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Adding an Outside Entrance to the Guest Room

AlyssaDavis | May 20, 2011 |

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A guest room can be a very welcoming addition to your home, especially if you have frequent overnight guests or family staying for an extended period of time. However, it can be a lot of trouble waiting up for guests to get home, and it can be a lot of hassle for early risers to leave a note and explain why they had to leave front door unlocked. Instead of offering a key to your front door, which may be totally out of the question in some circumstances, consider adding an outside entrance to the guest room.

You can create an outside entrance to your guest room one of two ways, depending on your budget and design ideas. First, you can add a second or additional entrance to your home, by offering an exit from a room in your house. Second, you can add what seems like a separate space altogether, like an efficiency apartment almost, by eliminating the inside door and adding an outside entrance instead.

Traditional Mother-in-Law Suite

Whether your guest room is in the attic, basement, garage, or a part of your home, it can be very handy to have a separate entrance to this room. Most designers refer to a guest room with an outside entrance as a “mother-in-law” suite. It gives the distinct feeling of a separate space, almost like a totally separate home. This suite may even include the addition of a bathroom, small efficiency kitchen and/or sitting room along with the bedroom area.

Keep in mind that if the guest room is on the second floor or higher, you may need to add more than just a door. It could require a landing, such as a porch or staircase, in order to access the door from the ground level. When the guest room is below the ground level, it could require excavation to create an outside entrance to the guest room, but it is often worth the expense for the added convenience.

The Inside Door

Some would not find it appealing to offer both indoor and outdoor guest entrances, so consider removing the inside entrance and offer only the outdoor entrance to the guest room. This is very handy for teenagers who want to feel like they are on their own, or for guests who are staying for an extended period. Then, in order to access the kitchen, the guest must still knock or enter through the home’s other entrances, allowing you to monitor the other areas of your home.

If the outdoor entrance to the guest room is the only door, it is essential to offer a bathroom inside the room. It is unreasonable to believe that guests should have to knock on the door each time they need to use the restroom, and this becomes a major inconvenience to everyone during the night hours. A full bathroom is preferred, but a half bath suffices if your budget is limited.

No matter which approach you take, decorate the room to fit in with the rest of the home. From welcome plaques metal art at the door to Tuscan wall hangings for the living space, your favorite online decor store has hundreds of options.