If you are looking to build up the functionality of your property while possibly increasing its value, building a guest house is a great option. Guest housing expands the usefulness of your property and makes it seem bigger. It can also be one of the best returns on investment that you can build without too many government contingencies. However, there are some things that you need to know before you start. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid when building a guest house.
1. Am I properly extending the HVAC system?
One of the primary ways to make a guest house a home is making sure the inside environment is perfect. Make sure that you extend your HVAC capabilities into the new structure. This will also help you to avoid mold and mildew buildup.
2. Am I leaving space for storage?
Your guest house will likely be smaller than your actual house, and this means your guests will need even better storage space in order to make use of the floor plan. Modern architecture is great at using nooks and crannies that could not serve any other purpose as a storage space. Hire someone efficient in contemporary style in order to maximize on the style.
3. Am I planning the house with no style?
Your guest house should not be the equivalent of the rubber chicken dinner. Give it a style so that your guests will have an experience that is special. Give every room a purpose, and make them fit together with a definite esthetic.
4. Is the house poorly lit?
Because the house may be on another part of your property without natural light, you may need to increase the window size. Skylights are another feature that can add style and maintain the light that you need to make a great guest house experience.
5. Have you made accommodations for children and elderly people?
You may have guests with children and some without. However, you should have a room that is made to accommodate kids so that you will be prepared for all contingencies.
Elderly guests may also need certain accommodations such as lower rails, non-slippery floors, and lower shelves. The way to accommodate the elderly in your guest home is to build the features of the house for elderly people first, and people with more hand eye coordination will naturally be able to use them as well.
6. Are the rooms organized in a natural, intuitive way?
You do not need the equivalent of a rubber chicken house, but you also do not need a house in which people cannot find the laundry room. Remember that your guests will only be there for a short time, and they will not have time to get acclimated and use the house fully.
7. Are the bedrooms away from outside traffic and noise?
In order to make your guests as comfortable as possible, make sure that the bedrooms are as far away from outside noise and traffic. Do not put the guesthouse bedroom next to your garage, for instance. It is usually best to make the master bedroom in the guesthouse a room on the far end of the structure, away from an adjoining wall with the central living area.
8. Is the kitchen easily accessible?
To the contrary, the placement of the kitchen in your guesthouse should improve accessibility as much as possible. This is a room that you can put next to the garage, and you can even make it the entrance way to the guesthouse. Since the kitchen is a room that is trafficked highly, it can be used as a thoroughfare as well as a room to cook. Putting the kitchen near living and dining areas is also a smart idea.
9. Have I taken care of the paperwork?
One of the biggest mistakes that property owners make is to start plans with an architect without first consulting with the homeowner’s association, the city planner, and a real estate attorney. If you are not careful, you may have to tear down what you have built because you did not consult with all of these people first. Take care of all of the paperwork before you begin laying the first brick to save time and money.
10. Is the guesthouse something that I would live in?
Although you are building this living structure for other people, there is no one person who can tell you how to put it together. The way to build a guesthouse is to build it as an extension of your own home. People will learn to love it if you love it first.
Overall, putting a guesthouse on your property can be a wonderful extension of your real estate and improve your property value at the same time.. Keep the above tips in mind so that do not have to go back and change anything once you have laid down your first plans.
2 Point Highlight
The way to accommodate the elderly in your guest home is to build the features of the house for elderly people first, and people with more hand eye coordination will naturally be able to use them as well.
One of the biggest mistakes that property owners make is to start plans with an architect without first consulting with the homeowner’s association, the city planner, and a real estate attorney.
