Do you dream of hosting an Airbnb but lack a large home? You may want to revamp the workshop or shed in the rear of your home into a tiny home. Many resources offer help designing an Airbnb floor plan that works to attract travelers to your listing.
What began as a way to make money from your open couch or sofa transformed into a thriving business for many. Architects and interior designers now specialize in Airbnb design. Many individuals worldwide consider opening an Airbnb, a micro bed and breakfast, a viable semi-passive income. How can you do it with only a small space? Read on to learn how to design an Airbnb floor plan for small spaces.
Tiny Homes as an Airbnb
You could build a new tiny home or start with a prefabricated design, such as those offered by Home Depot and Lowe’s. Most of these tiny homes use wood as their main material. Your kit comes with all the needed materials, and some of the larger home improvement stores also offer assembly. You will still need a permit from your city before installing a tiny home or shed, etc.
You’ll walk into a vast space of about 200 square feet with no finished walls and no electrical or plumbing. You must take care of those items yourself or hire a pro to do so. In all cases, you need to hire a professional plumber and electrician.
At a minimum, your tiny home needs a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining area. Follow these tips to maximize space while creating an enjoyable space:
- Include lots of electrical outlets to make it simple for guests to find a spot to plug in their laptop, razor, cell phone, etc.
- Use wall space for storage. Have a carpenter construct built-in shelving or hang shelves on existing wall space.
- Design an accessible space to start with to maximize your rentals. A handicap-accessible home, especially the front entry and the bathroom, increases rentals.
- Include a separate closet space for storage. Use rods, hooks, baskets, and shelves for a well-organized space.
- Hang the TV on the wall. This saves floor space.
- Place the bed in a loft. Beds take up a lot of space, but by putting one in the loft, you free up the entire floor space for a living area.
- Install a corner shower in the bathroom to use less space. Combine the shower and bathtub in one area to offer both a bath and shower but reduce the space needed.
- Build storage beneath the bed and under the stairs to utilize every nook and cranny for storage.
A tiny home offers every necessary room and separates the guests from the homeowners. This affords the Airbnb guest privacy while making the homeowner easily accessible in an emergency.
Designing an Airbnb in Your Existing Home
Perhaps you want to turn an empty bedroom into a moneymaker. Airbnb lets you do that. Think about what you need most when you travel and realize that you probably need to reorganize the bedroom at least. It may require a small amount of remodeling.
An Airbnb offers what a hotel does but in a neighborhood of a city or town instead of a commercial district. Your guests need the following in the bedroom:
- A comfortable bed
- Nightstand
- Dresser
- Closet
- Desk
- Chair
Whether your rental includes a shared bathroom or an en-suite bathroom, you must also provide towels, washcloths, and minimal toiletries.
Not all Airbnbs offer breakfast, but successful rentals should offer a refrigerator and microwave so the guests can store and make their own breakfast. You could place these items in their bedroom or assign shelves to each room in the home’s main refrigerator.
Since space remains at a premium, place a full-length mirror in the bathroom. This lets guests check their outfits before leaving but doesn’t take up room in the bedroom.
Most rentals provide a TV, some form of TV service, and Wi-Fi. Hang the TV on the wall in a small space to conserve floor space. The less floor space used, the roomier the area seems.
Dividing/Sharing a Bathroom
Not every home has the space for each Airbnb guest bedroom to enjoy its own bathroom. When guests must share a bathroom, divide the storage by providing each room with its own shelf in the bathroom pantry. Offer empty baskets on each shelf to help guests organize their belongings and keep them from the other guests’ items. Most homes only have two or three bedrooms, so one bathroom can serve two guest rooms. If each room has its own bathroom shelf, you’ve provided ample short-term space.
Provide guests with their own towels and washcloths. You can place these on their storage shelves in the bathroom or in their rooms. Show them where to find additional towels if needed.
Providing Access to Other Rooms of the Home
The most successful Airbnbs provide access to the rest of the home except the homeowner’s bedroom and bathroom. While a hotel can get away with not including a laundry or living room area, a bed and breakfast cannot. Those amenities come inherent in a bed and breakfast, including an Airbnb.
Laundry Rooms
Set quiet hours to ensure guests do not use the laundry room at night. A reasonable cutoff time of 9 pm or 10 pm ensures that every guest can have quiet for sleeping but still do laundry after work if they’re traveling for that reason. Place a laundry bin in each bedroom for guest convenience.
Kitchen Use
If you cannot provide a galley kitchen in each rental area, an individual could prepare real food and provide kitchen access. If you feel odd about having guests use your family’s dishware, purchase a separate set for guests and show them where you keep it. Also, provide essential pots and pans for them to prepare food. Keep these in a separate cabinet.
Access to Living Areas
Most Airbnbs offer the use of the living room and dining room, even in a shared space. Guests in a shared space won’t expect storage for their items in these areas but do hang a TV on the wall if you need to use a small space. Create a few conversational spaces to effectively utilize space and allow family members an area to enjoy while a guest also uses the room.
Easily Communicate Private and Shared Areas with a Floor Plan
Use an app like RoomSketcher or Floorplanner to create an easy-to-read floor plan that illustrates which areas the guest rents that remain private to only them, such as their bedroom or en-suite bathroom, and which areas each share with others, such as the kitchen or living room.
Also, include any areas reserved for you or your family’s use on this floor plan. That includes your own bedroom and bathroom, plus your family room or children’s bedroom.
Upload this floor plan to each Airbnb listing you create for that home. If you haven’t used Airbnb before, each room gets its own listing, so if you rent out three bedrooms in your home on Airbnb, you create separate listings for each.
Using a floor plan on your Airbnb listing leaves no room for disappointment. Guests know what to expect and where they can go in the home.
Get Your Airbnb Rental Ready at From The Forest
Perhaps your bedrooms or tiny home need a little sprucing up before you list them. Visit From The Forest for wood and wood-looking flooring and wall materials. Let us help you revamp your space for guests.