Bethany builder to star in HGTV show 'Big Beach Builds'
When Marnie Oursler started building resort homes in the Bethany Beach area, she never thought she'd have her own television series because of it.
But now it's a possibility.
Oursler, owner of Marnie Custom Homes, stars in a pilot episode of a new series called “Big Beach Builds,” airing on HGTV at noon Friday, Feb. 5.
In the episode, the fifth-generation builder does a renovation of a Bethany Beach home for a couple.
"It was neat and a ton of fun to do it," she said. "It brought me back to how I started doing renovations when it was just me."
Her renovation career started in 2003, two years after she graduated from college and moved to Bethany, where her family vacationed during her childhood. The following year, she built her first house, for herself, she said, because she couldn't afford a builder. Two years later, she built her second house. She did it all as side projects while she had a job in the real estate business.
She started her company, Marnie Custom Homes, in 2007 fueled by her love for transforming spaces.
"Starting from scratch is always a ton of fun for me," she said. "You have a clean slate and all of a sudden you can make spaces. It’s a lot of fun working with the client and I really enjoy helping people achieve their dreams in terms of what they want their beach house to be."
Since then, Oursler built the first LEED certified home in Delaware and has been nationally recognized for her work, including being a part of Professional Builder Magazine’s “40 Under 40” – a recognition of entrepreneurs to watch in the building industry – and the Gold Stevie Award as Entrepreneur of the Year for women in business.
She prefers designing beach homes, as there are many casual and creative elements to them that are unique, such as an emphasis on outdoor living spaces and the challenge of how to get in and out of the house without tracking sand. For many of her clients, they are second or retirement homes.
"I think they have a different feel to them than a primary house," she said. "I think the clientele wants more of a relaxed escape from the day-to-day and the traditional home they live in."
Only one episode of the show was filmed, Oursler said. She expects in the next few weeks to learn whether the series will be picked up.
At this point, the show's fate may be in the viewers' hands. She enjoyed the filming experience and hopes to have the opportunity to continue sharing what she does with other people.
"It’s me at work every day and some interesting things happen with renovations," she said. "It’s funny and it’s neat to see the homeowners and what happens from the initial walkthrough to the end. I think people will enjoy it."
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