Going on 17 years as innkeepers , my husband and I love the bed - and - breakfast life-style , which provide an all-night farm experience for folks looking to scarper the confidence game and bustle of metropolis life . Running a bed - and - breakfast can diversify your farm income while providing a cracking outlet for sharing your love of farming with others . Here are some key considerations to keep in mind .
1 . Target MarketAsk yourself these questions to ascertain your likely market reach : Is the geographic area you ’re take care at one that withdraw tourists ? Where might your client be get from to visit your farm ?
We select southwesterly Wisconsin for our bed - and - breakfast , Inn Serendipity , because we ’re less than a two - hour ride from the major metro areas of Chicago , Madison and Milwaukee — easy drive length for a weekend lam . Plus , there are plenitude of things to do in our surface area , including brewery duty tour , cheeseflower manufacturing plant and bike trails . Remember that there might be a seasonal component to your tourism business , as well . Most of our visitors arrive between the months of May and October , so that ’s when we mother the bulk of our income for the twelvemonth .
2 . State and Local RegulationsCheck out your body politic ’s regulations for starting a layer - and - breakfast ; they often lessen under a state ’s health department or the same agency that inspects restaurants and other tourist lodging deftness . In general , regulations demand basic safety measures , such as working fervor alarum and fervour extinguishers , annual well inspections , and temperature checks for icebox and deep freezer . In Wisconsin , a representative from the Department of Health Services visits our farm every yr to perform an on - land site inspection .
You also might have local zoning ordinance to abide by at a county or town storey . Rural areas can variegate staggeringly in the extent and intensity of requirements , from no regulation to drawn-out ordinance checklist , including board hearings and various Trachinotus falcatus applications and fees . It ’s authoritative to get this information up front in authorship to ensure that you could go a bed - and - breakfast on your likely attribute . In some typesetter’s case , you might need to educate officials on the benefit of a bed - and - breakfast to the community ; you could do so by highlighting the positive economic encroachment on other local business concern , as well as the part that seam - and - breakfast can play in promoting local touristry .
3 . Farmhouse ConsiderationsWhen consider farm properties , consider the rooms you ’d be using for the bed - and - breakfast and factor any necessary upgrades or renovation into your overall budget . secret bathroom are in eminent need at seam - and - breakfasts . Even though many European bed - and - breakfasts proffer shared bathrooms , most American travelers opt private unity . The Writing Room at Inn Serendipity has a private attached bathroom that ’s connect directly to the way , while the Music Room has a private bathroom that ’s turn up across the hall . We can charge a higher price for the Writing Room because of the attached bathroom .
Bathrooms do n’t necessarily need to be large or fancy . As we looked at farm properties , we consider closets as potential toilet space and end up adding canonic cascade units , sinks and toilets .
4 . Bed - and - Breakfast OptionsVisitingother bed - and - breakfastslets you visualize the type of experience you need to make . There are many manner of seam - and - breakfasts , from formal to casual . Experiencing a cooking stove of these option will help you decide where you fall in the spectrum . Our 1,900 - square - infantry farmhouse is a typical Wisconsin turn - of - the - century , American Foursquare - style edifice , so our guest , by nonpayment , become part of our everyday kinfolk experience . We like that intimacy and informality , sharing late - night discussions with guest around the wood kitchen stove in wintertime and serve breakfast on our enclosed front porch in summertime .
This clause first appeared in the January / February 2013 issue ofHobby Farms .
