It’s amazing much can happen in a year! On June 12, 2017, our first official Airbnb guest checked in for a night in our third-story guest suite, Inez’s Sweet Retreat. Jason was bicycling the C&O Canal Towpath, and as he left the next morning he promised to bring his wife back here for a visit (which he did in January).
Hosting guests upstairs was a test for us to see how we felt about letting strangers stay in our home – and how Harpers Ferry visitors felt about staying with us. As I wrote in our March post “Surprised by Joy,” it turns out that we love the hospitality business, and the visitors seem to like both the upstairs suite and the newer garden-level space just fine.
As we look back over the past year since Jason’s visit, we are also surprised by how many improvements have been completed around the property. We loved the place when we bought it, but Christian, especially, is always dreaming up new ways to make it better — better for us and for our guests. Fortunately, we have had the resources and the access to skilled local tradesmen to bring his plans to life. Sometimes we felt like contractors were slow to respond, renovations were taking forever and weather was holding up outdoor projects beyond reason, but ultimately a lot has changed in the span of 12 months.
We thought you would enjoy seeing some before-and-after photos of the transformations that have taken place since that first visitor last June.
These are all spaces open to our guests, so I haven’t included redecorating in our private rooms. The last space I’ll show you is our sunroom, which will soon be available as a small event venue (I don’t have a before photo for this one.)
Thinking about all we’ve done in 12 months actually makes me feel exhausted. I’m trying to get Christian to slow down a little and relax — save some projects for retirement!
Like that’s going to happen.
Next up is the front parking area. Come visit us sometime!!