Make your own space liveable first!

[Morticia]

Congratulations on finding your new B&B, whether you've turned your own house into your new business or you've bought a pre-existing B&B.
Just a simple word of advice...it's much easier to be a gracious host if, when you close your door at night, your own personal space is relaxing and inviting. Be sure to take time to create your own haven!

 

[swirt]

Just a simple word of advice...it's much easier to be a gracious host if, when you close your door at night,

LOL yes those innkeepers who sleep with their doors open always trouble me.

 

[gillumhouse]

Be sure to take time to create your own haven!

I did that when I moved to Podunk

 

[YellowSocks]

I kinda did that and kinda didn't. Our bedrooms will be the only rooms in the house with no work whatsoever done to them (not even paint). But we put in a family room (OK, b-i-l never finished it, but it's a nice private space even if the trim isn't installed and the ceiling incomplete). And now we have our new basement bathroom installed and I LOVE it!! I adore my new bathroom (well, not so new... same tub, sink, toilet from upstairs). It's not nice (beat up tub, unfinished ceiling, no baseboards, and won't be getting them) and has a hot water heater in it, but somehow it's cozy and colorful and all ours. Too bad it's two floors down from my bedroom...
=) Kk.

 

[Samster]

Amen, Sistuh! We thought we were doing that but ran out of time & needed to open & make some dinero. We're still working on our space....

 

[ginocat]

A private space is soooo important! We have our private sitting room/office off the kitchen and then the bedroom is a wonderful retreat. No TV, no 'puter. All private areas have locking doors (including the kitchen). When I started up I didn't have a separate sitting room but after a year I knew I had to have my own space so did that. I also have someone come in and clean our private areas once a week during the busy season. It's so nice to 'come home' to a clean bathroom, etc., and not have to do it myself.

 

[Proud Texan]

We built our cabin long before we decided to open a B&B, so it's already comfortable for us. Unfortunately, our open design while perfect for us has created some privacy issues that will need to be addressed.
Our home office is open and visible from the main entry. My concern is that guests entering will see our computer and automatically assume that it's O.K. to "just check my email" OR that our one and only bathroom (in the main house) is for their use. We're going over strategies to prevent that. Our guest cottages are about 500 feet from our cabin and I understand that when your morning coffee kicks in, you need a bathroom.

 

[Morticia]

A private space is soooo important! We have our private sitting room/office off the kitchen and then the bedroom is a wonderful retreat. No TV, no 'puter. All private areas have locking doors (including the kitchen). When I started up I didn't have a separate sitting room but after a year I knew I had to have my own space so did that. I also have someone come in and clean our private areas once a week during the busy season. It's so nice to 'come home' to a clean bathroom, etc., and not have to do it myself..

That's what i want...someone to clean my space in season. That's my assigned task for today...clean my space. So far the bathroom is done. Ugh.

 

[Morticia]

We built our cabin long before we decided to open a B&B, so it's already comfortable for us. Unfortunately, our open design while perfect for us has created some privacy issues that will need to be addressed.
Our home office is open and visible from the main entry. My concern is that guests entering will see our computer and automatically assume that it's O.K. to "just check my email" OR that our one and only bathroom (in the main house) is for their use. We're going over strategies to prevent that. Our guest cottages are about 500 feet from our cabin and I understand that when your morning coffee kicks in, you need a bathroom.

.

Good idea to address those issues now. My inn kitchen is wide open, no doors, and guests DO think it is ok to use it.
We did a reno in Jan 07 and added a 'peninsula' to the guest area that blocks the direct walk into the kitchen. Many guests won't go around that, but some still do. I need my sign for the summer season...
We have a half bath right off the kitchen that was the original owners' only bathroom (we took out the shower to make space for the washer/dryer) and a lot of guests know that bathroom is there. We don't lock it but it is a mess most of the time so I don't encourage anyone to use it.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous.

 

[swirt]

We built our cabin long before we decided to open a B&B, so it's already comfortable for us. Unfortunately, our open design while perfect for us has created some privacy issues that will need to be addressed.
Our home office is open and visible from the main entry. My concern is that guests entering will see our computer and automatically assume that it's O.K. to "just check my email" OR that our one and only bathroom (in the main house) is for their use. We're going over strategies to prevent that. Our guest cottages are about 500 feet from our cabin and I understand that when your morning coffee kicks in, you need a bathroom.

.

So guests from your cabins are in your main house for breakfast?
We have an open floor plan too and our guests are only in our house for breakfast and checkout. The computer in the open we get away with by using a laptop we tuck in a drawer when we aren't using it. The bathroom you could proabaly get away with keeping the door closed and if worse comes to worse put a small sign on it that says "Closet" Though with the distance to your cabins you are right there might be times when people will simply have to use your closet.

 

[Morticia]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous..

Next year...famous last words...I'm getting rid of the carpeting in my place. UGH, it is disgusting. I shouldn't have carpet at all due to allergies. But I want hardwood floors. I have the 'imitation' hardwood floors in a couple of areas and it's noisy and fake looking. Some of the newer stuff looks much better, this looks like what it is...a photo of wood floor on plastic.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

A private space is soooo important! We have our private sitting room/office off the kitchen and then the bedroom is a wonderful retreat. No TV, no 'puter. All private areas have locking doors (including the kitchen). When I started up I didn't have a separate sitting room but after a year I knew I had to have my own space so did that. I also have someone come in and clean our private areas once a week during the busy season. It's so nice to 'come home' to a clean bathroom, etc., and not have to do it myself..

That's what i want...someone to clean my space in season. That's my assigned task for today...clean my space. So far the bathroom is done. Ugh.
.

Hey I like the NEW designation along the left side of the nwe posts! GOOD JOB Swirt.
I can't picture you now as a BREE. Have you got something funny or clever? Bree is a girl wearing braces and has acne.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous..

Next year...famous last words...I'm getting rid of the carpeting in my place. UGH, it is disgusting. I shouldn't have carpet at all due to allergies. But I want hardwood floors. I have the 'imitation' hardwood floors in a couple of areas and it's noisy and fake looking. Some of the newer stuff looks much better, this looks like what it is...a photo of wood floor on plastic.
.

I was lucky and got REALLY good laminate wood flooring - it's commercial grade and looks and sounds great. There's a Maine institution called Marden's. It's a closeout store and for once they had what I needed when I needed it.

 

[Morticia]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous..

Next year...famous last words...I'm getting rid of the carpeting in my place. UGH, it is disgusting. I shouldn't have carpet at all due to allergies. But I want hardwood floors. I have the 'imitation' hardwood floors in a couple of areas and it's noisy and fake looking. Some of the newer stuff looks much better, this looks like what it is...a photo of wood floor on plastic.
.

I was lucky and got REALLY good laminate wood flooring - it's commercial grade and looks and sounds great. There's a Maine institution called Marden's. It's a closeout store and for once they had what I needed when I needed it.
.

Ah, yes, Marden's. I always forget to try there when I need a lot of something I don't want to spend a lot of money on! Friends bought their stair runner there, 30 yds or so for something like $150. And it's wool!

 

[Samster]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous..

Next year...famous last words...I'm getting rid of the carpeting in my place. UGH, it is disgusting. I shouldn't have carpet at all due to allergies. But I want hardwood floors. I have the 'imitation' hardwood floors in a couple of areas and it's noisy and fake looking. Some of the newer stuff looks much better, this looks like what it is...a photo of wood floor on plastic.
.

I was lucky and got REALLY good laminate wood flooring - it's commercial grade and looks and sounds great. There's a Maine institution called Marden's. It's a closeout store and for once they had what I needed when I needed it.
.

We put the wood laminate in the kitchen, butler's pantry area & it was a good decision. We bought a higher grade of wood laminate & bought the most expensive underlayment or whatever it's called. Put ceramic tile in the laundry room. Considering that we ripped up $1 per sq ft black & white linoleum tiles that were dirty & cracked, anything would be an improvement. But, I really like the laminate & I swore that I would never have it. It was a good cost effective alternative to hardwood & I think is more durable for the use that area is getting with the inn now.
Our innkeepers quarters...still a major disaster area with boxes and too much of dh's stuff. He needs to finish painting his closet so he can get that stuff put away. Then, some other stuff just needs to disappear when he's not around.

 

[Morticia]

I "redid' The OQ last year when DH was out of town ..... and with a full house of guests. It almost killed me, but as you pointed out I felt it was absolutely essential to have a space we could enjoy. It got to be so depressing to come from the beautiful, comfortable guest areas into a gloomy, drab area that was completely centered around the laundry. I went completely (happily) overboard with the colours .... the living room walls and ceiling are BRIGHT yellow (think a Beatles Submarine) with a deep red accent wall. I ripped up all the carpets and put down a wide-board, wood laminate and most importantly I closed off the laundry area so when I got a chance to relax I could shut the door and not have piles of laundry and ironing reproaching me at every turn. It's in no way finished, I haven't put back the baseboards and there's still a ton of touch-ups to be done, but I really enjoy our space now.
BTW - having now had the "pleasure" of ripping up carpet I will never have it again - it was DISGUSTING and with three cats being able to damp mop / swiffer etc is absolutely fabulous..

Next year...famous last words...I'm getting rid of the carpeting in my place. UGH, it is disgusting. I shouldn't have carpet at all due to allergies. But I want hardwood floors. I have the 'imitation' hardwood floors in a couple of areas and it's noisy and fake looking. Some of the newer stuff looks much better, this looks like what it is...a photo of wood floor on plastic.
.

I was lucky and got REALLY good laminate wood flooring - it's commercial grade and looks and sounds great. There's a Maine institution called Marden's. It's a closeout store and for once they had what I needed when I needed it.
.

We put the wood laminate in the kitchen, butler's pantry area & it was a good decision. We bought a higher grade of wood laminate & bought the most expensive underlayment or whatever it's called. Put ceramic tile in the laundry room. Considering that we ripped up $1 per sq ft black & white linoleum tiles that were dirty & cracked, anything would be an improvement. But, I really like the laminate & I swore that I would never have it. It was a good cost effective alternative to hardwood & I think is more durable for the use that area is getting with the inn now.
Our innkeepers quarters...still a major disaster area with boxes and too much of dh's stuff. He needs to finish painting his closet so he can get that stuff put away. Then, some other stuff just needs to disappear when he's not around.

.

Yours looks good. What I have doesn't. I was awful when we were looking at the place. I walked across the laminate and it popped, like laminate can do and I said, 'What IS this stuff? Linoleum?' I was told (rather brusquely), 'It's wood flooring.' To which I replied, 'No it isn't, it's some sort of look alike vinyl.' (OK I was wrong about the vinyl part, but it certainly wasn't wood.) No wonder the PO's didn't like me. I insulted their precious flooring. (Which was unfinished, BTW.)

 

[YellowSocks]

A private space is soooo important! We have our private sitting room/office off the kitchen and then the bedroom is a wonderful retreat. No TV, no 'puter. All private areas have locking doors (including the kitchen). When I started up I didn't have a separate sitting room but after a year I knew I had to have my own space so did that. I also have someone come in and clean our private areas once a week during the busy season. It's so nice to 'come home' to a clean bathroom, etc., and not have to do it myself..

That's what i want...someone to clean my space in season. That's my assigned task for today...clean my space. So far the bathroom is done. Ugh.
.

Hey I like the NEW designation along the left side of the nwe posts! GOOD JOB Swirt.
I can't picture you now as a BREE. Have you got something funny or clever? Bree is a girl wearing braces and has acne.
.

It's a cheese, isn't it?
=) Kk.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

After going into massive decrapification mode last night, I am here to attest that this is totally true!
Make your space livable so you have a NICE place to retreat to. Guests will comment how lovely your home is (and what they don't see is the part of it YOU live in) the part with boxes of brochures gathering dust bunnies under the beds and boxes of this and stuff shoved everywhere and anywhere it can be shoved.
I could be heard in the kitchen (yes the guests were out at the time) hollering "Don't give me no more junk!!! NO MORE!!!" People, I don't want family momentos that gather dust, please!! Box it up and I can keep it, but it DOES NOT have to be displayed.
I am majorly aggro about this right now. I was ready to strip our quarters down to nothing. Dh said "What, you want this place bare?" YES! I DO! I can't cope with all the cleaning and dusting of OUR OWN QUARTERS left alone this whole house.
So to agree 100% with this thread, make your quarters nice, don't do them last and hate them. I am still in the decrapification mode. How many boxes of crap do I need to the B&B when most (99% of guests) never even look at this stuff?????!!!!! I have to live here too, so for that I am stripping it all down.

 

[Samster]

I need more time to de-crapify & I have to send my dh away somewhere, I've decided it's the only way. He's going to go out of town for the weekend in a couple of weeks. No guests are booked in & I'm tempted to block the weekend out. Let the major de-crapification begin!