Patch Blog: Simplify Your Life, Get a Guest House

I love articles and magazines devoted to simplifying life. De-clutter! Organize! Repurpose!  

I love the idea of "less is more" and I fantasize about having "just enough." It occurs to me that my life would be simpler if I had a guest house. I want a nice, one story home with a detached guest house.

I am on the tail end of the Boomers. I have creaky knees and kids about to leave the nest. I have a pool that gets ignored, crazy air conditioning bills and waaaaay too much stuff. The house that made sense eight years ago does not serve the way I live today.

I want a guest house. My main house will have just what I need, on one level. The guest house will house my home office, my hobbies and my extra "stuff." It will house temporary residents of all sorts and it will be vital when the family (all 26 of them) come for holidays.  

As I grow older, the guest house will help me stay in my house for a long time. If I needed a caregiver they could have a place to stay the night.

Are you ready to simplify your life? Does a guest house sound like a great idea?  

Well guess what, I have some homes that fit the bill and they are available for you to buy! First up is this completely remodeled home with a guest house in the Burbank Foothills. (Clicking on any of these links will take you to a page with photos and details.) The main house has 2,100 square feet of living area with two master suites, a third bedroom and lots of amenities. One of the master baths even has heated floors! (1010 Santa Anita, Listed $729,000)

Another idea is this adorable English Cottage with guest house in Pasadena's Madison Heights. There is the main three bedroom home, impeccably restored, and a separate 1 bedroom guest house. This house is close to the historic Langham Hotel and South Pasadena. The guest house is located on the other side of a gracious backyard lawn and the whole compound exudes a sophisticated charm. (900-902 S Los Robles, $799,000)

The most sophisticated one of all is this stunning Colonial Home with guest house in a Pasadena area called Michillinda Park. Martha Stewart would approve of this gracious East Coast inflected home with large windows, remodeled everything and generous space. To be fair, this is a two story main house, but you just can't argue with the style of this home. The guest house, alone, beckons me home. (642 Woodward, $878,000)

If you would like to see any of these homes, or, if you want me to keep an eye out for more homes with a guest house, click here or just call me at 818-396-7588.     

Kendyl Young blogs daily at www.KendylsOpenHouse.com and she covers Glendale Home Values, La Canada Flintridge Home Values and La Crescenta Home Values. You call or text her at 818-396-7588 or email kendyl@kendylyoung.com. Send Amusing tweets to @kendyl.