A Guide to Guest House Plans

When family and friends come to stay, especially for extended periods, they need to have their own space. Fortunately, it’s possible to make an area just for them on your property. Even if you have a small plot of land, you can look for small guest house plans to make your guests feel like home. 

If you’re building a brand-new residence, include mother-in-law suite plans in your blueprints and have it in place right from the beginning. However, you can also find options to add to your existing home as well. Explore our guest home plans to find one that’s right for you and your family.

Common Features of Guest House Plans

You can customize a guest house plan blueprint to fit your family’s needs. Here are some standard features of floor plans for guest houses and in-law suites:

• Separate living space: Guest areas provide your visitors with personal space, whether it’s a detached house or a sectioned-off portion of your home. In particular, guest houses and in-law suites include a separate living area, kitchen, full bedroom and at least one bathroom. Some guest areas also have a separate washer and dryer, along with a separate entrance.
• Narrow square footage: Guest houses are smaller than standard homes. Small guest house plans can be as tiny as 400 square feet. You could also have a mother-in-law suite attached to your home. Mother-in-law house plans include bedrooms as small as 168 square feet with a separate bathroom.
• Accessible, safe design: In-law suites are a convenient alternative to assisted living facilities. As such, guest homes and in-law suites typically include safety features. When creating space for your parents, for example, make sure to design it with their security and health in mind. While they might be in good health now, you’ll want to plan for possible medical challenges in the future. Install pull bars in the bathroom to give your parents balance as they shower. You can also set up emergency buttons throughout their living space in case they fall.

4 Benefits of Guest Home Plans

Guest cottage plans give you more space for your guests or potential tenants. Narrow lot house plans are available in a variety of designs that will accommodate your family’s needs. More living space can give your home a higher resale value if you put your house on the market in the future. Here are five reasons why.

1. A Comfortable Space for Guests and Relatives

When you design an exclusive space for out-of-town guests, your visitors won’t feel like they’re intruding on your private life — and they will likely have more amenities than they would in a hotel. A detached unit or separate part of the house also gives you privacy when you have visitors. Your guests can stay as long as they want without interrupting the flow of your family’s schedule.

Guest homes are also convenient for taking care of an aging parent, especially if you don’t have room in the central area of your house. An in-law cottage offers an opportunity for your relatives who need extra attention to stay close to you while still allowing them and you to have space and privacy.

2. Personal Space for the Family

Guest homes don’t have to be only for guests. If you don’t have people who can use this extension of your living space, you can make it a fun place to retreat. Convert your in-law suite into a gym or an art studio to enjoy your hobbies. Make your guest house a man cave or a place to entertain the kids. 

3. Opportunities to Make More Money

You could use a guest house or an in-law suite as a place to make extra money. Rent out this guest space to tenants to help pay off your mortgage or make a little extra cash each month. You could also use it as a vacation rental space.

4. Increase in Property Value

If you have plans to sell your home in the future, you’ll likely get higher offers with guest homes and in-law suites on your property. With property prices rising, people are looking for houses where they can get more space. They also like the idea of imagining their lives in their home in the future. If they know they can stay in a home for a long time, they won’t have to worry about moving any time soon.

3 Example Guest House Plans

Narrow lot house plans and in-law suites come in a variety of plan options. Each of our house building plans is flexible to accommodate what you need for your living space. You could choose either attached, detached or multi-level.

You can select the best guest house plan based on the room you need to accommodate your guests. You also need to consider how much space you have on your property.

1. Detached Guest House Plan

A 950-square-foot small ranch style house plan is enough room for your extended family members or tenants. Along with this small granny pod floor plan, we offer other ranch-style houses with more extensive square footage if you have a large plot of land.

2. Attached In-Law Suite House Plan

You could also have an in-law suite attached to your house to keep a close eye on your extended family. They can share the family area with you and then rest up for the night in their own living space. Having a separate living area attached to the house means you don’t have to build a different structure and can use the space on your property for something else. 

This Colonial-style house plan has a guest or in-law suite next to the garage. The in-law suite doesn’t have a separate entrance, but you can install a sliding glass door to the outside. For extra privacy, the master bedroom is on the second level while the in-law suite is on the first.

3. Multi-Level House Plan

In this larger Colonial-style house plan, each bedroom includes a personal bathroom. This house as two floors, providing a separate level for your guests and your family. Having an in-law suite on the bottom level also gives your visitors a separate entrance.

One of the multi-level house plans we offer has a semi-finished basement. You have 832 square feet for your guests, while you can use the rest for storage. This space provides your relatives with a separate kitchen and bathroom. The main level of the house includes the master suite and the other bedrooms.

Guest Home Plans FAQ

A guest house is an excellent addition to your property. You have plenty of design options and lots of opportunities to grow. If you’re considering a guest house plan, here are the answers to some of the questions you may have.

1. What Are Mother-in-Law House Plans?

A mother-in-law house is a plan that includes a mother-in-law suite. Today, families are moving in together to save money and take care of each other. It’s much more cost-effective for your relatives to live with you than in an assisted living facility. Your parents may also have financial difficulty if they live in a house on their own.

Mother-in-law suites add more than monetary value to your house, too. If you’re looking at the cost of in-law suites, consider these invaluable assets that come along with this addition:

• Having your relatives living in your home can strengthen your relationship with them.
• Your relatives can also be a positive role model for your children.
• Most of the time, mother-in-law suite plans are attached to the central part of the house.
• In-law suites have separate entrances, kitchens and bathrooms.

Besides aging relatives, you could also use this space for other people in your life. A mother-in-law cottage is a convenient space for a teenager who wants to practice independence or a place to host guests from out of town.

2. Can You Build a Guest House on Your Property?

Guest house floor plans are small enough to fit on your property along with your existing house. You can choose from small guest house plans as small as one-bedroom houses to give your guests a place to stay. Here are some considerations for building a guest house on your property:

• A guest house keeps the family together: Due to the cost of houses rising in the United States, more family members are living together instead of buying their own homes. A guest house is a great way to have the family close but still be able to keep some distance between everyone.
• Make sure you follow the rules: Before you begin your construction project, you will need to have the right permits to build a new house on your property. Find out what local and state laws you have to abide by to create your guest house. Your local contractor could provide information about guest house building codes in your area as well. If your home is in an established community, ask the homeowners’ association about any house building rules they might have.
• Save all of your paperwork: As you build a guest home, hold onto all permits and receipts you obtain during the house building process. You will need proof that your guest space is up to code.

3. Does a Guest House Add Value to Your Property?

A guest house or a mother-in-law suite offers many benefits for your home and your family. Aside from health and emotional benefits, this type of home addition can also increase the property value of your living space. The profit you’ll make from an in-law suite or guest house depends on the real estate market in your area.

This potential value increase happens because of:

• Flexible future planning: Potential home buyers like to have an adaptable space they can use in the future. They also want a home they can live in for decades to come. If your house has an in-law suite, future homeowners can imagine using that space for their aging family members.
• Saving money in the long run: Home additions can be costly. As potential homebuyers attend open houses, they make a note of what renovations they would need to complete. An in-law suite or guest house can encourage future homeowners to invest in this move-in ready home.
• Planning guest space makes the house building process easier: If you’re building a brand-new residence, you have an excellent opportunity to make a guest house or an in-law suite on your property. Adding an in-law house in the future could be much more costly. Instead, by building your in-law suite or guest house along with your home itself, you can make a guest space that fits in your construction budget. You will also already have building permits and other necessary items for construction. Additionally, you won’t have to scramble for the space when you need it — it will exist and be ready to use. 

4. Can You Rent out a Guest House?

You can put your guest house on a vacation rental website to make it available to tenants. Renting out your guest house provides the following benefits:

• Make a side hustle out of your guest home: A vacation home on your property is a business you can use to make an additional income. However, as a business owner, you have to coordinate who will be in your house and at what time. You also have to provide toiletries and working utilities for your guests. If you rent a room or guest house on your property as a business, you can get also get a tax deduction.
• Invite people from all over the world: People who are going on vacation, especially large parties, often favor staying in a house rather than renting a room at a hotel. They like the extra living space and the affordability of a vacation home. Get to know people from different states or countries by opening up your guest home as a vacation rental.
• Give purpose to unused space in the home: If you have an in-law suite or spare bedroom you’re not using, you could rent it out to tenants to make some extra money each month. 

Be careful about the permits in your area that may prevent you from renting out a guest house. You might be able to have relatives living in your home, but in some cases, you can’t rent out the property. If you can rent out your guest home or in-law suite, make sure you write up a contract between you and the tenant. It’s best to discuss expectations and boundaries before they occupy your space.

View Our Guest House Plans

At Family Home Plans, we will provide you with house plans to host guests or extended family on your property. You can make a unique guest house or attach an in-law suite to your new home. All our blueprints are up to code, so you can trust that what you’re giving your local contractor will be doable. We can also customize our house building plans to work around your ideas. Browse through our mother-in-law home plans and order yours today.