Charley's Hideaway Phase II

It all began with walls and rug

 

When I began the project of the short term rental I was not even sure it would work. I just knew that for the last ten years of being a land lady it wasn't working for me. Tenants had changed in the years since I bought the duplex. First couple which rented the attached apartment stayed for nine years. They treated the places as theirs and even planted flowers and a couple trees and painted walls.

I expected the next tenants to be not as wonderful as Jeff and Susan. But some did not come close. I wound up having to file eviction papers, even defend myself in court. But worst part was spending all my money to put the rental right so it could be rented again. It was not helping with my mortgage payments. I could not even get tenants to contribute to clearing the driveway of snow. In the end it seemed wiser to drain all the pipes and shut of the electricity and keep it empty.

Covid-19 pandemic happened and the studio was shut down by the governor. To stay busy I decided to little by little fix up the rental. Several friends urged me to put it on the short term rental market. But first it had to be fixed. Friends watched for bargains. Others donated furniture. The last full time tenant had left stuff. The leather couch would not fit in her new house. The queen sized bed. And the bunk bed from hell - twin on top and double on bottom.

And between a friend in Cedar Crest who wanted to do a bed and breakfast but gave the project up, the local thrift store, garage sales, I amassed bedding to sleep five. I hung my paintings (I was running out of space in my closed studio) on the walls and declared the vrbo open at the urging of Russell who laid the new floor downstairs. I would get around to fixing the bedrooms later.

It was March 2021 when I set up my vrbo site. I figured I would be lucky if I rented it for summer. First rental was the end of March. I was scrambling for amenities. Who knew so many kitchen items were required. 

Kitchen and Livingroom

Or how long during a pandemic it would take to buy and have delivered a washing and dryer. Meanwhile the sleeps five upstairs was largely ignored except for upgrading some sheets thanks to Amazon. And cuss the bunk beds. Almost a year later I finally reached the decision to get rid of that bunk before I cut another knuckle trying to make it. I got out my graph paper and laid out the two rooms upstairs, cut little construction paper beds to scale and moved them around. Then ordered the needed new bed frames for the twin and double, the new bedding for coordination, and made 12 decorator pillows from the Wild Goose Witchery material stash. 

Pillows to dress beds

Then yesterday, with more help from my friends, it is now a  sleeps five which has become  a lot more comfortable. And with less pain and suffering from Kate and me when the beds need made.

Double bed once under the twin bunk

One on top of the bunk monster

The beds have lots of room

Queen bed moved to bedroom which once had bunk bed

Queen bed now moved into what was once the bunk room. And now with has its own art and decorative pillows. I love dressing beds. I am sure my guests will like these rooms better, but I am already rather missing the process. Charlie's Hideway has, from the beginning, been about the process. It has kept me busy and creative while the world has been largely shut down. Course there is always more to do. Already thinking of different pillows for different seasons. And different color schemes.

See Charlie's Hideway, VRBO.com/2551110