My husband George and I fell in love with Rehoboth Beach in the early 70’s and, consequently, bought a small cottage there. We painted the house white and, because we lived and worked in the DC area, enjoyed the irony of escaping to the little White House for weekends and longer getaways. Over the years we made many changes and improvements; however, it remained a small cottage. After we retired and began to spend much more time at the beach, we discussed our options for living there full time.
Unexpectedly, before we had settled on a plan and taken action, George died, and my life changed forever. During the months, blurred with loss and grief, that followed, I finally decided that I would sell our other properties but not the White House. As I asked around the area for names of builders whom I could trust to do a renovation, the name Garrison Homes came up frequently. I had seen signs with the name, and I noticed the new houses they were building.
From the initial meeting with Jeff Garrison, I felt that this company had a staff that would listen to my ideas and dreams, answer my questions, and work with me to create a lovely and livable space. And, they did just that. Mike Davis, the Project Manager, saw me through the entire process. He listened to my ideas, responded to my many emails, answered my pages of questions, and put me in touch with the myriad members of the team it would take to make this dream a reality.
I was able to use the original doors from the first floor in the new second floor; I got the field stone fireplace I wanted; and with design and artistic guidance I was able to choose the details that emerged as a simple but spacious house with a cottage feel — a dream called The White House.