Forget about the guest room, build a guest home!

Ben has talked about how to build your own shed from scratch, but what do you do with it once it’s built? Well, you could use it as a place to store your tools. Or, you could be a little more imaginative with your new shed and turn it into a guest home. Ben and I had grand plans to originally build a guest room at the bottom of the garden to rent out on Air BnB and for an extra bedroom when needed. When you have people over, it would be nice if you could have your privacy and they could have theirs; that’s why converting your shed into a guest home is a great idea. How would you go about doing this? Here are some ideas.

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Rustic element

Your shed should already have a rather rustic element to it as you have built it yourself. The exposed brickwork/woodwork of the walls will already give the shed its own homely feel. So, you don’t need to go to the trouble of trying to paint the walls, as the exposed work itself brings a cosy feel into the room. You will be offering your guests an authentic country feel when they stay with you and that’s not something that they are likely to forget. If the walls are quite thin and too shed like then add some insulation and wood panelling to the inside to make it much warmer and homely. Give it a real log cabin feel with wooden walls and interior throughout!

Flooring

You should look at adding some flooring into the shed other than the basic floor that is already there. Adding a floor will make it feel like less like they are in a shed and more like being in a guest home. You should shop local flooring stores to find the right kind of floor for your newly converted guest home. You don’t want to go all out and spend masses on this floor, but you do want to spend a decent amount on a nice floor for your guests.

Hardwood floors are probably going to be the best option for you here. This is because while they are going to be in the guest house, it is still outside. Hardwood floors are also easier to clean. So, when it comes to preparing for your guests, the work will be minimal as you give it a quick clean and it sparkles like it’s brand new.

Ben added a laminate floor to his workshop and it looks great. It really made it look like a room and not so much of a shed just by adding proper flooring that can be used in homes too.

Furniture

Buy some new furniture to finish the look. A couch, a chair, reading light, etc. All these things should be in your new guest home so that when you have company, they feel comfortable. Remember, the whole point of this conversion is to give your guests some privacy so that they feel more comfortable. If you don’t make it feel homely and comfortable, nobody is going to want to stay in there.

Simple things like a bedside table and lamp can go a long way to making someone feel like they are in their own home. You should also think about adding a rug for when it gets slightly colder. You don’t want people to have cold feet so a stylish rug would go well here. If you get the right rug, it may also bring the entire design of the room together to make it a beautiful and cosy place to stay.

Going all the way

Our plan was to go all the way if we built a guest room log cabin type thing in the garden. We planned to add a mini log burner and even run water pipes down the garden so an ensuite and kitchenette could be installed. It was a really exciting plan, but for now Ben is going to give his furniture making business idea a go. Instead we have an idea to convert a downstairs room in our home into a bedsit to give us an extra guest room we can rent out for now!

We hope you like the idea of turning your new shed into a guest house. Put these ideas into practice, and your guests will feel like they are in their own little home. It could even become a great money making business idea!