<p>I have heard that you can get some great stuff when a hotel updates furniture … you know they get sturdy stuff ! And reasonable prices .</p>
<p>*If the master can handle a king bed, that’s a big plus for a lot of tall guys. *</p>
<p>True. Calif Kings are the longer ones. Regular Kings are just wider. </p>
<p>Calif King: 72" wide, 84" long </p>
<p>Regular King: 76" wide, 80" long</p>
<p>My objection for getting any King for the master is that those sheets are pricier, and I want both “big beds” to be the same size. </p>
<p>I think the futon in the larger secondary bedroom wil be a full size, so with twin beds in the other, I don’t want to end up with King, Queen, Full, and Twin size linens. lol It can be really hard to keep all bedding straight if you have too many sizes.</p>
<p>I agree…no futon in the living room. If someone has to sleep on the comfy couch, then so be it. </p>
<p>I’m hoping to fit a futon in the larger secondary bedroom along with a Queen bed. That way, a couple could sleep in the Queen…or a family could use that room to put kids in.<br>
If the room won’t fit both, then I may put the Queen in the smaller secondary bedroom and then put the futon with a twin bed in the other. Still trying to figure out how to best fit about 6-8 people.</p>
<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>
<p>Good…the property is about 100 yards from the golf course. The twin bed idea is the plan for room #3.</p>
<p>^ Well, we did this in all three bedrooms. In the master they are pushed together most of the time.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are having a fun time planning all this out, but when we furnished ours, it would have been really difficult to do everything because of the distance involved. It’s a lot of work completely furnishing a 3 br house and stocking the kitchen!</p>
<p>So we used a company whose business is to furnish entire houses. You get a catalog that lets you pick furniture styles, and you get to pick the fabric for the couches and bedspreads and what-not. They put together all the stuff for the kitchen - small appliances, utensils, plates, cups, pots, pans, even down to the cheese cutter and wine opener. They deliver it all at once, assemble everything, set everything up, etc. And the price was comparable if not cheaper than doing it all ourselves.</p>
<p>Just something to keep in mind if there are companies around you that do this (our place is in a popular vacation spot).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Probably needed to wrap a dead body in it…</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>I was considering going with a dark granite because of the decor I had in mind. Is Uba tuba granite cheaper? If so, that’s a plus. 
</p>
<p>The kitchen layout is such that there will be a counter bar (counter height…not raised) which will serve as extra table seating and also additional kitchen work-space…about 3’ deep by about 9’…enough to put 4 stools. The kitchen/dining table will fit 4-6 depending on what I find. I have that in my kitchen and it works out well …kids like to sit at the counter. </p>
<p>I’m moving where the builder wanted to put the fridge. I hate it when the fridge is far away from the eating area. Who wants to walk across the kitchen to grab milk or some other needed fridge item when eating casually?</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<h2>Wow…who’d steal a bedspread?</h2>
<p>Probably needed to wrap a dead body in it…</p>
<p>LOL…our goal is not to rent to those types. ;)</p>
<p>yes, uba tuba is cheaper. Just remember that granite does have a “finish” on it, and will absorb stains and bacteria if the finish is not taken care of. the good thing about the ubatuma is that the dark color is not likely to show any stains!!</p>
<p>Get glass cut for any horizontal wood surfaces - dressers, night tables, coffee table, even the dining room table - or you will end up with rings and stains on all of the wood. It is a nice touch to put town maps, bus schedules, anything information you think they might benefit from under the coffee table glass.</p>
<p>Stone floors are best in high traffic areas like entryways, bath and kitchen. Even when they start to wear, the uneven surface hides it. Pay the extra up front for epoxy grout instead of sanded latex.</p>
<p>A note on knives, and a secret of the butcher trade, is that stainless steel holds an edge much longer than carbon steel. Cheap stainless knives from Walmart will outperform the most expensive Henkels. Just make sure you keep a good edge on them.</p>
<p>We rented a 5 bedroom house in NH through VRBO. The owners left instructions to “please take off your shoes” which we had no problem doing. You may want to consider this and go with carpets in the bedrooms and living room.</p>
<p>*Get glass cut for any horizontal wood surfaces - dressers, night tables, coffee table, even the dining room table - or you will end up with rings and stains on all of the wood. *</p>
<p>good idea! Beveled-edge glass on tables is great! Can’t trust people to use coasters! </p>
<p>*
It is a nice touch to put town maps, bus schedules, anything information you think they might benefit from under the coffee table glass.*</p>
<p>Good idea if I can find some attractive looking ones. I’m also going to assemble a notebook with places to eat, take-out/deliver, worship, golf, water sports, emergency medical care, shopping, etc.</p>
<p>*Stone floors are best in high traffic areas like entryways, bath and kitchen. Even when they start to wear, the uneven surface hides it. Pay the extra up front for epoxy grout instead of sanded latex.
*</p>
<p>Hadn’t thought about stone floors. That’s a possibility! I’ve never heard of epoxy grout…is that new? I have sanded grout in my kitchen…and it can be pain! It was sealed, but that doesn’t last. </p>
<p>I can see putting in a stone floor…pretty, durable!!! and as you say, the “wear” doesn’t matter much. </p>
<p>I am concerned about area rugs. I’d like to include them if I go with a “cold” floor…like tile or stone. BUT…I know that they can be a tripping hazard! Liability concerns!</p>
<p>A note on knives, and a secret of the butcher trade, is that stainless steel holds an edge much longer than carbon steel. Cheap stainless knives from Walmart will outperform the most expensive Henkels. Just make sure you keep a good edge on them.</p>
<p>We rented a 5 bedroom house in NH through VRBO. The owners left instructions to “please take off your shoes” which we had no problem doing. You may want to consider this and go with carpets in the bedrooms and living room.</p>
<p>*I would go with Granite or quartz for the counters, not Corian. *</p>
<p>I’ve had Corian and I’ve had Granite. I’ve never experienced Quartz…what are the pros and cons of Granite vs Quartz? Porous? Staining? durablility? cost? </p>
<p>I have no problem with a “take off shoes” rule (we have that in our home), but I don’t expect people to respect that very well in a rented home. I don’t like bare feet on carpet either…the oil from the feet cause problems. I really want to stick with hard floorings…either stone throughout or laminate/tile or wood/tile (I won’t use wood or laminate in bathrooms or laundry).</p>
<p>We also have a “guest book” that we invite people to write in to share about their vacations–what they enjoyed and, if needed, did not enjoy. It’s been gratifying to read different accounts.</p>
<p>We generally have a 3 night minimum stay during high season and 2 day sotherwise…or 1 night if they pay 1 1/2 daily rate.</p>
<p>Supplies: I supply aprox. 3 rolls of toilet paper per bathroom, 3 rolls of paper towels…regarless of length of stay. Remember you are not a hotel so you don’t need to supply for the whole stay. I leave a clean sponge and small bottle of diswasher soap, along with dishwasher soap. I have bought refillable liquid Softsoap containers for the bathroom sinks, and a large refill bottle of Softsoap from Target and the maid tops them off after each visit. </p>
<p>I forgot to mention we provide a Gift basket to each visitor, we put in two coffee packets, a few candies, a couple bas og snack foo (chips, nuts), a bag of microwavable popcorn and a cheap bottle of wine…people LOVE this! </p>
<p>Yes, we have a regular maid, she has women who work for her if she cannot make it. We charge a cleaning fee–it basically our cost and it covers before and after cleanings.</p>
<p>I am not sure where your rental is is but we are in a So Cal beach area and people love to come here to have parties. We learned early on (after our neighbors called the police due to noise) to really screen renters due to parking, noise issues and excess mess. We put a clause in our lease that any people in the house over the amount agreed to in the lease needed to be by written approval and that they would be charged extra for excess guests and an additional cleaning fee. Mind you, this isn’t the norm but you need to protect yourself contractually.</p>
<p>As someone else mentioned taxes, check to see if your area has a “Renter’s Tax”, for short term occupancy, ours is 12% and this is an additional fee we add on-- they pay nightly, cleaning fee and tax. </p>
<p>We are also thinking of charging for propane, some people have been going through a canister per stay and that can add up after a while.</p>
<p>I purchase large packages of toilet paper and paper towels from Costco but LOCK up all extras a lockable supply closet. </p>
<p>We have been renting now for about 6 months and only a few glasses broken, I do not have an inventory but it is really a good idea. We do have a Visitor’s Notebook, that we have left for instructions, for Spa, Cable TV, Oven, etc…including local restaurants, markets and nearby sightseeing.</p>
<p>A few sites we advertise on VRBO, HomeAway, AirBNB…and we also have a few agents who use Craig’s List.</p>
<p>Beds: We have a 3 bedroom, King in Master, Queen in 2nd and in the 3rd we have twin beds–we purchased a strap and wedge that can convert it to a King. We also put a Futon in the great room and have a Aero bed. Lastly we purchased a playpen (crib) at a yard sale that also has been utilized a few times. We had one guest who had a “Crib Service” who actually delivered and set up two cribs (twins) before arrival.</p>
<p>As for stealing a bedspread…you never really know who you are renting too, we screen very carefully.</p>
<p>More interesting, is what people leave behind…</p>
<p>I would be very careful about purchasing a crib. The safety standards have changed. Most families travel with a pack and play.</p>
<p>Dark granite or quartz shows crumbs and water marks. </p>
<p>I think the key here is…get what you want for renters with the idea that some of this will be replaced when it is a house used exclusively by your family. </p>
<p>If you don’t want broken dishes, get something that doesn’t break. If you have glass, I personally think that some breakage is part of your landlord expenses. I mean, seriously, do you really expect that no one will ever accidentally drop a wine glass or plate? Get very inexpensive ones.</p>
<p>Some things that were really missed in a few houses we have rented:
Big salad bowl
Mixer
Blender
Mixing/Serving bowls
Roasting pans
Colander
Pot holders and trivets (one can hope!)
Seafood shell crackers (especially if near the ocean)
Fly swatter</p>
<p>I would also suggest a coffee pot with a built in filter or a supply of the right size filters. We’ve also seen many houses where the smaller bedroom had a set of bunks with a trundle, two bunk sets or a twin over double bunk set. It gives a lot more options for families with different sex kids than a room with a queen. If it’s an area with swimming, an outdoor clothesline or hooks for towels and bathing suits might be good.</p>
<p>I agree with the bed set-up. We are looking for a vacation rental right now and most of the places we are looking at have 2 kings or a king and a queen. It would be nice to have a couple twin beds or even 3 twin beds in an extra room. That would give you the option of moving 2 twins together or having space for 3 kids (or 3 adults even).</p>
<p>This is priming me for a vacation. I haven’t done a beach one in a long time, and have never done a lake one.</p>
<p>As for cooking – when we stay in a beach house for a week, we do a lot of our own cooking. We may eat out only a couple of nights. So I do appreciate a comprehensive set of cooking stuff – including measuring cups and mixing spoons. In New England, a lobster pot is a must. It’s also really nice when there are plastic containers for leftovers, or to bring lunches for the beach.</p>
<p>If the largest bed in the house is a full/double, I won’t rent it. I don’t even like pushing two twins together. I also like as many photos as possible on the rental web site – and make sure to post pictures of every room. I’m always suspicious when there are five pictures of the living room and none of the bedroom.</p>
<p>I also like knowing up front about any additional fees. I just booked my beach house today, and learned there is a $50 “booking” fee that wasn’t mentioned on the website. It didn’t change my mind, but just leaves me with a bad taste. I also appreciate honesty in the description. We rented a house a few years ago that said there was a TV, but didn’t mention that there was no cable service. The TV was just for playing DVDs. (That house had a ton of other problems, too.)</p>
<p>*I forgot to mention we provide a Gift basket to each visitor, we put in two coffee packets, a few candies, a couple bas og snack foo (chips, nuts), a bag of microwavable popcorn and a cheap bottle of wine…people LOVE this! *</p>
<p>Great idea!!! Will do this!</p>
<p>Socker…are you saying that you charge a cleaning fee in addition to the “per night” charge?</p>
<p>Thumper…yes, forgot about dark granite and water marks/crumbs. Don’t mind crumbs showing, but water marks are an issue.</p>
<p>I agree…I expect breakage of glasses…that’s just normal “wear and tear”. </p>
<p>my-three-sons…copy pasted your list. Had some, but forgot about colander, seafood crackers, and a couple others.</p>
<p>fire and drain…I wonder if the “booking fee” is covering some service charge for the online booking service??? Kind of like the surcharge when you buy concert tix. That should have been mentioned!</p>
<p>More interesting, is what people leave behind</p>
<p>Yikes!</p>