Sturdy, durable, and easy to clean stuff for rentals...

Parent Cafe
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<p>We have a Jersey Shore beach house that we furnished exclusively (except mattresses, they were new) from thrift stores & Craigs List. We got the dining set for $200 - cherry Ethan Allen! Yes, a few scratches on the top, but it’s a beach house. (we rented it several weeks for the first 2 years we owned it, not anymore). </p>

<p>Electronics: microwave, toaster, coffee maker, George Foreman grill & blender. In our area, an outdoor gas grill is also appreciated. </p>

<p>Another kitchen essential are sharp knives, with a cutting board in front of it. </p>

<p>Got the TV at Costco. Renters do expect premium TV, some movies & WiFi. (block the PPV). </p>

<p>Our bedding came from a mixture of Costco, Target & the attic. (had a few bedspreads that I loved & couldn’t part with, but had changed decor). You should also have a blanket for each bed in the closet. Picked up $5 pillows at Target - if you rent a lot, buy new ones each year. </p>

<p>I also picked up lots of standard vacation books (Grishman, etc) at a used book sale for a bookcase. Also have a cabinet with standard rainy day games: Monopoly, Clue, Life, Uno, playing card, etc.</p>

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<p>This reminds me of a book called “Make your house do the housework” by Don Aslett. It came out in 1995 so I sure it is a bit dated but it had many timeless suggestions about how to design an easy to clean house</p>

<p>Yes!!!</p>

<p>Socker…do you have a service come thru and clean after each guest or do you have a cleaning lady come in? Do you have a minimum night stay (like 2 nights minimum)? </p>

<p>I agree that Farberware or KitchenAid utensils are better. That said, I have gotten a few silicone utensils at the Dollar Store that have held up very well (some, not so much…lol). So, I will be looking at both)</p>

<p>SteveMa…interesting about Vinyl flooring that is grouted. Sounds very interesting. My fear about vinyl is that it can tear when moving stuff. My mom ruined 2 Armstrong linoleum floors moving out her fridge…then finally got tile (which she had been slow to accept because she didn’t want to clean grout). But, I can see that in a bathroom or laundry room it might work. :)</p>

<p>Yes…we’ll have flatscreens in the family room and master bedroom with cable/satellite and of course WiFi. :)</p>

<p>Good idea about the ceiling fans…will tell contractor about that. A must! It does get hot! And an outdoor one under the patio. Glad you mentioned it.</p>

<p>I can see that leather couches are the way to go.</p>

<p>*Electronics: microwave, toaster, coffee maker, George Foreman grill & blender. In our area, an outdoor gas grill is also appreciated. *</p>

<p>Yes…and maybe a small rice cooker. </p>

<p>I like the games idea. Good!</p>

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<p>*This reminds me of a book called “Make your house do the housework” by Don Aslett. It came out in 1995 so I sure it is a bit dated but it had many timeless suggestions about how to design an easy to clean house. It is still at our local library and Amazon has it. It might also lead you to other books with good ideas. Good luck and I would love to hear progress reports as you go along on this exciting project.
*</p>

<p>Thanks! </p>

<p>Just found the book on Amazon…for a penny plus shipping. It’s now on it’s way! Thanks!</p>

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<p>Just a couple of things I wanted to suggest. One, buy a coffee pot with an automatic shut off. I have a family member who has a rental cottage and found that one of her renters forgot to turn off the coffee pot. She buys multiple coffee pots and toasters so that if one stops working, she doesn’t have to hassle and the cleaning person can replace it easily.</p>

<p>She has Formica countertops and one piece showers and tubs in most of the bathrooms. She has tile in the master but honestly I think the one pieces have held up better than the tile and grout. Very easy to clean. And her reasoning for the countertops is that they would be easy to replace if ruined, when she doesn’t rent anymore she will replace with higher end stuff.</p>

<p>Also about dogs. She does not allow renters to have dogs but she does. One of her friends brought their dogs and they tore up her waterfront by playing and screens in the screened up porch (they were left there while the owners were at dinner). Everyone thinks their dogs are lovely but they can do alot of damage. </p>

<p>One thing that I think is very nice to have in a rental is a large griddle. It is so nice when making a big breakfast for a crowd. My relative bought most of her cookware at estate sales. She bought her dishes at KMart or Walmart, can’t remember which. They are plain white plates. Bought as many white plates as she could find, so that when they break she can just put out more of the same.</p>

<p>She provides toilet paper and paper goods. But puts out only enough for that guests needs. Has leftover supplies in a locked closet. That is something I would do in a house you want to rent. Build a couple of closets that have locks and are only for the owner’s and cleaners use.</p>

<p>More things to think about. Ceiling fans are really nice. I would think about thermostats that you can control. If you have air conditioning, they could make it freezing and then keep the windows open, what do you want to control. Since it is not that person’s house, they don’t treat it like their house, but as a hotel that they are paying alot for. Idk if I would put in high end finishes in a rental house, even a weekend or summer house.</p>

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<p>Yes, definitely appliances with auto shut-offs. My son’s first coffee pot didn’t have auto off and we quickly replaced it! Probably will go with a Cuisinart or Kuerig.</p>

<p>And, I was wondering about some kind of AC/heat control. Want everyone to be comfy, but don’t want AC blasting with windows/doors open or left blasting after they leave. </p>

<p>I don’t like formica countertops because some idiot will use it as a cutting board and ruin it. I know that they are much cheaper, but I don’t want to repeatedly replace…afterall, there is the sink to consider as well. When counter is replaced, the sink is often replaced as well. I’d rather go with a high-end countertop that can withstand some harsh treatment. I will have cutting boards, but people (boys usually…lol) will just cut right on the counter!</p>

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<p>Some idiot could also take a pan out of your broiler and melt your corian.</p>

<p>I would get a couple of tempered glass cutting boards and put those on top of the Formica counters.</p>

<p>Re: furniture…how much do you want to spend? Both Crate and Barrel and IKEA have couches and loveseats with removable and washable slipcovers that are comfy and nice.</p>

<p>In one place we rented, the owners put a very nice and comfy futon in the main room instead of a couch. That allowed for additional sleeping accommodations. It was very pretty, with a nice wood frame.</p>

<p>I would get all white dishes…and that I would get at IKEA.</p>

<p>If you are getting a washer that uses that new HE detergent, I would leave that there too if the tenants will be using your washer. Otherwise, they
Might not choose that type themselves.</p>

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<p>You might also consider installing a push-button combination lock on the front door. It’s easy to change the combination between tenants and it avoids the expense of re-keying the locks. It’s never a good idea for people to have copies of your keys!</p>

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<p>Patsmom …great idea about the combo lock. Wish the numbers could changed remotely. </p>

<p>Some idiot could also take a pan out of your broiler and melt your corian.</p>

<p>----Good point. But, I’m still afraid of Formica in kitchens. Since I’m careful with Granite, I don’t know what would happen if someone did that with that material.</p>

<hr>

<p>I would get a couple of tempered glass cutting boards and put those on top of the Formica counters.</p>

<h2>— Yes, have one near the stove/oven and one near the sink.</h2>

<p>Re: furniture…how much do you want to spend? Both Crate and Barrel and IKEA have couches and loveseats with removable and washable slipcovers that are comfy and nice.</p>

<p>------- I don’t mind spending more for quality and comfort. i like the washable slipcover idea and the Futon idea for extra sleep space. One of the non-master bedrooms is big enough to have a futon in addition to a queen bed, so that might be an option to provide extra sleep space. </p>

<p>— I agree with the all white dishes. I just picked up 2 boxes at Sams Club. Plain, simple, white. </p>

<p>[Gibson</a> Elite Pippa Dinnerware Set - White Porcelain - 32 pc. - Sam’s Club](<a href=“http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod5850185]Gibson”>http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod5850185)</p>

<p>For some reason the online price is $60. I just paid $30 a box. Maybe my Sams is clearing them out???</p>

<p>I figured that with white dishes, people could have any type of holiday or special meal there and that would be fine.</p>

<p>Will look for some platters, serving pieces, and bowls that will work with them. If not, then I’ll return and buy from somewhere (like C&B, IKEA, etc) and get all pieces. </p>

<p>I’m thinking that the kitchen needs at least 8 place-settings of everything…and then replace whatever gets lost/broken. </p>

<p>In one place we rented, the owners put a very nice and comfy futon in the main room instead of a couch. That allowed for additional sleeping accommodations. It was very pretty, with a nice wood frame.</p>

<hr>

<p>If you are getting a washer that uses that new HE detergent, I would leave that there too if the tenants will be using your washer. Otherwise, they
Might not choose that type themselves.</p>

<p>— Good thought. Right…many don’t know to look for the he on the container.</p>

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<p>Granite tile countertops look nice and are very durable at a very reasonable price.</p>

<p>Consider tile floor as well. We do a lot of VRBO rentals when we travel and the ones with tile floors always look the nicest.</p>

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<p>Are you going to hire a management company or do the turnover/payment processing yourself? How are you going to market it?</p>

<p>The problem with putting anything nice in a rental is that eventually it will walk - knives, dishes, blankets, we’ve even had bedspreads disappear (I suspect they were used for beach blankets and then abandoned). That fancy knife will be the first to go, and the tenant will swear up and down it wasn’t there, even if they signed an inventory that it was.</p>

<p>If you don’t have someone doing a rigorous inventory after each guest, you will never know who to blame.</p>

<p>My feeling is most people don’t do complicated cooking on vacation, so you don’t need high end stuff, but maybe that’s just us. :)</p>

<p>For most rentals I’ve been in, you either bring your own linens or you pay extra and they are provided as a service from an outside company. That way you don’t have to launder them yourself after every guest, or depend on a guest to clean them.</p>

<p>The problem with any kind of nice flooring is that it looks great until the first idiot who walks on it with his golf shoes on, or drags the suitcase with the busted wheel, or gets sand on it and doesn’t sweep so they are grinding the sand into the floor, or decides to play hockey on it, or whatever. The nice thing with carpet is it is easily and cheaply cleanable, especially to spot-clean, and it is cheap to replace.</p>

<p>No pets. Just not worth it. For every responsible pet owner like Pug Mad Kate, there is one who couldn’t care less if their dog chews up the furniture, pees on the floor, digs up the yard, etc.</p>

<p>People will not treat it like their own house. Be prepared.</p>

<p>One other thing - if your average length of rental is seven days or less, this means you have a business in the eyes of the IRS, and your tax situation will get more complicated - you are now on a schedule C, passive income, etc. And if you use it a lot yourself, you will lose many of the deductions.</p>

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<p>Packmom – good call on the cable service The Thanksgiving rental this past year was at an amazing house. With a lovely tv. And no television antenna, dish, or cable. I’m pretty sure my brother is still not over the shock. (Apparently they had one ski-area rental where the listing featured two TV’s, but didn’t mention that whatever you were watching on one was the only thing you could watch on the other.)</p>

<p>In terms of what you have, I’d guess it ought to depend somewhat on the rates you’re charging and the guests you expect. We’ve stayed in some nice places, and at those prices I expect to have adequate, functional furnishings. An uncomfortable sofa or a rental with a dining room/kitchen table much to small to seat the listed number of guests (or worse, without enough chairs to handle the listed number of guests) isn’t a place I’d like. If rentals had a lot less junk (especially in the kitchen, where the drawers and cabinets often seem like they hold the cast-offs from eight complete houses) then perhaps it would be easier to maintain an inventory that had meaning. The vacation time share we stayed at a few years ago had a two page inventory, but it was very easy to check. Everything had a home. There was one potato peeler (not six as I found in the last vacation place I was in), and eight each of plates, cups, …</p>

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<p>On inventory: I was furious when the short-term rental we had didn’t accept the four wine glasses we bought to replace the four (much cheaper) wine glasses we’d broken and sent us a bill to replace the Ikea glasses (even though we’d left four better glasses behind).</p>

<p>If you want to keep “nice” things in a rental, consider having your own closet, kept locked, for when you’re there. That’s been the case at most of the vacation rentals we’ve had.</p>

<p>You should also make sure you supply wireless internet.</p>

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<p>Haven’t read the previous pages, but I can’t over emphasize the importance of the bed, which should have a high quality mattress and linens.</p>

<p>I cook as little as possible on vacation, so a kitchen isn’t important to me.</p>

<p>It is quite a treat when I happen upon a very upper end rental, and I try to return to them.</p>

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<p>We rent a beach house every summer, for one to two weeks.</p>

<p>Please put a real sofa in the living room. Futons, or any type of sofa-that’s-really-a-bed are so uncomfortable to sit on. That’s actually one of the criteria we look for in rentals, that there is a real sofa in the living room.</p>

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<p>We stayed in a ski rental and it had a couch - with a blow up mattress in it. You attached the vacuum … and blew it up. It was very comfortable. Had a pull out frame to put it on. Nice leather type couch.</p>

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<p>Please put a real sofa in the living room. Futons, or any type of sofa-that’s-really-a-bed are so uncomfortable to sit on. That’s actually one of the criteria we look for in rentals, that there is a real sofa in the living room.</p>

<p>I agree. I was only considering putting a futon in a bedroom that will have a Queen bed in it. </p>

<p>That’s another thing…I’ve been thinking…</p>

<p>Queen bed in the Master</p>

<p>Queen bed in the 2nd bedroom (and a futon on the side for additional sleeping)</p>

<p>Twin beds in the 3rd room (for kids…or if adults want to push them together, that’s cool.)</p>

<p>Is this ok?</p>

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<p>*The problem with putting anything nice in a rental is that eventually it will walk - knives, dishes, blankets, we’ve even had bedspreads disappear (I suspect they were used for beach blankets and then abandoned). That fancy knife will be the first to go, and the tenant will swear up and down it wasn’t there, even if they signed an inventory that it was.</p>

<p>If you don’t have someone doing a rigorous inventory after each guest, you will never know who to blame.*</p>

<p>Wow…who’d steal a bedspread? </p>

<p>If someone breaks something and replaces it with a comparable item/brand, that’s fine with me. I’d appreciate the effort and their acknowledgement that they felt responsible. I wouldn’t expect people to replace a broken cup/glass, etc. Those things happen; it’s kind of built into the rent. </p>

<p>No, we won’t have “fancy” stuff out (like china, silver, etc…lol), and will have locked cabinets in the garage and laundry room for our stuff and “extra stuff”. </p>

<p>I agree that many won’t do fancy cooking while there. Probably things like eggs and toast in the morning and maybe an occasional BBQ in the evenings. And, the “binder” will have local restaurant recommendations from fast food, delivery, casual, to fine dining. I think most will eat out at least for lunch and/or dinner.</p>

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<p>If the master can handle a king bed, that’s a big plus for a lot of tall guys. </p>

<p>I second (third?) the comment on not relying on a futon as a couch in the LR. </p>

<p>Is there room in the master or in the 2nd bedroom for a pack-and-play? That’s what we always did when D was tiny. (Not suggesting you provide it; just room for it.)</p>

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<p>We own a beach house which we rent out. Much of what I have to say has been touched upon, but:</p>

<p>-We just replaced most of the carpet (didn’t have time to do it all) with high-end Pergo (wood-looking laminate). We love the look and it’s supposed to hold up well to sand and such…we will see! Also, it’s a “floating” installation, so we could replace any badly damaged boards…</p>

<p>-we put ceramic tile floors in all baths a couple of years ago (replaced nasty linoleum), and we are so glad we did!</p>

<p>-We have flat-screen TVs in all bedrooms (one with built-in DVD) plus the living area, and a game system in the “kids’” room as well. That room has two bunk-bed/futon combos, so it theoretically could sleep up to 6 kids.</p>

<p>-I STRONGLY recommend a good rental manager, particularly if this is not in your home town!! It’s wonderful having someone you get along well with and can trust managing your property. </p>

<p>-We have formica counters in our kitchen and I HATE that. Early on a renter burned the counter, so we have to live with that till we can afford to replace it. I hope to put in granite (ubatuba–it’s dark, relatively inexpensive, and EASY to maintain!!!) counters and tile backslashes soon. </p>

<p>Personally, I think that renters will appreciate a place that looks like it’s loved and cared-for…so a few “higher-end” touches, IMO, are a good idea. We love the idea of families making wonderful memories at our house! It’s fun to go work on it, to me, with that in mind. PLUS we do go there for a few days per year with our own family…</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>One of the recommendations we got was, rather than getting a king sized bed, get two twins and push them together. </p>

<p>That way when you get the group of males out on a golf weekend, they can pull the beds apart so they don’t have to sleep in the same bed.</p>