Marnie Custom Homes brings impeccable craftsmanship, innovative design and luxury sophistication to the Delaware Beaches. Every Marnie Custom Home is unique and perfectly tailored to the homeowner.
The result? An ideal luxury beach retreat, built in harmony with nature.
The entire Marnie Custom Home team is enthusiastic, passionate, detail-oriented and among the most conscientious in the business. Our rock-solid relationships with subcontractors, suppliers and our advisory council ensure we anticipate and exceed expectations.
It begins with a wish list, a kaleidoscope of images in a homeowner’s mind. Along the way there is creativity, collaboration, communication, and lots of fun. Marnie Homeowners feel informed, expertly cared for and in control. And they genuinely enjoy every step to the front door of their dream home.
When you build a Marnie Home we anticipate and guide you through the tens of thousands of choices needed to make your dream home feel like home. Marnie takes you through the entire process, step by step, keeping priorities front of mind and her eyes on the prize—your dream home. Our clients trust us to make decisions that perfectly suit their personal style and lifestyle. And you will, too.
Every aspect of building your home, from budget creation, to vendors, to finish selections, is expertly managed for a seamless, relaxing and enjoyable experience. Rest assured Marnie’s tenacious attention to every detail–from aligning the interior trim to getting manufacturer warranty certificates–means you can breathe easy. With our unique online interface, clients can access budgets, costs and schedules from anywhere in the world. And frequent one-on-one communication and weekly meetings keep things moving and clients feeling secure and on top of the project.
It’s exciting to build a Marnie home, because you also build a friendship! Marnie’s warm, engaging style and cheerful demeanor means building your dream home will be a big, fun adventure. We care, and we want to make it right for you. Our mutually-respectful and beneficial longstanding relationships with vendors and subcontractors ensure you get the best value. That’s why our clients’ friends and neighbors can’t wait to build a “Marnie Home” of their own.
Marnie builds dream homes that feel like home. She also builds community by giving back: whether by using locally-sourced materials, helping Delaware students get hands-on learning opportunities, or supporting arts education for underprivileged kids.
Marnie is dedicated to using and encouraging other builders to use American-made materials and support American enterprise and workers. She is also a spokeswoman for 84 Lumber’s Build American campaign.
As a member of the Delaware Tech Construction Department Advisory Board, Marnie is helping develop curricula, offer career placement advice and help students gain the real work experience they need to succeed in the field of home building.
As a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland graduate school of architecture, Marnie teaches the importance of understanding your market and the ins and outs of designing retirement communities and upscale homes.
Marnie is indebted to the mentors who supported her through the years. She pays it forward as a mentor for Girls, Inc. and offers advice and motivation at events like NYU Stern Business School’s Women in Business Conference and the Forté MBA Women’s Leadership Conference.
Marnie is proud to support and be a board member for The Freeman Stage—the Delaware shore’s premier arts destination—and supports their mission of making the arts accessible to everyone.
Propelled by her passion for quality design, Marnie works closely with manufacturers, providing feedback on materials, function and aesthetics. Through collaboration with industry peers, she stays on top of the latest trends.
Jon has over 20 years in the home building industry and has an unbelievable work ethic. Prior to joining Marnie Custom Homes, his stellar work at NV Homes garnered him “Master Builder Society,” “Excellence in Customer Service,” “Construction Quality,” and “Most Outstanding Performance in Production” awards, among others.
In 2014, Jon started out as our Project Manager, ensuring that all aspects of Marnie Custom Homes are innovative, quality-focused and customer-oriented. He has since moved into his new role as Vice President and is responsible for all facets of the company’s accounting and finance functions as well as overseeing the rest of the team. We like to call him the glue that binds our team together.
Jon says he loves working at Marnie Custom Homes because of the people. “We are unbelievably fortunate to have the opportunity to build these amazing homes in this beautiful beach town, but the people that we work with are what really makes this a dream come true. Our clients, our internal team, our extended team of contractors and suppliers, our community – everyone that is involved in making each build such an unbelievable success is what sets us apart.”
When’s he not working you can find this Division 1 athlete outdoors and doing anything active including surfing, swimming, cycling, hiking, and camping. He lives in Bethany with his wife Carrie and loves coaching their three young sons in baseball and soccer. Go Indians!
Stan joined MCH in 2018 with over 13 years of home building experience working for NV Homes. There he served in such roles as Project Manager, Warranty Manager and Production Manager and brings to bear this knowledge of all aspects of the business for our clients. Stan is responsible for construction operations and making sure our day-to-day operations run like a well-oiled machine.
What he enjoys most about his job and MCH is the team-family atmosphere. “It is undeniable that we share the same passion for working hard everyday to make our clients dream beach home come to life. I appreciate the autonomy of my position and how that affords me the ability to be creative with design and troubleshoot complex construction concerns. Each home I work on is truly unique and this creates a pride factor that makes it enjoyable to come to work everyday.”
Stan, a former Division 1 Linebacker, lives in Bethany with his wife Andrea and is the proud father of three young boys. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, coaching sports, and being outdoors.
Every color, selection and finish for each MCH home is selected with the guidance of our highly talented and skilled Selections Coordinator, Karen. She works in collaboration with Marnie and our clients to make sure each home comes to life and turns visions into reality. Her attention to detail and eye for all things beautiful truly make her an amazing asset to our team.
Karen has over 28 years experience working with customer selections. Her extensive experience includes 18 years working at The Freeman Companies and the past 10 years as showroom manager at Elegant Designs for Penco Corporation.
As the Office Manager, Karen manages client communication and runs our day- to-day office operations.
What she loves about working at MCH is the creativity and care for each of our clients. “Each home is personal and expressive of the client’s style and how it best fits their families needs. It takes time to build a beautiful custom beach home and getting to know our clients and how to make the process easier and stress free motivates me. The team at MCH genuinely cares about each other personally and works together with the same goals in mind. Focus on details, see the big picture and laugh whenever possible!”
Karen and her husband Harry are both animal lovers and their German Shepard-Lab mix, Maggie, is the queen of their home. In her spare time, you will find Karen gardening, cooking and any DIY project.
For over 30 years, Tammy has been a significant leader in the lighting design space. You may know her from her work as the General Manager at The Light House of Lewes or from her own lighting design business, Lighting by Tammy. Now as an integral part of our Selections team, Tammy is passionate about lighting and helping our clients find beautiful solutions to make their home shine.
In 2002 Tammy achieved the designation of Certified Lighting Consultant which is the highest designation offered by the American Lighting Association. This prestigious certification puts her in an exclusive group of only 182 Certified Lighting Consultants in the country and one of two in the state of Delaware.
Tammy’s super power is her ability to narrow down options from an overwhelming abyss to a perfectly-tailored sample collection that is reflective of the homeowners personality. She works side by side with Marnie to make good on the promise that each home is unique and perfectly tailored to the homeowner.
In her words: “I love the environment at MCH and how everyone cares deeply and contributes to the common goal of making beach house dream comes true. They treat customers like family and working with Marnie is inspiring! She has this positive energy that makes you want to do your best and she makes you feel like you are a part of something special. I feel like I’ve won the job lottery!”
Tammy is a Sussex County native and grew up in the small town of Slaughter Beach, Delaware. As a born and breed beach lover, Tammy enjoys going to the beach, swimming, reading and dancing. She and her husband Scott live in Rehoboth Beach with their rescue cats.
Chuck came to us with 20+ years of construction and building experience before joining Marnie Custom Homes. He oversees all aspects of the job site including setting deadlines, assigning responsibilities and monitoring the progress of each house. He works closely with our subcontractors to ensure our homes are built on-time and within scope and budget.
Chuck takes pride in managing and delivering the highest quality home to our customers. “I am excited about the opportunity to build these amazing dream homes and help turn Marnie’s vision into reality.”
Since meeting Marnie years ago during construction of her house, Chuck says he’s watched the company thrive, succeed and grow. Their relationship continued for many years and when the opportunity came knocking, Chuck jumped right in. “Working at Marnie Custom Homes has been a delightful, positive environment that builds dreams everyday. Who wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to be part of that?”
When asked what he likes most about working at MCH, he says “I love to work in a productive ever changing and challenging environment that offers a continuous variety of opportunities to learn and make a difference in a company that shares the same views.”
In his downtime, you will find Chuck spending time with his wife Laura and 22 year old son Trace, who he says is his proudest accomplishment. He also enjoys being outdoors fishing, kayaking, hunting and gardening. He’s the ultimate “DIY” fixer and Jack-of-all-trades” around his home in Willards, MD.
Matt has been in construction for most of his life as his family owned a construction company. He recalls digging holes and sweeping houses on job sites since he was five years old.
Matt grew up in Lewes, Delaware, and spent many summers in Bethany Beach, where he learned to skimboard, bodyboard, and occasionally surf. After graduating from Delaware Tech with a certification in HVAC systems, he worked in HVAC maintenance and propane line installation before joining Marnie Custom Homes.
After building his own home with the help of his stepfather, he found a passion for homebuilding which then led him to pursue a career as a project manager for Marnie Custom Homes.
Matt is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the build, working with our team, architect, subcontractors, and our clients to ensure the design is executed flawlessly and on time. Matt’s knowledge regarding the construction process, combined with his attention to detail and problem-solving abilities, make him a valuable asset to the Marnie Custom Homes team.
“What I love about working here is every single day is new and a challenge. I love that I’m learning something new every day and how welcoming and helpful the MCH team has been so far.”
In his free time, you can find Matt with his wife Amber and two young kids Nolan and Stella, who he says is his reason for working so hard. “I work a lot, but every second I’m not, I am spending with them. I want nothing but to be able to provide the best life possible for them. Matt also enjoys fishing, hunting, golfing, and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Celeste brings us a new twist and energy to the marketing strategy when she joined us in 2018. She has over 12 years of marketing, sales and PR experience and her passion for showcasing MCH to the world is unwavering. She’s focused on our marketing strategy, content development and campaign execution to create consistency and enhance the MCH brand.
What she enjoys most about working for MCH is showcasing the talent of the MCH team. “I have the greatest job in the world, that I can share these amazing homes and help inspire anyone from ‘the dreamer’ to a potential client.” She loves coming up with new and exciting ways to feature the MCH brand and her energy and enthusiasm for MCH resonates through to our clients.
Some of her favorite activities include playing tennis, being outdoors, exercising and spending time with her three young children and husband, Evan of 10 years.
Matt brings a unique skill set to the Marnie Custom Homes Team.
As a graduate of Washington College with a BA in Environmental Studies, Matt went on to work for a geotechnical engineering firm. He is a trained geotechnical project manager and has extensive experience evaluating subsurface conditions to provide critical information about the soil and sand our homes are built on. His unique skillset allows him to evaluate potential site limitations and anticipate construction challenges. His ability to mitigate possible site problems make him an incredible asset to our team.
As a Project Manager, Matt manages job sites from permit application to completion and guides our clients through the many decisions required during a custom home build. As a previous subcontractor himself, he also understands the value of quality communication between the subcontractors, vendors, MCH and our clients – making communication a top priority. His favorite part of the home building process is getting to work with all of the trades involved and problem solving challenges that can arise when building a custom home.
Off the job-site you can find Matt on his farm in Milton, DE with his wife Sammie and their young son taking care of their dogs, cats, horse, goats, chickens and ducks. Matt played lacrosse at Washington College and he also enjoys hunting and fishing.
David provides financial and strategic business guidance to Marnie Custom Homes from the invaluable perspective of former client. Appreciating Marnie’s attention to detail, he brings equal rigor to his investment and financial planning efforts. Currently, he serves as Senior Vice President/Wealth Management at Janney Montgomery Scott. Prior to that, he was Head of Wealth Management for Janney, overseeing its Wealth Management products and services including the day-to-day operations of its investment advisory affiliate, Janney Capital Management. He began his career with Legg Mason, spending more than 20 years serving that firm as an equity research analyst and ultimately as the Head of its wealth management division.
David received his MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from Drexel University with a B.S. in accounting. He was designated a Certified Public Accountant in 1982 and a Chartered Financial Analyst in 1987.
As a former client, Bruce appreciates Marnie’s passion and drive to deliver the best. His more than 30 year experience auditing HUD, VHDA and various state regulated real estate properties coupled with extensive tax work for construction companies, developers, and builders give him a rare and unique perspective on the real estate industry. His extensive tax experience and real estate knowledge is invaluable in advising Marnie Custom Homes.
Bruce holds an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in taxation from the American University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Society of Accountants.
Marnie is the CEO of Marnie Custom Homes as well as the host of DIY Network’s Big Beach Builds and HGTV’s 2018 Dream Home. Building dream homes is part of Marnie’s DNA. Growing up in family business, she rolled up her sleeves to learn home building from the inside out and the ground up. Marnie had a successful turn selling real estate after college, but it was when locals recognized the beautiful, creative and innovative design of her own newly-built Bethany Beach home—and inquired about building theirs—that she knew her DNA was destiny. It was time to launch Marnie Custom Homes.
Marnie has gone on to create a thriving and award-winning business that gives back to the community and specializes in building sustainable, LEED-certified beach homes using locally sourced materials. Her innovative use of materials, impeccable craftsmanship, brilliant design sense, and unparalleled work ethic have put Marnie in high-demand as a thought-leader. She continues to revolutionize the industry with a fresh approach to established building practices and processes.
A graduate of the prestigious Global MBA program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, she is a frequent speaker on such issues as building a business, cultivating a mentor and creating working relationships that truly benefit all involved. Marnie is a member of the Board of Advisors for The Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She played Division 1 Soccer at the US Naval Academy before transferring to East Carolina University where she played Division 1 Softball and earned her undergraduate degree.
“It is a dream come true to live at the beach and build these amazing beach homes! We are so grateful for our clients, our subcontractors and vendors, and very fortunate we have each other. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with every day; the members of MCH are truly extraordinary and it shows though with our dedication to each other, passion for creative design, positive energy, and our commitment to an amazing client experience. I have played on a lot of different teams in my life, but this by far is the Dream Team!”
Learn more about Marnie at marnieoursler.com.
Dr. Robert Ginnett is an internationally recognized expert in the leadership of high performance teams and organizations. He has worked with hundreds of organizations including Prudential, Fonterra, Mars, GlaxoSmithKlein, the intelligence community, United and Delta Airlines, and the United States Army, Navy and Air Force. Prior to working independently, Robert was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, and a tenured professor at the United States Air Force Academy where he also served as the Director of Leadership and Counseling. Additionally, he served in numerous line and staff positions in the military including leadership of an 875-man combat force and covert operations teams in the Vietnam War. He spent over ten years working as a researcher for NASA focusing his work at the Kennedy Space Center in the post-Challenger period. Robert is an organizational psychologist whose education includes a Ph.D. from Yale University. He has written numerous articles and chapters and is co-author of the best selling undergraduate textbook, Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, now in its 8th edition.