In Strathmere, a couple built their Shore home from scratch, with 6 bedrooms and 360-degree views

When Andy Glemser was a child, his summers focused on sand, surf and hanging out with his 20 cousins in Sea Isle City. Even after he married and had three kids of his own, his family continued that summer ritual in their own Sea Isle City duplex. In January, 2020, when they found themselves competing for parking spaces and wanting a larger, single-family house, the Glemsers decided it was time to move.

They found a lot in the next community north, Strathmere. There, they could build their dream house on a quiet street, just steps off the beach, with their own driveway and plenty of room to continue creating summer memories.

“Coming to the Shore gives everyone a reason to get together,” said Andy, a pharmaceutical consultant. “Life is busy but it slows down here. Growing up here helped me stay close to family and extended family. We have endless stories and memories together. I want the same for my kids.”

Andy and his wife, Tina, sold their house in Sea Isle City, bought the lot in Strathmere, chose Mashura Builders in Ocean View, and created their must-have list. Then came the pandemic.

“We didn’t have a house for two years,” recalled Tina, a rental property manager. “We thought we’d be in the new house in six months, but because of COVID-19, everything was delayed.”

Fortunately, the family, who lives in the Lehigh Valley when not at the beach, had plenty of relatives to visit in Sea Isle City. So while their own house was on hold, their beach tradition continued. They finally moved into the new house in April.

Their priority was to fit as many bedrooms into the four-story home as possible while taking advantage of their stunning beach views. The 3,600-square-foot modern Shore house has six bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms, and features traditional accents. The front deck is sandwiched between curved beams, adding architectural appeal.

“The front deck is angled so that we’ll never have another house block the view and our rooftop deck is even better,” Tina said. The roof deck offers 360-degree views of the island, where guests gather in cozy love seats around the fire pit. Two of the bedrooms share an additional deck.

The home’s décor is a fun, casual beach vibe in muted teals, light greens, blues and white. Tina decorated the bedrooms with inspiration from the artwork her daughter Makena and dear friend Ginger Nadel gave her. For example, the “Hawaii Room” was built around a watercolor that Makena made of a sea turtle the couple had seen in Hawaii.

The home’s open floor plan allows for an easy flow, with the kitchen serving as the indoor gathering place. Though Tina doesn’t consider herself an avid cook, she loves when guests enjoy her meals and she appreciates when everyone pitches in to help.

“No matter how big you make the rest of the house, everyone congregates in the kitchen,” Tina said. “I came from a small family and I married into a big Irish Catholic family. It seems like every meal I make down here is huge. It took some getting used to but I’ve got it down now. The more, the merrier!”

Andy’s favorite spot is the living room, where sunshine floods in through the southern- and eastern-facing windows, offering lovely breezes and spectacular views.

The room features a chrome clock with a black face on a wooden tripod, one of their favorite pieces with an interesting backstory. They bought the clock in North Carolina, but needed to store it as the building project dragged on.

“When we could finally take delivery of it, the whole chrome bottom came pitted and rusted,” Tina recalled.

It turned out that the clock had been stored with batteries that corroded during its two years in storage. By that time, the clock had been discontinued and the newer model had substantially increased in price. Most important, she loved the one she had.

“I thought I’d just keep it and set it to 5:00 and put a note on it that says, ‘It’s 5:00 … here!’,” Tina said, of the non-working clock.

That’s when her father-in-law, Ray Glemser, saw a challenge. He replaced the battery compartment, did some rewiring, removed the rust, and was able to get the clock working again. He even fixed the chime.

“He saved the day,” she said.

The pair are able to work remotely and look forward to spending as much time as possible in their new haven, including during the calmer winter months. They already have plans for the whole family to gather for Thanksgiving.

“We’ve gotten to know a lot of the neighbors on our street and everybody is so welcoming,” Tina said. “It’s a real home-town feel here. Everyone is so proud of their town.”

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