Lay My Hat

What are your top design tips to ensure easy management and changeovers in a property?

What stage are you at? Can you make structural changes? A few things come to mind:

Make storage space for cleaning products near where they'll be used - bathroom cleaners in the bathroom, etc.

Keep floors as clear as possible, furniture on legs is easier to clean around and under - bed frames instead of divans, sofas and armchairs with enough room to get the hoover under easily.

Some homely touches are important to stop the place looking sterile or unloved - framed prints or paintings add warmth, try to avoid nicknacks that make surfaces harder to clean.

Store crockery, mugs, pans, etc. in cupboards, not out on shelves where they'll get dusty and be tricky to clean around.

Good size storage (more than you think) for bed linen, towels, general stock, etc.

Plenty of sockets for plugging in the vacuum.

Hope that helps

Have the simplest possible toilet seat set-up! We have 6 toilets of varying complexities... the worst being the 'you can remove the seat to clean it completely' one. I never have time to faff around with that on a busy changeover, but it takes twice as long to clean round the fiddly lever thingies than it does to clean the simpler all in one toilet seats!

Lists! Write yourself a list so you don't forget things.
And a notepad so you can write notes when you realise half way round that x needs changing etc

All the above plus big pockets when you're cleaning. I'm always finding things left lying around (usually when dusting or hoovering) that I need to pick up quickly and don't want to be distracted by going to the bin. I stuff them in my pocket and at the end of the day empty my pockets of all the stuff: sweet wrappers, tissues, plastic clips cut from new clothes, pen tops, crayons, hairgrips etc. etc.

Thank you, these are great tips. We start building before Christmas so we're in a great position to make small changes now without any additional cost implications. I will definitely think through storage again...

When you're working out store cupboard sizes bear in mind that you'll need 3 sets of everything - bed linen, towels, bath mats, etc. In quiet periods most of these will be in the cupboard.

We built a linen cupboard into a bedroom alcove and made it just a bit too shallow for the way the laundry fold everything.

Also we could have done with adjustable shelves so we could organise them better - single bedding on one shelf, king size on another - quick to grab the right sizes and also easy to see at a glance if we're getting low on anything. In an ideal world I'd have a store room with racking rather than a cupboard but our places are too small for that!

And all store cupboards need to be lockable or guests will throw out your system completely by helping themselves to things willy nilly.

Yes, that makes sense, we were thinking of doing floor to ceiling built in cupboards in the bedrooms with the high cupboards locked off for our own storage.

Downstairs we have a small storage room built in to the space which should be good for storing cleaning things, portacots etc.

Plenty of room at the entrances for leaving muddy boots and hanging wet clothing to dry (presume you are building in the UK), so that wet/ dirty things are not trailed dripping throughout the accommodation but easily left at the entrance to the property.

Solid flooring around entrances for the same reason as above. Carpeting can come later in the property.
Outside tap.

You can now get self cleaning glazing in your windows but no idea how good it is.

Wide routes from entrance door to bedrooms. We have a constant battle from bags and luggage leaving marks on the wall as our 1750 cottage has narrow stairs.

Will you take dogs? If so, a kitchen big enough to take large dog crates. More people using them (for their dogs!) these days.

Beds designed so that you can get your vacuum cleaner right underneath ( my OH built a hand carved four poster bed for our property with this feature and it is a Godsend!).

Yes, building in the UK, and just off a very muddy footpath so that's definitely something to consider. The architect put in a lobby and my husband wants to take it off, so I might point that out to him...

We're definitely planning hard floor throughout the downstairs - all the same right through, not sure about upstairs yet... the stairs are built to contemporary specs so hopefully should be wide enough.

No dogs except service dogs, we're in the middle of 3 sheep farms and had a bad experience with our own dog (who has now moved to Blackpool to live by the sea)...

I see the bed thing keeps on coming up!

Yes, definitely keep the lobby.
Your guests presumably will be either walkers, cyclists or families (could they also be climbers or cavists???).

Either way, you will want to try and attract bookings outside of the summer months so there is always a good chance that guests will return having been wet in the rain. There will be plenty of wet coats and muddy shoes to deal with!

Outside taps are good for serious cyclists and anyone else with equipment - you don't want them trailing in and out of the property whilst they wash everything down.

Sounds like an exciting project - do let us know how you get on.

If you have anything of a view at the property, have you thought of building it "upside down" i.e. Bedrooms downstairs and living quarters upstairs.........or is it too late for that suggestion????

Keep your shower well away from any windows. The numty who designed (?) our cottage decided that the best place for the en suite shower cubicle was directly under the shower room window.... And as it's a window that opens into the room, I usually have to clean it inside and out, as well as the shower screen.

Have floor to ceiling tiles in bathroom/s - may not be a factor in UK but over here the fashion/custom is to tile up to the top of the door and paint the rest. Painting needs freshening up from time to time.

Install good quality extractor fans in toilets/bathrooms and kitchens - ensure they vent to outside, not just round and round through a filter or into the roof space.

With your storage space, don't forget to allow sufficient room for duvets/bed spreads/whatever, as well as all the duplicates of bed linen and towels.

A wet room opposed to a traditional bathroom so no shower screen or visible tray is required at all, essentially an open room.

Think about locking away your internet router and master telephone point into a cupboard so it can't be tampered with (Reset!!!!!!). Install Ethernet cables from the routers position to where your going to put your TV's and any other internet enabled device you'll use. Don't rely on wireless connectivity as it often fails. If its a big building or old with thicker walls perhaps put Ethernet cables in to a ceiling mounted wireless access point somewhere.

Don't forget building regs re CO2, fire and smoke sensors etc, hardwired are best if it's possible to get them in now.

No telephone points accessible to guests to use.

If you can get a vehicle to the property on a driveway for example consider a metered vehicle charging point for electric cars.

Reduce the number of keys you'll give your guests by ensuring that the front and back door are the same key / lock set.

If you live away install an internet accessible heating system so that you can control the heating from your phone or laptop from home and you don't have to turn out or get someone to do it for you (Wish I'd done this, it's a pain and i'll be installing one this or next year).

If your installing outside lights I'd fit ones that have movement sensors and turn themselves off because guests will forget to turn them off and leave them on for days otherwise.

Smart gas and electric meters so you don't have to read the meters anymore for your supplier and the meter reader doesn't have to disturb your guests to read the meters either.

Beds without a footboard - much easier to make! Dining chairs without fabric seats (or smart removable/washable ones).