As we near the end of our Airbnb construction, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned over this last year. The lessons are many and I’m sure there will be more to come but I thought I’d share a few in this blog post.

Key take-aways:

· Do your research and have a budget

· Be flexible

· Interview more than one contractor and trust your gut feeling

· Design inspiration comes from everywhere, TV, nature, your neighbor….

· Believe in yourself and your design abilities

· Everything takes longer than you expect… build a buffer into your timeline

· If you can order materials, appliances, cabinets etc… early and store them, do it!

· Stain and seal before you construct a pergola

· Don’t save installing WiFi until the end… it will always take longer than you think and accidents do happen, otherwise hire someone to install it for you!

· Enjoy the process and share what you’ve learned with others

First, have a game plan, research what you want and like and then figure out if it is affordable! If it is not then, you need to be comfortable with scaling back on your design, square footage, and or overall expectations as to what is realistically achievable. Basically, do your homework! This will make the process easier and will help you make informed decisions.

Having a budget is important. Because we didn’t get what we had originally hoped for the sale of our Denver house, I had to scale back my budget which meant I had to scale back the size of the Airbnb so that it fit my budget. When we sold our house, we set aside money to build the Airbnb, so we were lucky in that we did not have to take out a loan for it. However, this meant, we also could not renovate the main house at the same time as building the Airbnb. While having a game plan is the first thing I learned, the second thing I learned was if you are not wealth you will need to make choices and prioritize. Even if you are rolling in dough, prioritizing and having a game plan will help you avoid wasteful spending! Andy and I both agreed that getting the business off the ground was more important than renovating our ‘forever’ home. This priority also helped us determine criteria for the purchase of our property. If we had to build the Airbnb from the ground up, then the main house had to be in a livable condition. We were fortunate to find a property that met this criterion!

With preliminary research in hand, I set out to find a contractor and or an interior design company. I reached out to people both in Denver as well as locally. I discovered logistically having someone from Denver was not doable as they were not familiar with the building codes and getting supplies and workers would add a level of complexity that could derail the project. I found three local companies, gave them my budget, shared my vision for the Airbnb, and invited them to give me a proposal. Sadly, even with my research all three came in over budget which told me I needed to adjust my budget, or my vision! The first two quotes were close with one being a bit more over the budget than the other. The third quote was ridiculously high and told me that company was not really interested in the project. They later sent me an email saying as much. They were the only one of the three that had a professional interior designer on the team. This meant I was on my own as far as the interior design went for the Airbnb. That realization was a bit intimidating, but being the tenacious person I am, I was determined not to let that stop me.

After reviewing the two remaining proposals, I decided on the contractor who was clearly listening to me! Having a contractor who listens has been a real game changer and made the whole building process more of a team effort. This all took place last November. What followed were additional design meetings, which I created vision boards for so that again we were all on the same page visually. This in turn helped when it came to identifying finishes later.

Then the lesson on patience began and the realization that everything takes longer than you expect! It was the waiting game, waiting for permits, waiting for the weather, waiting for subcontractors of which there were not many as my contractor did most of the work himself. This last point was also a factor in the ‘waiting game’ as he had several other projects going on at the same time. So, as we moved through the year, the building of the Airbnb, which we now call Posh Cottage slowly got underway.

With permits in hand, the foundation was poured, and the septic system dug, installed, and then buried. The framing went up, then the walls and roof. Plumbing and electrical went in with some delays because again both were subcontracted trades people, and they work on their own schedule, which translates to ‘they don’t care about your schedule or timeline’. As the weeks turned into months, the Cottage started to take shape.

Interior Under Construction with High Ceilings

Although it is only 500 square feet, because I asked for tall ceilings throughout, the interior does not feel small or claustrophobic! The three pendent lights over the kitchen island further accentuates the angle of the high ceilings as they appear to get shorter as the ceiling gets higher. These lights create a unique visual affect with the shadows they cast in the evening creating an implied divide between the kitchen and living area which is an open concept space. This was another important design strategy that I’ve learned through this building project. I picked up this piece of knowledge from one of the multitudes of design shows I’ve watched over the years. Another revelation was that finishes do indeed make the world of difference BUT they do not have to break the bank! Together these two points tie into the meaning of my business tag line “reinventing comfortable luxury”. Creating a luxurious environment does not mean you have to spend a fortune, you just need to have a good design sense, which can be learned, know what you like and figure out how to make it happen!

Living Area with neutral color palette and Pops of color from Artwork and accessories

Another important design concept, that I pulled from my years of being an artist, is use a limited palette. For Posh Cottage, I focused on neutral colors for all my finishes including the paint color for the walls, the luxury vinyl for the floors, the kitchen and bathroom tiles, the kitchen cabinets, the bathroom vanity and even the metal and glass for all the light fixtures. For the lighting, shape was important when designing a visually cohesive space, especially a small one. The shape of the floor lamp that I purchased for the living area, informed my decisions for the kitchen island lighting, the bathroom light as well as the wall scones in the bedroom. Although slightly different in shade, the ceiling fan lights still echoed the curvilinear quality of the other lights. The furniture and linens also continued the neutral palette, so the overall design of the Cottage had a cohesive feeling throughout the whole house. The artwork, which is all for sale, brought in the pops of color as did the throw pillows and blankets. I used the artwork as my color guide for the pillows and the blankets. The colors that are visible around the property, also informed the colors in the artwork, many of the pieces are landscape paintings of the property! I took this strategy a step further and chose a brilliant lime green for the front door of the Cottage. When I was picking the color, I took the swatches outside, and wove them into the fence that surrounded the Market Garden and our backyard and then studied the color in different light throughout the day as well as looking past it to the landscape beyond. This then connects the Cottage to the landscape and ties the interior and exterior to the surrounding environment.

Exterior of Posh Cottage with Pergola in the process of being Stained and Sealed

Another informing environmental factor was our neighbor’s house on the hill. Its white exterior and black trim were the inspiration for our Airbnb. As was a house down the road and their pergola! The latter being one of the last pieces of the building project. With the concrete patio poured this summer, the pergola was built this past weekend. Just when I thought I had finished with learning, another big lesson that came about with the pergola, was to make sure you stain and seal the wood before the pergola goes up! Sadly, I learned this a little late and I am now staining and sealing the beams of the pergola in place. Did I mention the pergola is at least twelve feet tall (at least!) Not fun but it needs to be done so the wood is protected. When purchasing the sealer, I learned that you could stain the wood after you seal it. The sealer I purchased has a light tint to it so turns out I might not even need a stain!

So, with that, we are very close to the finish of the Airbnb. Andy is still working on installing the WiFi and we are still waiting on the washer and dryer. Yet another take-away from these two things is to not wait until the end to install the WIFI as it takes more time than you think it will, if you can afford to pay someone to install it for you, that might be a good investment. Regarding the washer/dryer and or appliances, order them early and store them… that way you aren’t waiting for appliances that are on back order which will then delay the completion of the project!

In reflection, although it feels like it’s taken forever, I’ve enjoyed the process. In twelve months, we have taken an overgrown weed field and turned it into a destination. I’ve learned a ton this past year about building an Airbnb, all valuable lessons that I know I will draw upon for future projects! Is there more to do? Absolutely but that too is part of the process… Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is an Airbnb!

What I’ve Learned about Building an Airbnb

Putting the Market Garden to Bed

Tomato, Pesto and Feta Cheese Salad