We posted yesterday (Considering Holiday Let) and have another question today. Our house just needs furninshing and will be ready to go - it is in good condition, re-decorated etc
It is a 4-bedroom house but there is no no ensuite. There is an option to add a small ensuite to the master bedroom but of course it will cost money - we could convert a large cupboard and knock through the stud wall. Our initial inclination is to spend as little as possible (furninshing will cost enough) but we would be interested in hearing your opinions. Is an ensuite a big selling point? Is it worth spending some money now to get one installed? We have a decent bathroom upstairs and a shower room/wc downstairs. Would we be likely to gain more bookings by adding the ensuite?
Many thanks in advance again
Nicola
En-suite
We have gone the route of adding ensuites even at the expense of bedroom size. I know that some guests have booked because of the extra bathrooms (we have 2 units with 3 double bedrooms, each ensuite). But I would say the greater advantage is that you can charge a higher price - but probably not enough to recover the investment.
We went that route to stay ahead of the game, give us a competitive advantage and we are happy with the results even if they are not really quantifiable.
We went that route to stay ahead of the game, give us a competitive advantage and we are happy with the results even if they are not really quantifiable.
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Rocket Rab
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Re: En-suite
Hi Nicola,
What's your gut feeling on this? It sounds as though you are working to a tight budget - very understandable - so maybe feel the money would be better spent elsewhere? Especially if you already have a decent bathroom upstairs and a shower room downstairs. We also have a four bedroom house, with bathrooms upstairs and downstairs, but no en-suite. No one has ever commented on this, and I have a hunch that an en-suite probably wouldn't earn us any extra bookings. We are in France, though, and you are in the UK, so expectations may differ? In your place, I would probably roll out your pad as it is and see how you go for at least a year. Good luck.
What's your gut feeling on this? It sounds as though you are working to a tight budget - very understandable - so maybe feel the money would be better spent elsewhere? Especially if you already have a decent bathroom upstairs and a shower room downstairs. We also have a four bedroom house, with bathrooms upstairs and downstairs, but no en-suite. No one has ever commented on this, and I have a hunch that an en-suite probably wouldn't earn us any extra bookings. We are in France, though, and you are in the UK, so expectations may differ? In your place, I would probably roll out your pad as it is and see how you go for at least a year. Good luck.
Our gut feeling is exactly what you say - go with what we've got, at least for the time being. The reason we are hesitant is that we know the easiest time to make changes is now - before we start (hopefully) taking bookings. It's won't be easy to co-ordinate tradesmen around bookings later on. If we took bookings for 1 family holidays then we don't see a problem with no ensuite. On the other hand, if we try to attract 2 family holidays then we can see the big advantage of an ensuite.
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for your comments!
I'd stick with the two bathrooms for 4 bedrooms - I don't think there is anything wrong with that ratio, even for two families staying (but I would say that as it is what I have). I don't think adding an ensuite will necessarily add value, and if you did and had two families staying, it could provoke arguments over who gets the ensuite bedroom and who doesn't.
Hi Margaret,
We are in Kidwelly - between Carmarthen and Llanelli (9 miles from both)
We are just a mile from the coast and Pembrey Country Park which is a big attraction. We are also convenient for the Gower and Pembrokeshire, Botanical Gardens etc We feel that the location is quite good for tourism.
We are in Kidwelly - between Carmarthen and Llanelli (9 miles from both)
We are just a mile from the coast and Pembrey Country Park which is a big attraction. We are also convenient for the Gower and Pembrokeshire, Botanical Gardens etc We feel that the location is quite good for tourism.
Nicola, I think the wait and see is good advice. No rental property is perfect at the outset (ours, for instance, has carpets in the bathrooms which is a massive no no!) but I think the approach of get it as best you can get with your resources, get feedback from both those that booked and those that got away and then reinvest when the time looks right.
You could always add later if neeed. We have a 4 bed, 2 bath with no ensuite and it hasn't seemed to be an issue in our location.
From our observations South Wales has seen lots of development over the past years and if we want a property with en suites and mod cons there are plenty to choose from. For this reason we usually end up on the marina in Swansea. If, however, we were looking for a family holiday house or somewhere with a bit of charm/character then we wouldn't expect the same and the number of bathrooms would not be an issue. I guess it depends what the competition is like in your immediate area but I would wait a while and see how you get on.
Judith
Judith
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Judith & James
Apartment in Dinard, Brittany.
Judith & James
Apartment in Dinard, Brittany.
I'm in the wait and see camp. By this time next year, you'll have a much better idea of whether it makes sense for your particular property in your particular area for the kind of people you are trying to attract. People quite often tell us why they are not going ahead and feedback from those who do book may identify other improvements they would like to see as more important. You're not really going to know any of that until a few people have been through the house. Also, first year income is never going to be the best you are going to be able to achieve, so in a year's time, you'll have a much better idea about whether the improvement will pay for itself in increased rates for year two, when you can expect to significantly increase bookings, even without improvements.
We have similar problem in one house. 4 bedroom with only one full bathroom, but there are two half baths (basin and loo). We lose bookings from mixed couples, two families sharing etc., but seems fine for single families. We really need two full bathrooms, one en-suite with master. Now about to start year three rentals, there's enough in the kitty to be able to pay for enlarging updating existing full bathroom, and making the master half bath into a full one. Rates will go up accordingly once it's done. It's taken two years to be sufficiently confident to know this is the right decision, so I would say that if in doubt, don't do it.
My 2 cents.
We have similar problem in one house. 4 bedroom with only one full bathroom, but there are two half baths (basin and loo). We lose bookings from mixed couples, two families sharing etc., but seems fine for single families. We really need two full bathrooms, one en-suite with master. Now about to start year three rentals, there's enough in the kitty to be able to pay for enlarging updating existing full bathroom, and making the master half bath into a full one. Rates will go up accordingly once it's done. It's taken two years to be sufficiently confident to know this is the right decision, so I would say that if in doubt, don't do it.
My 2 cents.