There are few places in the country with more guest houses than Southern California. An attractive additional house on your property can significantly enhance the property value, and of course has numerous practical functions as well—especially if you have a large extended family and frequent visitors.



And just because it’s called a “guest house” doesn’t mean it can’t have numerous uses when you don’t have guests. You can make the guest room into a home office—great if you’re planning to do more work-from-home in the future—a workout/exercise room, a children’s play area, a library/reading room, a home theater, a practice space for people who play instruments, an art studio, a craft space, extra storage… there’s so much a guest house can do for you.

But you’ll need the right guest house design and construction. Here are some ideas for guest house construction to ensure you get the most from this addition to your living space.

Work With an Experienced Contractor

Everything depends on this. You need an experienced contractor for any home construction job, but with a guest house you have special concerns with the local building code that only a contractor can navigate for you. There are numerous bylaws in Los Angeles County regarding “second dwelling space” construction. You don’t want to go through the construction of a guest house and then discover it isn’t in compliance with the building code. An experienced contractor will see this doesn’t happen.

Design to Enhance the Main House, Not Clash With It

The biggest design hurdle you and your contractor will face is creating a guest house that matches the appearance of the main house. If you live in an older home, it becomes trickier to create a second dwelling space that looks like it was constructed at the same time. Getting the design to match will enhance the main house and also help with increasing property value. And you definitely don’t want a guest house that looks like it was “slapped on” to the property without much thought.

Aim for Multi-Use

Just because you have a limited space for your guest house doesn’t mean it has to be limited to simply a bedroom and bath. The right design can make it easy to convert the guest house to different uses, even making it friendly to storage without becoming cluttered.

Less Bold Is Often Better

Because you probably won’t be spending most of your time in the guest house, it’s a good idea to make the interior more inviting toward a wider range of people. This means going for more neutral colors and simpler designs. It doesn’t mean you can’t still be creative, but the creativity is better aimed toward a more flexible space.

We handle all types of remodeling projects and home construction in Hidden Hills, CA and throughout the Los Angeles area. Our team handles every step of the process, from the earliest design to the final completion of construction. If you want the ideal guest house to meet multiple purposes, call us today to arrange for an estimate.

Advanced Builders & Contractors is licensed and insured and offers exceptional customer service. Request an estimate today.