As Marnie Custom Homes approaches its 20th anniversary, design, planning, and delivery fuel growth and continuity
At Pura Vida, the view shapes every experience. Located on an oceanfront corner in South Bethany, the home embraces the water at every turn. Windows and multi-slide doors welcome the shoreline. Screened porches stretch the living areas. The pool fits seamlessly into the site plan, as it’s thoughtfully designed to meet setback requirements. Built-in spaces make beach life easy and natural.
Marnie Oursler, founder and CEO of Marnie Custom Homes, sees this project as a perfect example of how her team tackles design and construction today. Every move starts with the site, the client, and the way a family plans to use their home.
“We designed Pura Vida to maximize unobstructed ocean views to the north and east. The kitchen and screened porch sit on the northeast corner, with the primary suite and a sleeping porch above, so the spaces people use most stay connected to the water. The home was built for a returning client, and they are thrilled with the outcome,” she explains.
This project shows how Marnie Custom Homes has strengthened its delivery process. The company uses a design-build model, uniting design and construction under one streamlined process. As each project grows more complex, Marnie expands her team’s expertise. “We built an in-house design team, which has been our biggest change. We now have a lead designer, assistant designers, an architectural designer, a lighting designer, and a design manager. Bringing all that expertise under one roof has significantly strengthened our process.”
As Founder and CEO, Marnie guides the company’s direction and manages the planning, coordination, and decisions that move projects from concept to completion. In the coastal market, each site has its own hurdles, and preparation often sets the stage for success long before construction starts. “Construction and labor costs remain high and have not come down since the post-Covid surge. That continues to challenge both our clients and us. We also manage the pace and complexity of our builds, which require careful coordination and efficiency.”
Delivering clients’ dreams
All these years in, Marnie remains deeply involved in every project. Her roots in construction run deep. She’s a fifth-generation builder who grew up on jobsites and learned the business early. Since founding the company, Marnie Custom Homes has focused on the Delaware beach market. “We concentrate on the Bethany, Fenwick, and North Bethany beach markets. Our team has grown to about 24 people, and we’ve built 160 homes with 41 of those oceanfront homes. The work keeps evolving, with more complex and innovative designs, and I still find it incredibly rewarding.”
That evolution is visible across the homes now moving through the company’s portfolio. While every project responds to a different site and client, each begins with the same question: how should the home function for the people living there?
The ‘Three’s a Charm’ project won 2026 Regal Award for Delaware Custom Home of the Year (from the Builders & Remodelers Association of Delaware) and shows how the team navigates competing priorities and finds compromise. “The client needed a specific number of bedrooms, so we designed slightly smaller rooms and incorporated built-in beds to maximize space. This approach preserved functionality and comfort while maintaining the home’s coastal design,” she notes.
Customer wants and needs are a balancing act that carries through every project. “We prioritize the core living spaces, especially the kitchen and great room, and build the design around them. We align each design with the homeowner’s priorities while working within site and regulatory constraints. Most clients make some compromises, but we consistently deliver solutions that come close to their full vision.”
The same trade-offs shape ‘Relaxation Delivered’, an oceanfront residence in North Bethany that received 2025 Regal Awards for Interior Design and Bathroom Design. Designed for a multigenerational family, the home creates separation between private retreats and gathering spaces while maintaining a connection to the shoreline throughout its four levels. “The concept focused on maximizing views and accommodating the unique requirements of multigenerational living. We included a ground-level beach-prep area with a rec room, gym, and bunk spaces for guests. The main level features the kitchen, great room, and gathering spaces, while the top floor is dedicated to the primary suite with expansive ocean views. The layout balances shared spaces with privacy.”
The project reflects changing client priorities. Across waterfront properties, homeowners want spaces that support wellness and recreation as part of daily living rather than as add-ons, as Marnie confirms. “We completed several oceanfront, oceanside, and bayfront homes this year. We are seeing increasing demand for wellness features, including pools, spas, saunas, and cold plunges, which we now incorporate more frequently.”
This shift mirrors broader trends across the coastal building industry, where clients are treating self-care as central to how a vacation home functions rather than a luxury reserved for spas or resorts. For many buyers, the ability to unwind without leaving the property has become as important as ocean views or square footage, and builders who can integrate these features seamlessly into a home’s design increasingly stand out in a crowded coastal market.
Evolving projects
As the company grows, Marnie points less to scale and more to culture. For a team managing multiple projects at once, collaboration is not a talking point. It is an operational requirement. Designers, project managers, and construction professionals work through the same process and toward the same outcome. “The team and company culture we’ve created is critical. We focus on collaboration, shared values, and maintaining alignment across the organization. Given the pace and detail of our work, strong teamwork is essential to delivering successful projects.” The culture Marnie has built will prepare Marnie Custom Homes for its next chapter. The company moves beyond its 20th year with several projects underway and more about to break ground.
Success, Marnie notes, depends on planning before activity accelerates. “We are focused on completing two homes this year and preparing several new projects that will begin after Labor Day and finish by next June. Organization and detailed planning are key, because once construction starts, we need to move forward without delays.”
Back at Pura Vida, the result of that planning is evident. The home responds to its setting, addresses constraints, and reflects the priorities of the family who will use it. In many ways, it mirrors where Marnie Custom Homes stands today. With an expanded design team, a pipeline of coastal projects, and two decades of experience informing each decision, Marnie continues to focus on the same objective that launched the company.
“The work continues to evolve, with increasingly complex and innovative designs, and I still find it very rewarding,” Marnie concluded. As Marnie Custom Homes grows, that sense of progress continues to shape the next generation of homes along the Delaware coast.