Guest Room Dilemma - WWYD

Gold Member Joined: Dec 24 2009 Posts: 2433

So IMYH, at the house we're looking at, we would have 4 bedrooms - one for me and DH, one for my girls, and two "spares".

Spare room#1 is very small with an odd layout - there is a partial wall that goes through the middle of the room about 3/4s of the way. We are thinking to use one side of that room for the gemach I run and to make the other side with a sleeper sofa/day bed/futon, a small desk, and filling cabinets.

Spare room #2 is a decent size, 11x18 feet, and this room will primarily be for my stepkids and for orchim. I can not decide what we should do with this room in terms of furniture.

These are the options I've come up with, I'm open to other suggestions:

1. Two FULL SIZE Beds (with mattress & boxspring) with a night table in between, a regular size crib, a dresser, and a small cafe table and 2 chairs
2. Two TWIN SIZE Trundle beds/day beds (with just mattress on sheet of springs), a regular size crib, and either a dresser OR cafe table and 2 chairs

Note there are no closets in this room. We frequently have families with several kids come to us for shabbos. Or we can have a group of singles.

Please tell me below, what you would prefer - to have option #1 which gives you two BIG good quality beds but less places to sleep or option #2 which gives you more places to sleep (ie more people) but probably not as good quality sleep. Mind you, I know families will likely have small kids sleep with them in full size beds, but that doesn't help single adults who don't always want to share a bed.

Bunk beds are NOT an option, ceiling is not high enough.
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Gold Member Joined: Oct 20 2010 Posts: 1673

I'd go with more beds, like 2 high risers (so you have the pull outs) and I would make sure that the mattresses are comfortable. I would not buy a crib, I would rather buy a pac "n"play that we can put away when we have a couple without kids or singles. This way a pac n play can also have the option for newborns.

Active Poster Joined: Aug 22 2007 Posts: 73

How old are your step-children and how often do they come to your house? If the decision is so swayable (pros and cons to each direction) why don't you ask them what they feel and how they'd like the room? This would help them feel like they always have a special place in your home and in your heart for them.
Good Luck!

Gold Member Joined: Dec 24 2009 Posts: 2433

Gold Member Joined: Dec 24 2009 Posts: 2433

Diamond Member Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 3592

I'd go with more separate beds.

Posted: Sun, Jan 08 2012, 4:39 am Post subject:

I agree more separate beds. And get a pack & play if anything. As a guest I never assumed my hostess had a spare crib. If they had one, great, but 90% didn't. The only family that did was the family who hosted their own grandchildren regularly so if we came the crib was there for us.
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Gold Member Joined: Jul 14 2009 Posts: 2094

what about having a pack & play/ portable crib instead of a full sized one?

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 17 2011 Posts: 5979

We had the two full bed option in my house. I found it wasn't as flexible as the four bed option; but I have young children so I did not worry about the quality of sleep so much.

I think the guests liked it though. We ended up hosting a few very wacky people in our home and I removed the extra bed when some strangers in my neighborhood started getting militant; and demanded I host their guests. I got a cot for when my kids want more friends.

Posted: Sun, Jan 08 2012, 10:14 am Post subject: re: Guest Room Dilemma - WWYD

I also vote the 2 single beds with trundles. Why because I know you often have singles and famlies. so more singles can sleep with the single beds. I think you will be happier with that option.
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Gold Member Joined: Dec 24 2009 Posts: 2433

Squishy, you couldn't say no? You *had* to host them? Because you had full size beds? I don't get it.

Gold Member Joined: Dec 24 2009 Posts: 2433

Pickle - my concern is they won't be comfortable for the big kids and that eventually they do start to sag and the layout just looks horrid since they can't go side by side.

Also with 2 fulls, I could potentially also do the air bnb room rental thing and 2 fulls is a lot more marketable...

Posted: Sun, Jan 08 2012, 10:58 am Post subject: re: Guest Room Dilemma - WWYD

I would do what is preferable for your stepkids. If they like bigger beds, put those in. And they will be fine for families too. You won't be able to host 3 singles unless you put one in your gemach room, but there will always be a limit to how many you can host.

Another options is to have 2 "frum" size beds. and keep an airmattress somewhere if you have more guests.

IME pack and plays last forever.

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 17 2011 Posts: 5979

Gold Member Joined: Feb 14 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: NY

Other: 2 twin-sized beds with box-springs (or 44"/48" if you have room) plus either a full sized futon, a day-bed or just some air-matresses stashed away for kids/singles.
ETA: Just realized Raisin has pretty much the same suggestion Smile

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Platinum Member Joined: Nov 17 2008 Posts: 5049

A good quality mattress used on a high riser can be just as comfortable as a regular mattress with box springs especially if it isn't used constantly.

DS just bought one (in EY) and it was as comfortable as my top quality bed at home.
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Silver Member Joined: Jun 21 2010 Posts: 822

Gold Member Joined: Mar 16 2009 Posts: 2291

I don't know you and who you host, but if you do host lots of babies, I have to say that it is much tougher to deal with a pack and play than a normal crib.

Posted: Sun, Jan 08 2012, 4:16 pm Post subject: re: Guest Room Dilemma - WWYD

2 hi-risers with comfortable mattresses and a pack n play.

Posted: Sun, Jan 08 2012, 4:29 pm Post subject: re: Guest Room Dilemma - WWYD

I voted from the home page, and didn't realize this was abt a guest room... it kinda changes my answer to "other"

I would say, consider the type of ppl you host, and are you going to have it set up in between....

b/c to be honest, even though it does look pretty, if it's been set up for a month, I'd would not want to sleep on sheets that have been set for that long, then again, I don't set beds for ppl, until the night before or morning of their arrival. [the one time I set the bed at start of week, and covered with a flat sheet so I could pull it off, someone took of sheet and sat on the made bed]

also, while I understand the whole thing between bigger beds/smaller and therefore more beds ... how many ppl do you host in one room at one time.....

we have a larger guest room, half of which is taken up by, things that came out of other rooms while they were being cleaned, and a few things from my appt, that came home with me after my divorce. but. we can still fit abt 3 ppl in that room, b/c we have a trundle, and just enough room for one more mattress on the floor.

so, I would suggest beds, depending on the amount of guests you tend to have. .... from what I've gathered so far, it seems that there are more than just two or three guests, so I would go with twin/trundles (and/or an air-mattress in storage)

however, you said the room has no closet... before you furnish it, you have a possible opportunity to build a closet in or out... even just a small one, with some space to hang items and the other half with shelves. you could also go bigger with a closet

just a random thought to think about (also, compare the price of something like that, to the price of a dresser, if it's around the same price, I say build the closet, b/c (a) better resale on the house and (b) what if you end up needing another place to stick the kids...)

as to the rest of furniture, I agree with ppl who say no crib, besides for all of their reasons, kids grow out of cribs, and most parents who know they need it, pack it, at least from what I've gathered.

I don't quite see the need for chairs and table or dresser--espec if you look into building a closet--- but I could be missing pieces.

and the only other thing I would suggest, no matter which way you choose to go in the end, please please don't put a night table in between the beds... what if you have the kavod to host someone who's mikvah night is that night, seeing a table in between, might deter her from going on the night.

and espec with trundle, it's easy for the couple to move the beds several inches apart, if that is what their needs are. not so much with bigger beds, ppl might like space, and if they need a separation, I'd say, put a body pillow on the bed, so they can put it in between as a reminder.

(that's what I used to do, but mainly b/c our room was a tight fit with the beds already, so we stuck a long body pillow in between the beds)
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