sky that dominate this serene year round coastal retreat.
Note: Homes 6-12 will be seen only virtually, by all ticket holders.
Presentation of Home 6 is sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Creative Concepts.
After owning a vacation home just a block away from this home for the past seven years, Ashley and Neil Brosnahan jumped at the chance to purchase this waterfront property and transform the old-style 1969 beach cottage into a stylish year-round home for their Dagsboro family.
Completed in 2021 by the homeowner’s custom-construction company, the original structure has been united with the new construction under a centerline gambrel roof and topped by a traditional cupola as a tribute to the old life-saving stations that were so prevalent on the coast in years past. The central main living area opens wide to water views of the backyard pool and canal, and is bracketed on the east by the original house, repurposed with the family bedrooms, and on the west by a sunny pool-house, expanding the home to 3,000 square feet.
Classic shiplap accent walls and a crisp navy, white and soft gray color scheme combine with subtle nautical accessories to underscore the family’s love for boating. Brushed nickel and gold cabinet hardware and lighting fixtures add a touch of glam, while custom wainscoting and classically framed mission-style doors and windows add architectural interest.
After 25 years visiting Bethany and 12 years owning a vacation home there, Stephanie and Eric Compton were ready to invest in a custom home where they would eventually retire. Built in 2020 on one of the last canal-front corner lots in South Bethany, this New England-style cedar-shake home sports multiple gables, dormers and plentiful white-trimmed porches and decks to maximize water views. Named “Casa del Mar” as a nod to the owners’ Maryland and Delaware roots, as well as its seaside location, it welcomes visitors with a bright blue door and cheery flower box.
With more than 4,000 square feet spread out over three levels, there are ample opportunities to showcase the family’s eclectic interests, including a lifetime collection of tequila displayed in the lower-level tequila bar, celebrity-signed music memorabilia in the upper-level media room, state drinking glasses reflecting their prior addresses and one-of-a-kind family artwork.
Four en suite bedrooms provide plenty of room for guests, while a rear patio offers a fire pit, easy access to boating and multiple options for viewing waterfront sunsets. Maximum effort and attention to detail has been made to provide a comfortable coastal retreat filled with fun options for family visitors and full-time living.
Home 8 — Journey’s End — The Sharp Home
Journey’s End is one of the two historic homes on this year’s Tour. For more than 90 years, Journey’s End has served as an historic Bethany Beach landmark, just two blocks from town and half a block from the beach. It appeared on the second annual cottage tour in 1993 and now, almost 30 years later, it returns to our tour, still under the care of the original family, which has owned this Bethany Beach gem for six generations. The name “Journey’s End” is reportedly a reference to a post-World War I anti-war play.
It was built on a double lot in 1927, for a total cost of $4,150. The house was an identical copy of the house across the street; however, in the 1930s, the porches were enclosed, and it was enlarged to provide separate women’s and men’s dormitories. In 1940, the dorm was removed and replaced with a two-story rear annex consisting of nine private bedrooms with numbered louvered doors, sharing five bathrooms.
The property was commandeered by the government in 1942 to serve as quarters for the U.S. Army Signal Corpsmen in World War II. The soldiers called it Fort Maggie after Margaret, the proprietor, who was the only female allowed to live on the premises at that time. Several romances and eventual marriages occurred between some of the soldiers and the staff at the inn. Some blackout battens still remain in the attic, remnants of the wartime blackouts in the area. Substantial additional historical notes concerning this property may be found in this year’s tour book.
Presentation of Home 9 is sponsored by Gold Sponsors SEA Studio Architects and Dewson Construction.
Having vacationed for years in the extended family’s Sea Colony home, Andy and Allison Weintraub, and her sisters Jennifer and Sarah Barren, decided to join forces to build something larger and closer to town and the beach. With a shared vision for a modern home with plentiful common space and a pool, this 4,000-square-foot home, built in 2020, delivers.
The three-story exterior design is a delicate balance between the contemporary glass facades and tongue-and-groove tigerwood siding and the transitional styling of white clapboard siding and trim, with divided-light windows that connect with the traditional architecture within Bethany Beach.
An exterior entry vestibule blurs the indoor/outdoor connection as a Mexican river-rock garden leads to the front door, while a Douglas fir tongue-and-groove ceiling continues into the interior entry and throughout the first floor. Inside, the home’s contemporary features include polished concrete floors, flush panel cabinetry, a dramatic open-riser steel staircase and exposed steel roof ties.
Furnishings are modern, minimalistic and predominantly black and white, with a regional coastal influence. Reclaimed quarter-sawn white-oak floors on the second and third levels add a warm contrast to the sleek contemporary styling. Dual wood-clad outdoor showers adjoin the pool area, which flows seamlessly through a large panel of sliding glass doors to the inside, where a fully equipped bar and TV lounge awaits for this extended family’s casual entertainment.
Presentation of Home 10 is sponsored by Gold Sponsor Bruce Mears Designer/Builder.
In searching for a vacation beach home, this Northern Virginia couple and their four sons chose Sussex Shores near Bethany for their retreat because they loved the family-friendly nature of the area and its easy walking distance to town amenities.
Built in 2021 to accommodate multigenerational families, the 5,000-square-foot three-level inverted floor plan offers two levels of guest quarters topped by an open main living area, all accessible by an elevator. Two guest rooms flank the first-floor entry, offering easy access to visitors upon arrival, while a bank of sliders ahead beckons to the fully-equipped family room and pool deck beyond. That entire area can be closed off with French pocket doors so that activities there don’t disturb others in the house.
The second level offers more guest quarters, with three bedrooms and two double bunk rooms bringing the sleeping capacity to 20. All bedrooms include en suite bathrooms, and all but one sport private balconies with porch swings.
The spacious upper floor is anchored by an inviting central open kitchen bathed in natural light from the south and north decks and designed for easy entertainment of large family gatherings. Neutral accessories and artwork create a casual coastal ambiance that allows for easy enjoyment of this multigenerational beach retreat. With 10 open decks, a screened porch and backyard pool, there is plenty of room for visitors of all ages to enjoy beachside breezes a half-block from the beach.
Looking for more space and a new adventure, this Pennsylvania couple sold their vacation property in New Jersey and began to search for a place at the beach, exploring East Coast locations from Cape May to Hilton Head, until finally landing in the Salt Pond in 2006 in a newly constructed custom-built home aptly named “Salt Side Serenity.”
With the homeowner’s experience in the trade, they have continually upgraded every space, surface and system in the house, with custom cabinetry, built-ins, closets, flooring, fixtures, an ultra-sleek powder room and, most recently, a complete kitchen renovation. The traditional five bedroom, 3.5-bath home has expanded to 3,500 square feet and features a columned great room with 20-foot ceilings and a wall of windows overlooking the 14th fairway.
Multiple screened porches and open decks offer outdoor options on every floor. A bonus semi-detached backyard bathhouse with high-end powder room and shower adjoins a spacious open deck and stands ready to accommodate a planned pool in the near future.
The interior design is understated, incorporating modern elements interspersed with personal artwork and family memorabilia. A Bethany Beach destination vignette displayed on top of the great-room built-ins showcases a treasured collection of monogrammed suitcases, as well as other significant family mementos. Persian and tribal Oriental rugs and warm honey-toned hardwood flooring complement the traditional furnishings to create a comfortable family-friendly space. Ultimately, the home will become their primary retirement residence and then will truly fulfill its “Salt Side Serenity” name.
Home 12 — The Sail House — The Warren/Forey Home
Known as the Sail House, this 1984 contemporary home was one of the first built in Quillen’s Point, and it appeared on the very first Beach & Bay Cottage Tour in 1992 and again in 2014. Architect Robert Wilson Mobley designed the colorful rooftop stair tower to resemble a sailboat floating on the horizon, and it has become a distinctive landmark that can be seen across the bay from Route 1. Mobley earned an award from the American Institute of Architects for his unique design.
Owners Patty Warren and Roy Forey first saw the Sail House in 1996, and it was love at first sight. Although unassuming when viewed from the street, once inside, the 2,000-square-foot home opens up to expansive bay views provided by floor-to-ceiling windows that encompass the entire east side of the home. During the winter, the windows, in turn, send the warm air up the stairway leading to the roof, acting as a solar chimney to siphon it through ducts to passively heat the cooler first floor.
In the past 26 years, Warren and Forey have upgraded both bathrooms and created a sunroom from the former screened porch, adding vintage and antique pieces from their travels. Now retired, they enjoy the contrast between their busy urban life in their Georgetown condo in Washington, D.C., and their peaceful contemporary retreat on the bay, spending equal time in both locations.
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.