Social Network River Schell Brothers Combined Community Streams

Groundbreaking at the Peninsula

Groundbreaking – the beginning of an exciting build process.

Echelon Custom Homes of Delaware Wins Acclaim at Regal Awards

Echelon Custom Homes & designer Matt Adler featured in Gordon & Associates Outlook Spring 2010 issue. click on the link to read the full issue G & A Spring 2010

Delaware Home Builder – Schell Brothers Dominates Regal Awards

On Friday, May 7th, the Delaware Association of Homebuilders held the 18th annual Regal Awards ceremony to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of its builder and associate partners.  Billed as the “Black and White Gala”, the elegant event honored the best Delaware home builders for achievements in marketing, advertising, architectural design, interior merchandising, project management, and [...]

A Tribute To Dad

2nd ANNUAL WALT WAGAMON GOLF CLASSIC The 2nd Annual Walt Wagamon Golf Classic to benefit The Wellness Community – Delaware will be held on Monday, May 24, 2010 at the exclusive Rehoboth Beach Country Club. Golfers will enjoy a challenging course, a wonderful cocktail celebration and have the opportunity to bid on fabulous prizes. Golfers [...]

New Place

My wife and I (also our new baby girl) just moved into a new place a couple of weeks ago. I had forgotten how big of a job moving really was. When we turn the keys over to a new client I often forget how difficult it is to get all of our accumulated stuff [...]

Echelon Interiors Featured in Professional Builder

By Pat Curry, Contributing Editor March 1, 2010 Professional Builder Every year, NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council recognizes creativity, excellence and innovation across several disciplines, including advertising, marketing, model merchandising and design. The awards, known simply as The Nationals, are the most prestigious honor in the business. As much as we wish we could [...]

Green Roof

Green Roof February 21, 2010 – 4:24 pm We are really excited to install one of the first residential green roofs in Sussex County and maybe Delaware.  Three separate green roofs on this one house will create a great natural space as well as save energy and conserve water.  The integrated rain water collection system will recycle rain [...]

It's a wonderful time!

Pictoral evidence of how fun it is to work for this Delaware home builder.

Going for the Gold!

Schell Brothers Receives Unprecedented Seven National Awards December 4, 2009 - 9:41 am

Schell Brothers, a leading Delaware home builder based in Rehoboth Beach, has received seven national awards, presented for excellence in the home building industry in 2009.  The company won an unparalleled five "Nationals Awards" from the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) in addition to two "Best in American Living Awards", sponsored by NAHB and Professional Builder Magazine.   The Nationals Awards, which are the most esteemed honors associated with the building industry, pay tribute to superior new home sales and marketing, and home design achievements.  Builders across the country compete for the coveted national honors from the NAHB, emphasizing the level of accomplishment by Schell Brothers in Delaware.  Nationals winners are the exclusive finalists for the ultimate Gold Awards which will be announced at the Builder's Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 19, 2010.  The Best in American Living Awards will be distributed at a press conference during the Builder's Show, honoring Schell Brothers and other builders who have provided the most inspiring and innovative residential designs in the country.

Schell Brothers' five Nationals Awards span a variety of categories ranging from home design to model merchandising, with two of the honors recognizing the achievements of the company's prestigious affiliate known as Echelon Custom Homes.  Awards were presented to Schell Brothers/Echelon Custom Homes in the following categories:

• Best "On the Boards" Single Family Detached Home for The Milton model by Schell Brothers at Heritage Creek, designed by Rebecca Fluharty
• Best Product Design for a Custom Home:  Robinson Residence by Echelon Custom Homes
• Best Interior Merchandising for a Model Priced Under $500,000:  Schell Brothers/Echelon Interiors for The Mariner model at the Retreat at Love Creek, merchandised by Echelon Interiors
• Best Website for a Builder:  Echelon Custom Homes, developed by Ivana Biela, Jeremy Bell and Mike Brown
• Best Clubhouse:  Independence Hall by Schell Brothers at Independence, Pat Mulligan, Project Manager

The 2009 Best in American Living Awards are recognized as the pinnacle of achievement in residential design.  Schell Brothers received Best in American Living Awards in the following two categories:

• Gold Award:  Best Single-Family Detached Home 1,801 to 2,400 sq. ft. for the Madison model by Schell Brothers at Heritage Creek, designed by Chris Schell
• Silver Award:  Interior Design in Best Community Facility 151 Units and over, Merchandised by Echelon Interiors

Schell Brothers Receives Unprecedented Seven National Awards

Schell Brothers, a leading Delaware home builder based in Rehoboth Beach, has received seven national awards, presented for excellence in the home building industry in 2009.  The company won an unparalleled five “Nationals Awards” from the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) in addition to two “Best in American Living Awards”, sponsored by NAHB and Professional [...]

Autumn at the Delaware Beaches

It may be too late in the season to take a dip in the waves or catch a tan on the sand, but the Delaware Beaches still boast plenty of activities throughout the autumn months. Here are my top ten favorite things about fall in coastal Delaware: 10. This time of year I am lured [...]

Family Fun Day at Breakwater

Visit www.schellbrothers.com for more info!

Live Like a Local: Blueberry Picking!

by Barbara Dean One of my favorite things to do in June is pick local blueberries. Here in Sussex County, Delaware, there is a large blueberry farm near Dagsboro where you can go to pick your own berries. The fields are open 7 days a week. Here are some tips from a local: Wear a [...]

Personalizing Your New Home

by Erika Fields Selecting the options for your new home, though exciting, can sometimes be a daunting experience. You may feel overwhelmed by the numerous options from which to select, or nervous about the finality of selecting items for a house which will be your home for many years. In order to make the process [...]

Delaware for you!

As the waves of life carry you to new adventures, you’ll find that Delaware is the place for you. Whether you’re just starting out, or looking forward to retirement, we have choices to fit your lifestyle. We know you have big plans for the next phase of your life and we invite you to choose [...]

Spring Schellebration a huge success

Many thanks to all of you who toured our communities in person and on-line during the Schellebration weekend! The event was a blast – over 20 dogs were pampered at our dog grooming station at Breakwater, and an equal number of cars were shiny clean after a visit to the car wash at The Woodlands! [...]

Energize in 2009

People often ask me why Schell Brothers is different, why I left one of the best-known national builders to work for a local company.

The difference is our culture. It's in the way we work hard and play hard together. It's in the way Chris Schell inspires us with endless optimism, motivational thoughts and tools, and it's in the financial knowledge that he bestows upon us.

Our company hosted a Realtor Expo this week: Energize in 2009. Not only did Chris present an economic update before a slew of attendees, but he also shared tactics he personally uses for staying motivated, for staying positive, and ultimately, for building and maintaining happiness. In addition, one of my colleagues at Pepper's Creektold a powerful story, in which his army experience in Iraq taught him that if he could laugh with friends - even in the worst situations - he knew he'd be ok. And, finally, we brought in a local Realtor, who, after struggling with his weight for many years, is now an Ironman athlete. He shared his success secrets for how he lost - and continues to control - his weight, how he experienced an "aha" moment, where he knew his life had to change.

That was me. I needed an "aha" moment at my previous job, and it came when I was introduced to Schell Brothers. It was then that I fully realized that homebuilding (even for the big guys in charge) can be about more than profit shares. That it's about putting smiles on peoples' faces, both customers and employees.

Being part of the Schell team has renewed my love for this industry and has completed energized me for the good things to come in 2009 and beyond, especially at The Vineyards.

In parting, I'll leave you with another quote from Chris Schell...

"Your achievements, unlike the stock market, are highly correlated with your expectations of your achievements."

Words of Wisdom

Chris Schell, our fearless leader at Schell Brothers, shared some inspirational thoughts with the company this week. I'm passing them along now in hope that they inspire others.

One's success or failure in anything is determined largely by confidence.  Fortunately, confidence can be earned through hard work and the acquisition of skill and knowledge.

To Learn is Honorable, To Discover is Divine, For without Discovery, there would be nothing to Learn

Knowledge is highly under-rated.

Wine Tasting 101

Wine Tasting - The Basics

The point of wine tasting is simply to find wines that you will thoroughly enjoy. There's no right and wrong when it comes to wine tasting. That said, here are some basic tips that will help you evaluate a new wine to see if it suits your taste.

•1. Start with a clear wine glass. The rim of the glass should bend inwards to help funnel aromas to the nose, and allow you to swirl without spilling.

•2.  Now pour a little wine into your glass. An inch or less is best. If you are tasting several wines, begin with the lightest (sparkling wines, roses, then light whites followed by full-bodied whites) and progress to the heaviest (light reds to more full-bodied reds followed by dessert wines). This will help keep your taste buds more sensitive so you can better appreciate each wine in the series. A sip of water between wines can also help preserve your palate.

 •1. Notice the color of the wine. It often helps to hold the glass up to light or hold it against a white background, like a white napkin. The color can give you a clue as to the age of the wine. White wines generally gain color as they age. Red wines lose color. That is, young red wines are more red or burgundy while older wines tend to show a hint of tawny brown around the rim. Regardless of age, the colors of wine are just fun to see, ranging from pale yellow-green to ruby red to brick red-brown.

•2. Swirl the wine a couple of times by moving the glass in a circular motion.Holding the glass by its stem, instead of the bowl, allows you to swirl more easily. Swirling is done to aerate the wine and release vapors, evaporating from the sides of the glass, for you to smell.

•3.  Then put your nose right over the rim of the wine glass and breathe in. Take note of the wine's aromas and bouquet (more details below).

Take a sip, letting the wine spread across the tongue from front to back and side to side before swallowing. Notice the flavors and acidity of the wine