Chapter 7 - Do You Have What It Takes?

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist

B&B Owner/Operator, Retired

"Invite the World to Your Door & It Will Show Up"

The idea of opening a B&B appeals to a lot of people.

Is your B&B guest friendly?

A house filled with weekend guests who pay for the entertaining you'd be doing anyway with friends and family for free seems likes the ideal occupation.

But, before you open your doors, take stock of your life style and personality.



Are you flexible?
Guests come in all shapes and sizes with a myriad of needs and requests.
They arrive at all hours of the day (and night) even though you make them aware of your check in times.

How will you handle food
preferences?

Guests have food preferences that may be totally different from yours.  Some love gourmet.  Some health food.  Others thrive on junk and caffeine. 

There will be guests with allergies and health problems, vegetarians (and vegans!) those with religious restrictions or ethical concerns - you name it.

You'll have guests who want to be left alone and guests who want to chat with you all day long - probably both types staying at the same time.

And let's not forget guests with strong (and very vocal!) political opinions.



Will you accept children and/or pets?
Children are not always raised as you would like to see them raised.  They can be loud, cranky and fussy.  They'll need kid-friendly food and toys to keep them occupied.  They'll touch everything with sticky fingers and break family heirlooms.  Pets are exactly the same - but often better behaved.

Will your guests be comfortable? 

Can you accept other people's life styles?
Couples may not always be married.  Some may be gay.  Your guests may be foreign nationals or interracial couples. 

Guests may have different religious or political views than you.  They may be older, younger, handicapped or have special needs.  

Guests may return from dinner drunk. They may have insomnia and watch TV in the living room all night long.  They may knock on your door in the middle of the night looking for an aspirin or to ask that you give them an early wake up call.  Guests can be neat and tidy or messy and thoughtless. 

Can you accept (and enjoy) your guests without being critical, judgmental or offended? 

When you invite the world to your door, it will show up.  There are some things you can control (like whether or not pets and children are welcome) but many things you can't so it's important to do a bit of soul searching before you book your first guest.

If you love being around other people and enjoy their differences, you'll have great fun with your B&B.

Updated 11-12-22

Chapter 8 - Strangers in Your House

When I was growing up, my mother rented our spare bedrooms.   It was the 1950's and life was different.  Our big Victorian house had 5 bedrooms so there were always lots of strangers around. 

Cheesecake Farms
The Mane House

We lived near an army base and families regularly came to say good bye to soldiers being shipped overseas so our "Guest House" (as we were called) provided some of the very much needed lodgings. 

Usually our guests came as referrals from the chaplain's office on the base.  The people stayed a couple of nights, sharing the one (and only one!) bathroom in the hall.  The rooms were small, had no amenities and there was no breakfast.

When there were more guests than we had rooms, my mother even rented our rooms (with our clothes still in the closets and in the drawers) temporarily housing us on the couch and day bed in the den. There was also the "alcove" - a twin bed in a hall way nook hidden by a drape.

The locks for all the rooms used skeleton keys.  That means that any one could have opened any door with their key.  The alcove didn't even have a door to lock.  Somehow it all worked out.  Nothing ever got stolen from the rooms and no one was ever surprised by strangers entering their rooms unexpectedly.

Comfy Accommodations
The Hay Loft Suite @ the Barn

The Tack Room Suite @
The Barn

Things are different today.  Although each of your B&B rooms will have their own key, can you live with the idea of strangers in your house?  

Strangers will look at your stuff - maybe even open your cabinets and closets.  

Strangers who may take some of your things.  

Strangers who are up at night after you've gone to sleep. 

It's important to think about strangers in your house.... nice people, of course, but strangers none-the-less.

Take stock of your home for safety and security.  Something as easy as moving valuables and heirlooms to protected areas of the house where guests have no access may be enough.  Adding secure locks and privacy drapes to the inn keepers quarters will provide peace of mind.

Yes, times may have changed but, just like you, most people are honest and decent.  Even so, do a safety and security check of your B&B for the peace of mind it will provide.   

How to Open a Bed & Breakfast - Chapter 3 - How Many Guest Rooms Can I Have?

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist
B&B Owner/Operator, Retired 

"More ????"

Most municipalities have specific guide lines on how many people can safely occupy a building.



Go to the source when
checking regulations. 

The number of people is based, in general, on the square footage of the room or building.   

Renovations you may be required to make for fire and safety may also impact the number of guests you'll be allowed.

For example, the State of Virginia is encouraging Bed and Breakfasts as a way of increasing tourism and promoting business in our very rural areas.  To make things easier and more affordable, the state requirement of sprinkler systems for overnight lodgings has been amended.

In prior years, Virginia required sprinkler systems in case of fire for all hotels.  Any place that provided overnight accommodations was considered a "hotel".

With the new amendment,  a B&B that has 5 or less bedrooms in one building, is not required to have a sprinkler system.    If, however, the B&B has 6 or more bedrooms in one building then, yes, a sprinkler system is still required as it would be in any hotel.

Sprinkler systems are an expense you may not have planned but they're not terribly expensive if you're on public water and the pipes are run outside the sheet rock.  You'll often see this kind of pipe retro-fitting in modern office buildings. 

For people on wells, however, the expense of a sprinkler system is enormous because a holding tank of thousands of gallons of water is required to insure that, in case of fire, sufficient water is available.  And, if local codes require that the tank be buried, the cost becomes astronomical not to mention the amount of yard space that would be needed.

So, when deciding on how many bedrooms to have in your B&B, it's important to research the fire and safety requirements in your area.  Do this before you get started setting up your rooms.

Check with your local building office and fire department.  Get a printed brochure or print out the information that's posted on line.  Don't rely on hear say or a clerk's interpretation of what is required.  Always go to the source. 

Fire escapes don't have to be ugly.
This deck and stairs add to the
charm of the room as well as provide
an emergency exit.

In addition to sprinkler systems, you may be required to post emergency exit signs, lights that go on when the power goes off and provide fire escapes or a second means of egress (exit) but you won't know what you'll need until you check your local regulations.

This can be tedious stuff but it helps if you keep in mind that these regulations are intended to provide a safe environment for your guests  - just like what you'd expect when you vacation or treat yourself to a weekend get-away.

How to Open a Bed & Breakfast - Chapter 2 - The Planning Office

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist
B&B Owner/Operator, Retired 

"Why do I have to do all this?

It's ONLY a bed and breakfast!"

Your B&B - no matter how small - is still a business and it's important to have it on a solid foundation right from the beginning.

The drive way from the barn to the
Mane House Country Inn

If you live anywhere but the most rural of areas, zoning is going to be your number one hurdle. 

But many areas also have planning offices that work hand in hand with zoning.

Planning offices look for things like adequate parking, use of public roads, entrance right of ways, signage and things to make sure your community works well for everyone who lives and works there.  

That's important.  

Your ideas have to fit in with the rest of the community.

Just like zoning, your local planning office probably has all of their requirements on line.  Not everything will pertain to you but read every word anyway.

View down the shady lane
from the Inn to the back of the barn.

If you're in a historic district, for example, changes you make to your property has to align with established historic requirements... paint colors, window types, fencing - what ever.

If you're in an urban area, off street parking may be required.

There maybe signage specifications, noise restrictions even things like gardens and trees or green space requirements.



The entrance to Cheesecake Farms
is a charming, environmentally
friendly gravel drive.

My point is that it's important to get a copy of your community's ordinances and study them in detail.  Not everything will apply to you but you need to be aware of things.

Never rely on hear-say or other peoples' opinions - not even the clerk in the town office.  

While a clerk may be well intentioned and helpful, you shouldn't expect that they know how the local ordinances apply specifically to you.  

A B&B is not the same as a 500 room resort or a shopping center or a 1000 home subdivision and being broad-sided with expensive and time consuming requirements that may not actually be required of you can leave you in B&B limbo. 

Go to the source and read the documents for yourself. It will help you maneuver through the sea of rules and regulations without drowning.

It's up to you to know the parts of the law that will benefit you and thpse parts that do not apply.

How to Open a Bed & Breakfast - Chapter 1 - Zoning

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist
B&B Owner/Operator, Retired 

"Before You Open Your Doors, Make Sure You're in the Zone"

Having guests pay to stay in your home is more involved than having friends and family stay overnight for free.

Getting a B&B started requires dealing with a lot of tedious, boring stuff.  There's a lot of detail to plow through before opening your doors and it takes longer than you think.

Cozy and inviting - that's
a B&B

The fun stuff (like decorating and cooking) comes later - much later.

The first thing to do is check your local zoning office to see if a B&B is permitted in your area.  

Generally, the more rural your area, the more relaxed the zoning requirements.  Areas that are trying to rebuild and revitalize are also more receptive to a B&B.

Never listen to friends opinions about what is or what is not permitted.  Hear-say is never reliable no matter how trust worthy the source.  

Always check the written zoning document.  That's very important.  You'll be surprised at what you'll learn.  Most localities have everything posted on line these days so the information you want is just a click away.

Provide plenty of
panache

Can't find what you're looking for on line?

Call the zoning office and ask what the link is for your address.  They'll be able to tell you.

If all else fails, go into the zoning office in person and look it up.  There will be photo copy machines to copy documents so you can bring them home to study.  Be through and meticulous.  

Call the office before you go, ask what coins the copier machines take and bring plenty of the right coins with you.  Zoning offices never have enough cash on hand to make change for you.  Sometimes they will do the copying but expect it to be expensive.

If you live in a subdivision, also check your community documents. Your town may permit a B&B in your zone but the covenants of your subdivision (the rules you agreed to follow when you moved in) may not.


Checking zoning and covenants is always your first step.


The B&B Experience
Comfortable Lodgings
and
Great Food!

When we opened Cheesecake Farms Bed and Breakfast on our farm, we were permitted a B&B in our zone (rural agricultural) but even so had to get a variance.  It's a way communities keep track of what's going on so they can adjust your taxes.

We had to make a presentation to the planning commission showing what we had planned. 

A county ombudsman walked us through the procedure.  Be sure to ask if your locale has a support system to help you open your B&B.  It's really helpful especially when you come up against confusing or contradictory laws and regulations.

For example, all businesses in our county were required to have paved drive ways. But, being zoned "rural agricultural" (we're a farm) our zone had requirements to restrict run-off (rain, irrigation & other liquids) from hard surfaces (like paved drive ways) that would pollute our streams.... a catch 22.

Frustrating?  Sure, but the ombudsman had us file for a hard surface waiver - something we would not have known to do.  

So..... first things first.

Before you open your doors, make sure your zone permits B&B's.