Have I ever mentioned that I’ve got a little guesthouse?
Yip, I do! π And it is slightly misleading to say a ‘little’ guesthouse, because the cottage is actually quite large in square meterage, but it only sleeps two, so in my mind it is ‘little’. Very small. Too small.
Nearly four years ago, I bought an old house here in the Western Cape. It had always been a dream of mine to own and live in a house with a history that you can see and feel. The property is around 130 years old, and a part of the guesthouse used to be an old milk room – many years ago before the land was subdivided, the then owners kept cows on the land!
So, I’ve been thinking about this issue for some time now – probably at least a year – should I divide the place into two units? Make it a bit more profitable? But – you guessed it- Covid happened! Ugh… π¦
After we were allowed to open again after the first hard lockdown, I noticed that I had lots of opportunities to accommodate more than two people at a time, as I kept getting enquiries and calls after I’ve accepted a booking. The further the season advanced, the more certain I became of what I should do…
This morning I measured everything up, and planned exactly what I want to do, and hopefully I’ll get some quotations from a couple of builders this week, and depending on that, I am going to take that step. I am actually quite excited about it! Hopefully they won’t charge an arm and a leg, because then it will have to remain a dream, at least for now.
Whichever way it goes, I will start getting together the things that I will need to change it into 2 units – bathroom fittings, another TV, fridge and microwave, etc. And then a few months down the line, I’m sure I’ll be able to do the actual division.
I’ve always believed that you should go for the things you want, but at the same time I often felt that circumstances work against me. (Maybe that was just a perception, because I was scared of taking the next step?) Never stop dreaming, though, and planning, because you never know when the universe will smile on you and turn the dreams into reality.
Although I am slightly trepidatious, I am much more excited, and cannot wait to get started. I will be disappointed if I can’t do it right now, but then at least I’ll know exactly what is needed to make it happen. π
Cheers to dreams, and turning them into reality!!! π