A beloved South Bethany Beach house helped spark a lifelong love story. Decades later, Marty and Beth Stanton rebuilt it for the next generation while preserving the spirit that made it special
Written by Kristen Hampshire
Photography by Peak Visuals
Some homes become part of a family’s story. Others help write it.
Long before Marty and Beth Stanton owned their South Bethany Beach house, it belonged to family friends Joe and Nancy Anastasi. The distinctive canal-front home, built in 1974, sat on a coveted corner lot surrounded by water on two sides and became a gathering place for generations of relatives and friends.
For Marty, the connection began in childhood.
His parents and the Anastasis were close friends dating back to their days in Rockville, Maryland, where families from the same church parish vacationed together and raised their children side by side. Summer visits to South Bethany became tradition.
Then, during college, the house took on new meaning. A scheduling mix-up led Marty and his then-girlfriend, Beth, to spend a week staying with Joe and Nancy.
“We stayed together at this house when I realized she’s the one,” Marty says.
The couple never forgot it.
Years later, after raising a family and spending countless summers in South Bethany alongside Marty’s parents and siblings, they began casually exploring the idea of buying a beach house of their own. They weren’t seriously looking.
Then a realtor arranged a visit to the Anastasi house. The property wasn’t even on the market. “We walked in and it was exactly the same house we stayed in back in 1989,” Beth recalls.
Within 24 hours, they had decided to buy it.
A House Full of Memories
The Stantons purchased the home in 2018 and spent several years enjoying it in much the same way as Joe and Nancy once had. Their three children, then in middle and high school, traded one-week vacations for entire summers at the beach. Friends visited, family gathered and traditions continued.
“The house was casual and warm and welcoming,” Beth says. “It wasn’t really the house itself. It was the experience.”
But the structure had begun to show its age.
The upstairs loft lacked proper air conditioning. Windows didn’t function well. Siding began pulling away during storms. What started as routine maintenance discussions gradually evolved into bigger questions.
What would the next chapter look like?
As their children entered their twenties and the family began imagining future spouses, grandchildren and longer stays at the beach, the Stantons started considering renovating.
Initially, they envisioned modest improvements. But those “reno light” upgrades weren’t enough and didn’t fully address the home’s long-term needs.
Enter architects Carib Daniel Martin, designers Free Country Landscapes, and Matt Covell of STRUCTURE. Matt grew up with Marty and had spent time at the house over the years.
“The idea of what’s possible started to change,” Marty relates of conversations about the home’s functionality and what it could represent for their future. “Matt added a new level of enthusiasm. To have someone you’ve grown up with who has a connection to the house makes you think about things in a totally different way.”
Preserving the Spirit
What followed was far more extensive than anyone originally anticipated. The project ultimately took the home down to its pilings, but the goal was never to erase what came before.
Instead, Matt focused on preserving the elements that made the house meaningful. “We retained the shape and feel and certainly the vibe of the old house,” he says.
This commitment shaped nearly every decision.
The home remains approximately 3,000 square feet, modest by today’s coastal standards. The footprint stayed largely intact. Signature architectural features, including the dramatic peaked roofline facing the water, were preserved and reimagined.
“We kept saying, ‘We’re not building your house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’re building it for the other 50 weeks of the year,’” Beth says. “We wanted it to feel comfortable.”
The Stantons resisted the temptation to maximize every square foot.
Bedrooms remain intentionally modest in size. The emphasis shifted instead to gathering spaces, flexibility and views. “If you’re at the beach, you should be outside riding your bike, sitting downstairs and being together,” Beth says.
Matt adds, “Everything we did was very tailored to their vision of the home, tied to livability, experience and the history they had in the previous structure.”
A View Worth Framing
One of the home’s defining features is its distinct location. Situated at the intersection of two canals, the property offers panoramic water views rarely found in South Bethany. Matt capitalized on that advantage with expansive walls of glass that frame the scenery from the kitchen and family room.
“You have these really cool panoramic views,” he describes.
From across the water, familiar sightlines remain. The iconic peaked roof still anchors the rear elevation, preserving a visual connection to the original home while allowing natural light to flood the interior.
“The essence of the house is still there,”
Beth says.
This sensitivity to the home’s history extends beyond the property lines.
Because the house occupies a corner lot, the Stantons were careful not to obstruct neighboring views. “We wanted to be respectful,” Beth says.
“We kept saying, ‘We’re not building your house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’re building it for the other 50 weeks of the year.’”
Designed for Beach Living
The redesigned layout balances everyday functionality with future flexibility. The second floor now includes a primary suite, laundry room and an additional flex space that currently serves as a sitting room and home office but can eventually become a fifth bedroom.
Along the way, plans evolved.
A walk-in closet gave way to a better view. An unused crawl space became custom built-in storage. Design opportunities emerged throughout construction as Matt and his team helped the homeowners rethink spaces in real time. “When you’re doing a renovation, sometimes you have to be creative,” Beth says.
Outside, the home embraces coastal living with equal intention. A clamshell driveway reinforces the beach aesthetic while improving drainage. Beneath the elevated house, an expansive hangout space includes retractable screens, heaters and a custom outdoor shower designed to feel open to the coastal breeze while maintaining privacy.
“It’s a very Bethany thing,” Matt says of the lower-level gathering area.
The Next Generation
Today, the finished home feels simultaneously familiar and new. The memories remain. So does the purpose. For decades, the house served as a place where family and friends gathered, laughed and created lasting traditions.
The Stantons intend to continue that legacy.
“Joe and Nancy’s house was the place where family came, friends came and people had a great time,” Marty says. “That’s what we’ve had since we’ve owned it, and we’re looking to keep that going.”
When Beth walks through the front door, she still finds herself pausing.
“Every time I walk in, I pinch myself,” she says.
For Marty, the feeling is equally moving. Buying the house was a dream come true. Rebuilding it while preserving everything that mattered made the dream even better.
“We knew what we wanted it to feel like,” he says. “And it feels just like that.”
