Bay or ocean today? Hard choice for Delaware's Cotton Patch Hills beachgoers
Cotton Patch Hills is known as the quietest beach in Delaware.
In the small, laid-back community just north of Bethany Beach, residents face a delightful daily dilemma. Should we head to the ocean? Or the bay?
It’s a peaceful place, with mature pines just beyond the dunes that arise from a private beach.
More than 30 years ago, in 1987, Joseph J. Baker thought it would be an ideal location to build a relaxed, oceanfront retreat for this family, recalls Jamie Baker, his son and one of four siblings who enjoyed idyllic days at the beach.
Neptune guards this coastal Delaware home
“I love that my father personally designed the house and worked to create such a beautiful custom home with Frank Rickards, one of the finest builders in Bethany Beach,” he says. “I can see his personality in so many places throughout the house.”
Generations of the family have vacationed there, in the off season as well as the summer. It’s never been rented.
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While contemporary beach houses tend to be sleek and shiny, the Cotton Way house is rustic, with exposed beam ceilings, knotty pine walls, custom cabinetry and a massive stone fireplace the family enjoys on cool summer nights, as well as winter vacations. It’s built in classic coastal style, with a cedar shake roof and wood siding.
A private beach is accessed by a direct walkway. Two large oceanfront decks provide plenty of room for al fresco dining and admiring sunrises.
Hillcrest home oozes with charm
The community of Cotton Patch Hills is the only North Bethany neighborhood to offer access to both the bay and the beach. There’s a boat ramp and slips at the private marina, where the Bakers enjoy sharing drinks with neighbors.
“We have been making more use of the tennis courts and go crabbing quite a bit from the dock on the bay-side,” he says. “We also love entertaining on the front and back decks and having friends over for cocktails in the late afternoons after a day in the sun.”
Baker remembers Cotton Patch Hills as a carefree boyhood retreat.
“As children, we would spend every day of our summer vacation at the beach,” he says. “We loved the serene and extremely private beach. On a busy day, there would only be a dozen or so umbrellas that you could see within a few hundred yards in either direction from the beach walkway.”
This will likely be the last season the family has enjoyed in the house by the sea. They have decided it’s time for a new owner to enjoy it and have put it on the market.
Kathleen Schell, the listing agent, says the house and its tranquil setting harkens an image of an old-fashioned beach retreat “and the view is spectacular.” It’s not too precious, devoid of fuss.
“There’s not a piece of drywall in the house. It’s like a camp. When we visited, my kids said, ‘Mom, can we buy this house?’”
FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES: A foosball table, community tennis courts, outdoor shower and a mudroom where the kids can stash their beach toys.
JAMIE BAKER’S FAVORITE PLACE IN THE HOUSE: “Every morning, I love sitting in the corner of the great room with my coffee while reading and enjoying the rolling waves as the sun rises over the ocean.”
HAPPY RECOLLECTIONS: “My favorite memories are of the fun evenings eating crabs on the deck, playing board games, watching movies and building puzzles. My siblings and I also loved exploring and playing hide and seek on all the secret paths located throughout Cotton Patch.”
WHAT HE WILL MISS MOST: “I think Cotton Patch is the hidden gem of North Bethany. The privacy of the beach is unparalleled and that is definitely what I will miss the most.”
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Delaware Spaces
29627 Cotton Way, North Bethany
LISTING PRICE: $3.25 million
SIZE: 2,720 square feet, five bedrooms, four baths
LOT: 0.28 acres
OUTDOOR FEATURES: Boat storage, private beach, two decks, walkway to beach, garages, parking for 10 cars in expanded driveway
BUILT: 1987
NOTEWORTHY: Original knotty pine and stone interior, 180-degree ocean views
CONTACT: Kathleen Schell, Ocean Atlantic/Sotheby’s International, (302) 227-6767
Eileen Smith Dallabrida is a Wilmington freelance writer and editor. Contact her at esmith@smithreports.com.