Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
When Jennifer Justice Williams showed contractors an old, run-down cinder block garage and shared her plan to turn it into a vacation rental, she got quite a few funny looks.
But Williams had a vision and needed to find the right people to make it a reality. Though there were challenges along the way, she accomplished her goal last fall and recently welcomed the first guests to her 900-square-foot mini-house on Round Pole Bridge Road near Milton.
“It was fun, but it was definitely a lot of work,” Williams said.
Williams and her ex-husband purchased the property in 2016. At the time, 2-acre parcel also contained two trailers. One was removed, while the other remained until the tenant moved out just as Williams got the garage project underway. It was then demolished.
The property was once home to Hugh “Chap” Ciabattone and his wife Pat. Chap and his father built a car shop, using the garage Williams recently converted into a rental. In 1970, Chap’s Alignment Shop opened and soon became known as Chap’s Auto Repair because of his expertise in all areas of auto repair. After he spent 30 years working on cars and trucks, a health condition forced Chap to close his business. Little did he know his little car shop would one day become a livable space for visitors to the Cape Region.
Serving as project manager, Williams started the project in May 2024, working with contractors to ensure every fine detail met her expectations. Finding the right people to do the job was a challenge, she said.
“I wanted to keep it as original as I could, but I wanted to put an A-frame on it to put the bedroom [upstairs],” she said. “I had two or three contractors that were like, ‘Tear it down. It’s cheaper and easier.’”
Williams could not be convinced. She had the original beams power-washed, hoping to incorporate them prominently in the design. Although that didn’t work out, she found other ways to honor the garage’s history. On the wall, Williams displays a few things Chap left behind – a Milton Chamber of Commerce membership plaque, a training certificate and a few handwritten signs containing information for customers. The display is her way of ensuring the history of the property is not forgotten.
The project took about four months to complete. The idea for the interior design came from Pinterest, she said.
“I showed Frank, my framer, and he started drawing blueprints,” she said. “We would go back and forth, and then we would meet out here and decide on different things we wanted.”
Williams took it from there. She filled in all the finer details such as tile, flooring, paint colors, furniture and more. To make her vision a reality, Williams hired framer Frank Metzner and D.E. Collins for all the final trim.
This wasn’t Williams’ first rodeo. With her ex-husband, a plumber by trade, she built spec homes and renovated others.
“That was one thing I missed,” she said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to do this on my own.’ I loved it.”
She said she wants to do it again and already has some ideas if the current project pays off. Additionally, she said she’d be open to working as a project manager for people who want to renovate their home or property.
Williams’ keen eye isn’t limited to home renovations, as her primary job is hair stylist. She owns and operates JW Salon at her home at the other end of Round Pole Bridge Road. A Delaware native, Williams grew up in Bridgeville and moved to the Milton area about 10 years ago.
Williams named the rental DE Where. It has one bedroom in a loft, and a full bathroom, full kitchen and living area on the first floor. She expects renters to be people visiting southern Delaware for events at Dogfish Head, tournaments at Sports at the Beach or DE Turf, or those spending a week or weekend at the beach.
“The Town of Milton has so much to offer,” Williams said. “Not everyone wants to be on the bay in Dewey.”
DE Where sleeps up to four people and is available through Airbnb and VRBO.
