The Extra Benefits of Building a Guest Shed

Timing is everything and now is one of the best times to build a guest shed. A myriad of reasons are all facing so many of us; COVID, remote schooling, remote work, aging parents, adult children going through transitions, guest space for visiting family, and also an unattached building that could generate extra income. All wins the way we look at it! So let’s discuss each of these reasons and see if the benefits add up for your family to build a guest shed.

Guest Sheds for COVID

This year COVID has generally turned many of our worlds upside down. Even if you have been fortunate enough that your family hasn’t been touched by COVID, your life has still been impacted in many ways. From remote work to remote schooling, from social distancing to extra sanitary precautions–there has been an impact on your family’s life. Having had COVID in our household we realize how tough it is to quarantine away from other family members even if you have a larger home. Since a person can’t just stay in a room, they need to bathe, use the facilities, and eat, it presents some real challenges.

It seems as COVID is not going away any time real soon so a guest shed gives your family some strategic advantages in keeping your other family members safe while another family member is recuperating from COVID or needing to quarantine because they are in a high-risk job or have been exposed to COVID.

• A guest shed gives sick family members or relatives you are caring for a space of their own while not infecting others.
• You can equip a guest shed with a small toilet, sink, and shower.
• A guest shed can also have its own efficiency kitchen consisting of a microwave, a mini-refrigerator, and a hot plate.

A guest shed gives your family so many more advantages other than trying to take care of a family member with COVID within your home. A guest shed gives family members with high-risk jobs such as emergency technicians, nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters, and more, a place to stay when they know they have been exposed to COVID to keep your family safe.

Guest Sheds for Remote Work

Sometimes you just run out of space in your home! Remote work has thrown a number of us a curveball in finding a place within our homes where we have space and quiet needed to perform our job or run our company well. A guest shed is a perfect solution for remote work. You can set up a desk, lighting, computers, and more with the space you need so you don’t feel cramped. You can also equip your remote work area with a mini-refrigerator and microwave so you reduce your trips between your guest shed and your house. Remote work, which many of us have been doing since COVID, will probably continue as a change in the workplace in many industries going forward, so this is the perfect time to prepare and be prepared.

You can also equip your guest shed with a wall bed or Murphy bed so your remote work guest shed can go double duty; as a remote workspace and also a guest shed when the need arises. Once you have experienced having a separate space away from your home, but right in your backyard for remote work, you will be sold on the idea–it’s really the best of both worlds. Just think of how much time you are freeing up not commuting, less mileage on your car, less gas, and less stress with the ease of working from home. Once you get used to ZOOM meetings, you can start to see the advantages for many industries far outweigh any drawbacks with remote work.

Guest Sheds for Remote Schooling

If you have more than one child, remote schooling can create some challenges for your family space-wise and with noise. Think multiple ZOOM meetings going on at the same time! Your children can use headsets, but headsets especially with younger children don’t always work the best for their needs. Having a separate space close to your house for your children to do their remote learning in has many advantages:

• Less noise and distractions.
• A designated place so they aren’t moving their computer and schoolwork back and forth within your home.
• A space of their own so it feels like a plus with remote schooling instead of looking at the downside of not seeing friends, lack of after-school activities, and lack of sports.

Using a guest shed for remote schooling also opens up other possibilities in the school framework. You are able to mount a whiteboard on the wall to keep track of each child’s most important activities. Yes, we know there is task management software especially for remote schooling, but there is nothing like a white-board for visual reinforcement of most important tasks or for demonstrating anything from subjugating verbs to how to do long division for your children’s different learning styles.

Guest Sheds for Aging Parents, Adult Children & Income

For your family, a guest shed could be an affordable alternative to a nursing home or assisted-living space for your aging parents. The cost of a nursing home room can approach over $7000 a month, even an assisted-living facility can cost more than $3,500 a month with a more independent approach to eldercare. If you were to rent your gust shed to your family member in most areas the cost would range from $700 to over $1500 a month, but definitely so much less than nursing home alternatives.

In high-cost areas, guest sheds can serve as a safety net for young people who can’t afford housing close to work or school. Guest sheds can also provide a safety net for adult children that have health issues, developmental issues, or are going through a major life transition such as divorce, or death of a child or loved one, etc. A guest shed gives them autonomy but also allows you to provide assistance when needed.

Guest sheds can provide additional income for your family when not being used by family members for remote work or schooling. Whether you live in a city, suburb, or out in the country, you can market your guest shed as a short-term rental using Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway, or your local community board. Short-term rentals laws vary by area, so make sure you are allowed in your area to have a short-term vacation rental before advertising. If you have a green light, it can be a great way to meet new people and make a passive income at the same time.

If you are motivated to build a guest shed at this time, Shed Windows and More has shed windows, shed doors, shutters, flower boxes, cupolas, and more to finish your guest shed in style.  We would love to see your finished guest shed designs both exterior and interior, just email your photos to thomas@shedwindowsandmore.com.