Daycare separate or incorporated into home? Opinions needed! :)

[SongSparrow]

My playroom is right inside my front door, and is open to my kitchen as well.....it is one big open room with playroom at one end and kitchen at the other. We spend all our indoor time in this room except naps, which are done in the living room for older kids and playpen in bedrooms for the babies. We have a small washroom by the kitchen that is used for daycare, and the back door is next to the washroom.
So my house always looks like a daycare when you walk in, there's no hiding it at the end of the day. I don't mind it but I'm sure it would drive some people crazy!! I have a main floor laundry room where I keep toys to rotate and craft/art supplies. We do messy crafts and water play on the back deck. I use fisher price booster seats with trays at our kitchen table instead of highchairs, and these are put away in the laundry room at the end of the day.
We have an unfinished basement that my husband offered to renovate for daycare but I really like having it in the kitchen. I can get lots done during free play times, start supper at the end of the day, and I like the home-like feeling. Works for me

[cfred]

This is my second home daycare. I used to have it in the basement, but now it's on the main floor. I now have a townhouse, so the whole main floor (such as it is) is daycare. It's been a big draw for potential clients and all interviewees have commented that they prefer the main floor location. I've found it extremely convenient having the powder room, door to the back yard and the kitchen right there. I've made the daycare 'child enticing' without being covered in Care Bears and Rainbows cutesy stuff, if you know what I mean. It's child oriented, but not in a way that grates on your nerves after hours. I had our basement renovated for our own space. I have to say that I love it....it turned out really, really nice and I forget that it's a basement, so it makes the trade off less painful.

[torontokids]

I have a separate daycare space in the basement and I know I couldn't do it any other way. Our basement used to be an apartment so I have my own daycare kitchen, bathroom, landry facilities and separate entrance. I would have difficulty trying to maintain my home's cleanliness to the standard I have for the daycare space and I am a pretty private person so I don't want families/kids in my home either.

2 negatives- I don't' like that I can't start my supper/do minimal housework like other providers can (unless I better equip the kitchen and bring down a ton of stuff.)
I don't have a view of the backyard from inside the daycare so I can't leave them even for a second to grab something (at least I am not comfortable doing so)

[torontokids]

We also never go down there unless it's daycare which helps with the separation and also my kids don't get sick of the space/toys as they only get to see them during the week.