Thursday, June 18, 2009

How Can I Use My Garden Shed As A Guesthouse?

By Ryan Henders

As you know, the basic function of a garden shed is to store your tools or equipment. There are some really nice looking sheds on the market now in fact some of them look like miniature houses. Which means that your garden shed really could serve another purpose. It could make the perfect mini guesthouse for those who you love to have visit and stay over but you just don?t have the extra room. There is a solution to this and that is using your garden shed as a mini guesthouse. Of course, it doesn?t mean you are going to put your guests in with the lawnmower and snow blower. Your garden shed must be designated as a guesthouse only.

When you stop to think about it, they really are the ideal solution for this concept. There are things that you need to consider though that perhaps are different than what you would use for your storage needs.

Ideally, you will want it to be wood and as large as you can afford. Think about what is the smallest bedroom you yourself would sleep in that you would feel comfortable. This is what you are going to be exposing your guests to. Another issue is the climate you live in. If you are in a place where its basically comfortable all year around then you won?t have to consider the cold. Therefore, you won?t need to worry about insulation. No matter what the climate though it must have windows. If not two at least one. If you do live in a colder climate you could consider insulating your shed and if it?s big enough utilizing a small tent heater during these times. This is something you must be extremely cautious about and be sure its big enough that the heater can be used well away from anything that could catch fire.

It?s got to be big enough to house a bed. Most likely, you aren?t going to want to put a king size bed in there, but there are several options. You could get a fold out couch or futon. This makes it perfect for them if they just want a quiet place to relax without having to sit on the bed. In fact you could wall mount a small TV on the wall. Be careful though you don?t want to make it too inviting or you may end up with more houseguests then you would like.

You want to install it where it will be easily assessable to the house amenities such as the washroom, or kitchen. Then again, you don?t want it too close to the house either. You want it pleasant almost like a stand-alone little cabin. You must consider the weather as well. You don?t want your guests stranded in their accommodations if there is a heavy rainstorm.

You are also going to have to run some sort of power supply for lighting so your location will be somewhat dependant on that as well.

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