Watching dolphins while you cook: 4-story Broadkill beach house offers privacy, Prime Hook
In 2005, Carolyn Signorello and her husband stopped to change their baby’s diaper in a secluded spot on Broadkill Beach, just a few feet from a For Sale sign on a vacant lot.
Suddenly, an idea was born. Why not build a beach retreat in this serene strand on the Delaware Bay?
“What originally attracted us to the location was the search for an affordable place off the beaten path,” Signorello recalls. “A waterfront lot with a semi-private beach in a quaint community was more than we could have hoped for.”
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Laurie Bronstein, the agent who sold them the lot, says Broadkill and neighboring Slaughter Beach and Prime Hook are a marked contrast to Rehoboth Beach and other better-known coastal communities with their lively boardwalks, shops and restaurants.
“At Broadkill, there’s only one store that sells donuts, bait and things you might find in a convenience store—and it’s only open during the summer,” she says. “The next closest place is 5 miles away, in Milton.”
Located at the end of a twisting, 4-mile road off Del. 1, Broadkill Beach is an official sanctuary for horseshoe crabs. It’s bordered by Prime Hook Natural Wildlife Sanctuary on the west, home to otters, owls, egrets and other creatures.
“Nature lovers are drawn to Broadkill but it’s not for everyone,” Bronstein says. “Some people can’t stand the quiet.”
Broadkill struck the Signorellos as a tranquil retreat for their family. They built a four-story house with multiple decks, the better to drink in views of the Delaware Bay.
They personalized their home by incorporating vintage and salvaged pieces into the design, including more than 60,000 square feet of reclaimed, iron-nailed, wide-plank hardwood.
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“I found the floors in Connecticut at a reclaimed wood shop,” the homeowner says. “We actually built the house around the floors and the kitchen sink.”
Large and deep, the old farmhouse-style sink includes an extended apron with grooves for drying dishes. The Signorellos often pressed it into service to bathe their little ones. A crystal chandelier sparkles above.
The family enjoys cooking and there’s plenty of room to do that in an upper-level open-concept kitchen with verdigris quartz countertops, rustic wood lower cabinets, painted white glass-fronted upper cupboards, and a professional-style range with a pot filler.
A dumb waiter brings groceries and supplies up from the ground floor. It’s a true gathering space, open to a living room with a two-sided gas fireplace that also serves an adjoining four-season porch.
Decks on every level offer panoramic views of sunrise over the bay and sunset over the wetlands. Electric hurricane shutters are designed to provide shelter from storms.
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There are four bedrooms, including a bunkroom, most with bay views. A vintage clawfoot tub is incorporated into a jack-and-jill bathroom, one of five baths in the house.
For years, the family enjoyed idyllic getaways at Broadkill. Then, several years ago, Signorello’s husband died unexpectedly. Their older children are now approaching college and Signorello decided it was time to put the house on the market. Bronstein, who watched the family build the house, is the listing agent.
“The homeowner is very warm and charming and the property reflects that,” she says. “It’s a house with great personality, where people immediately feel welcome.”
WHAT’S INCLUDED: With a few exceptions, the furniture stays in the house, although Signorello briefly thought about retaining a signature piece. “I actually contemplated bringing the farmhouse sink with me before the sale because all four of my babies were promptly plopped in there after sandy beach days,” she says.
HER FAVORITE PLACE: “My favorite room is certainly the kitchen. Being able to cook while watching the dolphins swim up the bay is a dream.”
WHAT SHE WILL MISS MOST: “All of it: Bonfires on the beach, walks to the corner store for milkshakes, untouched nature, profound sunrises and harvest moons.”
Delaware Spaces
1416 S. Bay Shore Drive, Broadkill Beach
LISTING PRICE: $1.275 million
SIZE: 3,000 square feet, four bedrooms, five baths
LOT: 4,996 square feet
OUTDOOR FEATURES: Multiple decks, semi-private beach, views of the Delaware Bay
BUILT: 2006
NOTEWORTHY: Reclaimed hardwood floors, electric hurricane shutters
CONTACT: Laurie Bronstein, Berkshire Hathaway Gallo Realty, (302) 449-4342
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Eileen Smith Dallabrida is a writer and editor based in Wilmington. Reach her at esmith@smithreports.com