One of the strongest selling points for guest houses is “value for money“. Be careful not to price yourself out of the market and do not see-saw with your rates, putting them up dramatically when things seem to be going well or dropping them substantially if not. You will lose your loyal customers this way. Note the trends in the market and retain a long-term vision. Do not become greedy or desperate!

A guest house initially draws its guests with its rates, location and facilities. It keeps its guests with value for money and service. Its best advertisement remains guests returning time and again and spreading the word. Unhappy guests can cause serious damage to your business. Treat your guests as though they are your marketing agents.

Be flexible with your rates. An empty room is unacceptable and last night’s empty room cannot be sold again! It is always worth while to offer a special rate for a long-term or group booking or for a late booking, where the room would otherwise have been empty. Adopt the policy of “yield management” in order to win a reservation.

Payments must be dealt with diplomatically and with tact, and invoices must be absolutely correct. Be willing to pay commission to agents. This can save you considerable advertising and marketing costs. You should also be prepared to sometimes wait a little longer for your payment, for example when travel agents make use of you. Do not nag large organisations for payment. Your guest house is one of the small goldfish in a very large bowl of available accommodation.

Should your guest house be experiencing problems with its occupancy, go back to your original market research and if necessary, do it all over again. This may assist you in finding the root of the problem, so that you can do something to rectify the situation. The most common reasons for low occupancy are the following:

* Wrong location

* Bad service of either yourself or your staff members

* Rates that are not market-related

* Facilities that are no longer acceptable, such as shared bathrooms

* More competition

* Bad management

* Incorrect marketing

* Factors outside your control, such as an increase in crime in the area

Look closely at all these aspects of your guest house. Improve everything that can and should be improved, for example the level of training and the quality of service by your staff. Bring your facilities up to standard.

Look at your guest house through a stranger’s eyes. You may perhaps not have noticed your many personal family items and photographs in the guest lounge. A fresh coat of paint or steam-cleaning your furniture may make a huge difference.

If you are not situated in a popular area, you could perhaps make your guest house irresistible in other ways, perhaps by adding a tea garden or other special attraction. You could offer special out-of-season rates and market them aggressively. You may not make much profit out of special rates but they could gain you a few more regular clients. Undertake various marketing actions and concentrate on an intensive personal marketing campaign.

How do you know when you are successful and doing it right? When your guests come back time and again and tell their friends, colleagues and relatives about you.

Always remember that your own unique personality is the single most important factor that will ensure your success. Enjoy your guest house, your guests and your success!

You must never forget that your guest house is a professional business which operates in direct competition with hotels. The highest professional standards are therefore required of you. Keep the image of your guest house in mind in everything you do. This will not only save you money in the long term but will contribute to your success.

Before you receive your first guests, sleep in every bed, shower in every shower and thoroughly test all equipment such as TVs and hair dryers.

It is important to realise that other guest houses are not only competition for you, but that cooperation with guest houses in your area will mean that together you will be able to give a better and more comprehensive service to your guests.

Pay constant attention to your marketing, especially in the early stages of your business. People do not have long memories and they will either forget you or lose important details like your guest house’s name and telephone number. Remind your market often, at least twice a year, of your existence.

You must be available at all times for reservations. You will definitely lose business if you cannot be reached and all the money and time spent on marketing and advertising will be wasted.

Your telephone must be dealt with professionally and must under no circumstances be answered by untrained or ill-informed persons.

When a reservation has been made, for example for a single room for a short period, and a better overlapping reservation, such as a double room for a longer period, is received, you must regrettably decline the latter. You must keep to the original reservation and resist the temptation to change the first reservation. This is part of the risk of the business.

All reservations must be confirmed in writing with all relevant details such as rates, facilities and available services. Written notification of your policy on cancellation and deposits is important to protect you against late cancellation. Double bookings cause embarrassment and reflect badly on your professionalism.

You personally or a trained person must meet guests, should you not have a full-time reception service. Do not subject guests to unpleasant surprises on arrival! They must get exactly what they asked for and have had confirmed. You may under no circumstances, after a reservation has been confirmed in writing, change any details.

The guest may not be confronted with a change in rates. If you make a mistake in this connection, you must bear the loss.

You must make careful note of the guests‘ special requirements such as food preferences - diabetic, vegetarian, halal, etc.

The room must look and smell fresh and neat, as in fact must the whole guest house, including the garden and pool. Stale smoke and food smells are unacceptable. The only exception is probably freshly baked biscuits and coffee! Reservations have been lost because of rooms smelling of stale smoke.

Although guests often prefer guest houses to hotels for the personal attention and service, there is a thin line between too much familiarity and personal service.

Pets and boisterous dogs can create problems, especially if the evidence of the animals’ presence is found on the lawns. Most guests do not want to be bowled over by the dog on arrival or have the house cat make itself at home in their laps.

To do a home energy audit, start with a walk through of the home, make a note of problem locations, and then report back to your customer with recommendations on what needs to be done.

Include the following items during the home energy audit:

• Check for air leaks around windows and doors. (By decreasing air leaks the customer can save up to 25 percent in energy use.)
• Check electrical outlets, switch plates, and baseboards for air leaks.
• Check that the condition of any weatherstripping is reasonable and doing its job.
• Check for windows that rattle. Where there is a rattle there is a gap and therefore a leak. Replacement or installation of weatherstripping may be necessary.
• Check the condition and quantity of insulation in the home,
  especially in the attic. Advise if more may be necessary.

• Check the wattage of light bulbs. Lighting can account for upwards of 10 percent of energy costs. You could suggest that 100-watt bulbs be replaced with 60-watt bulbs to decrease energy consumption. Energy-efficient, long-life compact fluorescent bulbs are another option, and they can mean huge savings in the long run.
• Look for damaged siding on the outside of the house. Any holes should be plugged and caulked.
• Look for gaps where pipes and wires enter the house. Fill as necessary.
• Check for carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers. Make sure they are in good working order. (Fire extinguishers have a limited life, even if they have never been used.)
• Examine emergency exits, such as windows. Make sure they open with ease if needed in an emergency.
• Suggest the installation of low-flow toilets and/or shower heads.
• Examine faucets for leaks.
• Suggest that water tanks and hot water pipes get wrapped to conserve energy.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your yard- work service:

Try to bundle services together for several customers. For example, rent an aerator for a day for about $45 and line up several aerating jobs. Customers will pay $40 to have their lawn aerated, but won’t want to rent the aerator themselves. By organizing your work in this manner, you can make a good rate of pay and offer a great service to your customers. Rent the equipment for a week and your costs will go down even further. You can use the same principle for fertilizing lawns by renting a spreader for several jobs.

Cleaning up after yard work can be a nuisance. Use a large tarp to gather branches and leaves, which can be dragged or lifted for easier removal. Instead of bagging debris, we suggest loading it directly into an open trailer ready for a run to the dump or recycling depot. Branches and brush can be cut up in the trailer with a chainsaw (using all the necessary safety equipment) to compact the load, thereby requiring fewer loads.

Be cautious about offering to trim or prune large trees. This job should be left to the professionals. A tree service can assess the condition of the tree and the danger to surrounding property. Some customers think that trimming a big tree is an easy job and the cost should be low. On the contrary, tree service companies are expensive for good reason; the work is dangerous! Tree services are insured to cover damage from falling trees and are well equipped to handle the heights and other dangers associated with the business.

If you do plan on incorporating small plumbing repairs into your business, you’ll find it useful to keep some basic plumbing supplies on hand such as O rings, wax seals for toilets, plumber’s putty, a plunger, and plenty of rags for the inevitable cleanup.

Here are a few basic plumbing tips:

• Shut off the water at the main tap.
• Close the sink drain to avoid losing any small parts.
• Wrap tape around the jaws of the wrench to avoid scratching the finish on faucets.
• Never start a plumbing job at the end of the day so as to avoid being unable to finish and leaving your customer without water.

In fact, you may be able to help your customers avoid a major expense down the road by pointing out that some “preventive roof medicine” is needed. If you have been hired, for example, to clean the eavestroughs or paint the house, you can take the time to examine the roof and recommend that it be reshingled or repaired, if necessary.Most customers will be grateful for your advice. It’s a good idea to keep on hand roof nails, a caulking tube of “clear repair,” and some black tar repair compound for small repairs. (Clear repair has many uses, from repairing flashing and eavestrough leaks to filling up holes in brick chimneys and patching holes in shingles.)

• If you don’t feel confident with your plumbing experience, contact a professional.
• Watch out for these problems, which may mean a new roof is in order:
• Broken and/or missing shingles
• Old patches of roofing tar on shingles
• Protruding nail heads
• Smooth shingles with all of the granules worn off Water stains on interior ceilings
• Shingles that are not lying flat and have up-turned corners Large accumulation of shingle granules in the gutters

You might offer to repair the roof, but you should also be careful about recognizing your limitations. Generally, we don’t recommend offering a complete roofing service. It’s hard to compete with the teams that roofing companies can call on to get a job done quickly at a decent price. However, you can make good money doing smaller roof repair such as repairing a hole, replacing a shingle, or reattaching loose flashing.

Most of the work you are likely to do on a roof will be with asphalt tiles. If you come across metal, tile, or clay roofs, it’s better to leave it to the professional roofing contractors. They have the right tools and the know-how to get the job done right.

Another repair service you might offer is installing a roof vent. Most older homes don’t have adequate venting. In cold weather, the warm, moist air collects in the attic causing mold problems and rot. In summer, hot air builds up in the attic and keeps the house hot. You can solve these problems for your customers by installing more roof vents. If possible, you should install some soffit vents for the fresh air to come in and install roof vents near the peak of the roof for the air to escape. The result will be a cooler house in the summer and a mold-free house in the winter. The roof shingles will have a longer life too. If you are already doing work on a roof, you can attract some extra work by telling your customer about the many benefits of additional roof vents.

Tip: Install a roof vent by cutting a hole through the shingles and roof boards, between the rafters. Cut the hole the same size as the inside hole of the vent you are using. Fit the vent into place, nail, and seal with clear roof repair or tar, and you are done. If soffit vents are needed, you can use small round vents or larger metal rectangular ones. Install by marking a hole to fit the vent, sit the vent in place and secure. Space soffit vents evenly along the length of the soffit. Generally, venting requirements are one square foot of attic ventilation, both intake and exhaust, for every 300 square feet of attic space.

Also, keep in mind that roofs can be dangerous, so stay away from steep pitches, or very high buildings, unless you have the equipment and know-how to do it safely. If you decide to include roofing in your list of services, you must be very safety conscious. Some simple, commonsense steps will keep you safe:

• Always use the right ladder in the proper way. Wear boots or protective footwear.
• Always use gloves.
• Take breaks and keep yourself well hydrated. You don’t want to be tired or lightheaded while on a roof.
• Trim back any tree limbs that overhang the roof to discourage the growth of moss and mildew
• Avoid walking on asphalt shingles on a hot, sunny day. They can be soft and easily damaged. The shingles can also be slippery and dangerous.
• Carefully patch around weathervanes, antennas, and other attachments.
• Use a safety harness and tie off properly.

• Use a fast-drying plaster (20 to 45 minutes) and a heat gun if you need to speed up drying even more.
• Use as little plaster as possible to cover the area and do several coats. The end result will be better, and you won’t have as much to sand off or sanding dust to clean up.
• Always use fiberglass drywall tape instead of the paper tape because fiberglass tape won’t bubble and is more durable.
• If you have loose plaster to repair, or a hole in the plaster, the rule of thumb is that if the area is larger than four feet square, remove the lath and plaster and replace it with drywall. If the area is smaller, remove the loose plaster, fill the area with new plaster, sand smooth, and prime.
• Cracks in plaster need to be investigated to determine if the crack is from movement in the floor or wall. Ask the customer if it has been fixed previously. If so, you can go ahead and fix it, but the customer should know that the crack will return unless the structural problem that causes the movement is fixed.
• To fix a crack start by opening it up with a knife or pointed paint scrapper, then make sure it won’t move by using drywall screws on each side of the crack. Tape over with fiberglass drywall tape and fill with fast-drying plaster, then sand smooth and prime.
• Before applying a second coat of plaster or drywall compound, make sure there is no sanding dust left behind. Plaster will not stick to sanding dust.

You should allow, on average, about six hours to install, tape, and finish 500 square feet of drywall. The amount of materials you’ll need for drywall jobs are as follows:

About 350 lineal feet of tape for every 1,000 square feet of drywall.

About 30 nails or screws for each 4′ x 8′ sheet of drywall.

Good lighting in the bathroom is essential not just because you look foolish if you apply your make-up like a clown but, more seriously, because you run the risk of misreading the directions on a bottle of medication.

Good lighting does not have to be harsh and bright. In these days when bathrooms are for relaxation as much as for cleansing, there is a greater appreciation of the different types of illumination: ambient, task and accent.

Ambient light can be quite soft; while you don’t want deep shadows in the room, you should avoid the type of glaring light that makes sleepy eyes wince.

Task lighting in the bathroom is for making up, shaving, putting in contact lenses, taking medication — activities that generally take place near the vanity unit. If you’re fond of a leisurely soak in the bath with a novel, you’ll also need to install task lighting for reading.

Accent lighting can be used to show off something special — a classic architectural detail or a handsome print can lift your bathroom out of the ordinary.

What comes naturally

The best light of all is natural light, but even this needs to be planned and controlled. As a rough guide, the window area should equal 10 per cent of the floor area. If you have a choice, bathroom windows should face away from the midday and evening sun. When planning the layout of the bathroom, position vanity units and mirrors beneath or at right angles to the window so that the light falls on your face. If the mirror is opposite the window, your face will be in shadow but your eyes will still have to contend with the reflected glare.

Expanses of clear glass are not always appropriate if your house is overlooked by a close neighbor.

Heavily textured glass guarantees privacy but can be difficult to keep clean — if algae builds up in the crevices too much light is blocked. Alternatives include lace curtains, lightly frosted glass and etched glass. Even if privacy doesn’t require frosted windows, slightly opaque glass will diffuse strong sunlight and give a more even ambient light. In a high-tech home you can have the best of both worlds by installing windows that change from clear to opaque at the touch of a switch — molecules in a liquid crystal `sandwich’ align to let light through when an electric charge is passed through them; without the charge they disperse randomly and diffuse the light.

Any large expanse of glass in the house is a potential danger but in the bathroom, where wet surfaces increase the chance of slipping, the risk is greater. If the bottom of the bathroom window is below shoulder height, consider using safety glass.

Where wall space is too limited to allow for windows, there are other options for introducing natural light. Glass bricks are enjoying renewed architectural popularity. They can be used where windows would not be feasible — on a boundary wall, for example — and offer greater insulation against heat loss and sound than ordinary panes of glass. They also offer greater security than ordinary windows because they cannot be opened — but, for the same reason, the bathroom needs a separate ventilation system.

A skylight is another possible option for many bathrooms. There are several different styles available and many different prices.

Features worth paying for are opening devices to allow steamy air to escape, and solar deflectors or blinds to enable you to shut out the overhead sun in warm weather — a bathroom that is too hot is as unpleasant as one that is too cold.

Fitting lights

Daylight alone, of course, is not enough. It must be supplemented by some sort of artificial lighting and this, too, needs careful planning. Bear in mind at all times the fact that water and electricity do not mix. For safety’s sake choose glass or plastic fittings that are sealed and moisture resistant. Avoid ones that have metal brackets or exposed bulbs — a hard task, perhaps, when you are aiming for a Victorian mood, but some compromises are worthwhile. Keep hunting: there are plastic fittings available that have a very creditable appearance of etched glass.

Pull switches are safest in the bathroom; wall switches could be positioned outside the bathroom but must be out of reach of anyone using the bath or shower. If you have a wall-mounted light switch, think about installing a dimmer switch. This will enable you to leave the bathroom light on, at a low level, all night — a great comfort to youngsters and house guests. (Note, however, that ordinary dimmer switches cannot be used with fluorescent lighting.)

Task lighting should be properly planned from a very early stage. Never compromise by using portable lights: they are dangerous in a bathroom. When positioning lights around a mirror, aim to have the light fall on to your face from above and from the sides. A row of incandescent lights up either side of the mirror is very effective — not for nothing was this system chosen for the stars of stage and screen! A small fluorescent strip above the mirror also ensures you can see what you are doing, but the light is less flattering. Special tubes are available.

Headroom: Most cellars are below habitable height (2.3 m), but this only means that they must not be used as living areas. If the headroom is less than your own height, the usage is broadly determined by how low you are prepared to stoop. If the floor joists above are exposed, this may make all the difference through being able to stand full-height at intervals between them.

One way to increase headroom may be to excavate the floor, but seek professional advice first to check if this will leave adequate support for the house walls and foundations.

Size: Together with headroom, this is the factor that most determines how useful the cellar is —obviously, the bigger the better. If the cellar is 2.4 m or more in width, you can significantly increase the wall storage space by partially dividing it along its length with a racking system.

Floor: A smooth, dry floor helps to keep the cellar clean and gives more flexibility as to what can be stored on it. Simple ways to provide hard- standing are to lay paving slabs on a bed of sand around the walls, or to section off these areas with timber and cast strips of concrete. In this way you will not reduce the headroom of the standing area in the middle, and at the same time you will also help to lessen the stooping distance.

Walls: These form a large, useful and easily accessible area. Providing the walls are sound, shelves and cupboards can be fixed to them for a variety of storage. Any timber in contact with the masonry should be well soaked with preservative unless it is pretreated (e.g. Tanalised), and you should leave an air gap behind any cupboard units with a back by mounting them on battens/cleats or simply threading spacers (such as rubber doorstops) on to the mounting screws.

In some cellars the inner `walls‘ will be formed by brick pillars supporting the floor above. The gaps between these should not be filled in completely, as they provide essential airflow under the house, although you can still fix things across them.

Ceiling: Open joists provide a wealth of hanging space for lightweight items in areas where headroom is not a problem. If the floor above is made of bare boards, panels of fibreboard stapled to the underside will help provide a degree of insulation from noise and dust —especially if the cellar is to double as a workshop. They can also be painted white to reflect light better.

Older houses often have nonhabitable cellars which have traditionally been used for coal and junk — but with careful thought and planning they can be transformed quite cheaply into efficient and capacious storerooms. Some of the best uses for the cellar are:

• Wine and food — the cool conditions suit wine perfectly and will help a freezer to run more efficiently.
• Tools and decorating or building materials. If there is room, the cellar may also form a convenient workshop.
• Long-term storage of little-used items (such as holiday luggage or seasonal sports equipment).

Practical considerations

A dry, clean, well-ventilated cellar with a solid floor and the walls in good condition can be treated as an extension of the house as far as providing safe storage is concerned. It will be colder than elsewhere indoors, but you might even consider extending the heating system into the cellar if cool storage (such as for wine) is not important. Any suspicion of damp, however, and you are immediately limited as to what you can store in contact with the floor or walls; broadly, only items made of plastics, glass, noncorroding metals such as copper, aluminium and galvanised steel, and preservative-treated timber. Rodents and other pests are another point to watch out for, especially if the floor is bare earth.

The usage will also depend on how easy it is to get into the cellar and whether or not there is enough headroom. Cellars with steep steps and low ceilings are not ideal for manoeuvring heavy, bulky objects in and out of! For the same reason, it makes sense to keep things which you will need frequently near the door. Shallow shelves and wall-mounted hooks, racks and brackets which do not restrict access are best here. Use the hidden depths for storing items that will receive less regular visits.

Surveying the possibilities

To give yourself a clear picture of the potential, work through the points below and check what needs to be done to make the best use of the space.

Construction: A cellar may be completely below ground or may be partly above and partly below ground level (semi- basement). The latter type often has a window, exterior hatch or grille, whereas a below-ground cellar will probably have little or no ventilation or natural light. Extra lighting is fairly simple to arrange, but ventilation may be tricky.

Damp: This is a major consideration since it restricts what can be stored without damage. Test for damp with a meter (available in DIY outlets and builders merchants) or call in a specialist firm for an estimate. If you test after a spell of dry weather and find no signs of damp, don’t assume that this automatically gives the all clear — check again after a period of rain.

Walls can be damp-proofed with chemicals or physically with rendering and waterproof panelling. Both really mean calling in the professionals and can be expensive. There is also some risk that physical treatment may force damp to rise into the room above if there is no damp-proof course (DPC).

Bare earth floors are never completely dry, but can be screeded with concrete incorporating a plastic damp- proof membrane (DPM) if there is sufficient headroom to permit the build-up in level.

Ventilation: A good airflow is important if the cellar doubles as a workshop, and is essential if you will be using solvents which give off harmful vapours. In any case, ventilation prevents mustiness and helps to control damp and associated problems to some extent. Airbricks can be installed if any of the cellar walls are above ground, whereas an extractor fan (controlled by a humidity detector if desired) can be fitted through a wall or window, but will have to be ducted into a below-ground cellar.

Cleanliness: General junk and coal are the usual obstacles. Junk can be sorted and disposed of as required; anything useful can be rehoused in the cellar afterwards in a more orderly way. Removing coal is a bigger task — even if there is very little left, the dust has usually impregnated all the surfaces. The only solution is rubble sacks, a shovel, old clothes, a dust mask, an industrial vacuum cleaner and time and energy. When you have removed as much as possible, follow up by cleaning and painting.

Lighting and power: Storage is only efficient if you can see what you are looking for, and most cellars are lit by a single bulb or nothing at all. Adding fluorescent lighting coupled with white walls will give the best illumination of all areas. If you are in any doubt about what is involved, contact a qualified electrician.

If there is no existing light point to extend from, a separate 20 amp radial circuit from the consumer unit (which is often conveniently sited in the cellar) is the best solution. This can provide power as well, with the lighting being taken via a 5 amp fused connection unit. Another option is to run a 5 amp fused spur from the power circuit in the room above, making sure that by doing so you do not exceed the maximum floor area that the circuit can serve: 100 sq m for ring circuits; 50 sq m for 30 amp radial circuits. The light switch should be close to, but just inside, the door so that it can be turned on without entering the cellar, but cannot inadvertently be switched on from outside and left on unnoticed.

A separate spur will be needed for power outlets. This should be RCDprotected if you intend using power tools.