A custom guest house can be a great addition to your property.

You can use it to make a solid income, and it can add value to your property.

With that in mind, you don’t want to get ahead of yourself.

A lot goes into custom guest home building, so it’s important to take the right steps.

There are various considerations that you need to make both before and after building a custom guest home.

In this guide, we’ll go over some of the key things you need to know if you want to build a custom guest home and get the most out of it. Keep reading for more.

1. Understand Your Budget

Planning is a crucial element of any home remodeling project.

It’s important to draft a full plan that covers every element of your new guest house. This will help you determine exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

Your budget is one of the most important factors, as it may limit what you can do.

Determine how much you can afford early on and it will help guide the entire project.

The price of custom housing can vary significantly depending on various factors such as the size, features, and the contractor building it.

It can be difficult to have complete clarity over all of the costs early on.

If you have a budget, you can tell your contractor what it is.

They’ll have a clearer idea of potential costs, and this will help them determine what can be done with the funds available.

2. Building or Renovating

If you already have a guest house but it’s a bit dated , you can consider just renovating it.

This can be an easier option as it will often involve less work and materials which will keep the cost and project duration down.

The main downside here is that you won’t have as much flexibility if you were building from scratch.

Building from scratch gives you a lot more freedom. You can design your new guest home to your exact requirements.

This is the ideal approach if you have something specific in mind.

On the downside, building a guest house from scratch can be more expensive.

Additionally, if your home doesn’t yet have a guest house, you need to consider the location and any potential regulations in your area.

3. Plan Things Out

Start with a vision of your guest house.

This will include determining the reasons for building it and who it will serve.

You should have specific goals and objectives that you want to achieve with your guest house.

Think about different possibilities in terms of things like the size, features, and architectural home building styles.

Throughout the project, there may be hiccups or you may need to revisit certain decisions.

There may be some readjusting, or changing of plans, if needed, to ensure things stay on track.

4. Understand the Industry

Just building a guest house isn’t enough to start making money.

Once it’s completed, you need to be able to navigate the industry if you want to make a good income from it.

Depending on your area, there may be a lot of other luxury homes in your area with guest houses. Being able to compete with these other properties is important.

Research your competitors and see what they’re doing right and wrong.

This will help you establish a business that stands out and attracts more renters. You’ll be able to maximize your profits and make the best return on your investment.

5. Consider Services and Amenities

When researching your competitors, you’re likely to find out about the kinds of services and amenities that they offer.

Ideally, you want to determine which of these are of most value to guests.

Think about including these ‘popular’ amenities in your guest house and some unique amenities that can help you stand out from the crowd too.

You want to offer services and amenities that will encourage people to choose your guest houses over the others available in your area.

6. Be Prepared for Operations and Management

It’s important to understand all of the business elements that come with a guest house.

First, look into the policies that will affect your guest house business.

Check the required processes and use a checklist so that you can run your business with less hassle.

Set up a reliable system for guests to check in and out.

You also need to be able to manage payments, suppliers, housekeeping, service standards, and health and safety.

Many people who own guest houses use them as short-term rentals. If you decide to do this, all of the above is even more important.

7. Marketing Is Crucial

With the above in mind, you should be able to build your custom guest house.

Even with that done, however, that doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get guests.

If you want people to book with you, you need to focus on marketing.There are various ways you can market your guest house.

There are short term rental websites that you can leverage that already have quite a bit of targeted traffic. Getting positioned properly on these sites can streamline your marketing.

There are financial requirements if you go this way to the company you’re partnering with, so be clear on the requirements, so you can determine if this is the best route for you.

No matter what, highlight what makes your guest house better than others.

This can include things like special features, certain amenities, or the fact that it’s a new house.

8. Find a Reputable Building Contractor

Perhaps the most important aspect of your guest house is who builds it. This will determine the overall quality of it as well as how well it meets your expectations.

Speak to different contractors, and read reviews/testimonials. These will give you a better idea of what a company is like to work with as well as the quality of the work they produce.

Ideally, you want to find a contractor that has plenty of experience. They’ll be able to give you better estimates of the overall cost and the expected timeline of the project.

They’ll also be more likely to produce great results.

Custom Guest Home Building in Arizona

There are various important factors when it comes to custom guest home building.

Make sure you take the above into account to ensure you end up with the guest home you want.

4 Gen Homes is a leading custom home building and luxury renovation company that has been serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Paradise Valley for over 20 years. Get in touch today to request your consultation.


Looking for a trusted guest home construction company? Discover excellence with 4 Gen Homes. We are committed to bringing your dream home into a reality! We specialize in luxury custom home building and luxury residential remodeling projects. Contact us to set up a consultation. Call (602) 694-7030 today!