Over the last few years there has been allot of publicity surrounding the trend of working from home. However not so much has been written about the many interruptions such working situations breed. When you’re working from home there are many distractions and one needs to be very disciplined to not let it get in the way of actually working. The first thing that’s required is an appropriate place to setup shop.
A spare bedroom can be easily converted into a functional workplace. Remove the bedroom furniture and replace it with a good desk that’s going to be large enough to spread out and get things done. A comfortable office chair will make spending time at the desk easier - and don’t skip as your back will thank you in the long run. You’ll likely want a couch, coffee and side tables as well, so you have a place to meet with clients, and have a comfortable spot to read work related material, or even to just take a break. Lighting is important - hopefully you’ve got some windows in the room, large enough to let in plenty of natural daylight - this helps brighten things up, literally.
Then you’ll need to make sure you’ve got the tools you need to get the job done. High speed internet, phone and fax lines are a must. Depending on what you do, you may also want to consider installing a flat screen TV, for viewing work related material of course.
So this is great, but what if you don’t have the spare room to even consider setting up an office? Well you could consider an addition to your house. But that will easily cost tens of thousands of dollars, and involves permits, builders running around the house for weeks and weeks - not likely that you’ll get much done at home during the construction phase. Heck you’ll be lucky if you can get any work done full stop during the construction phase as you’ll likely be the project manager, making sure everything gets done and done right.
A much easier solution is building a home office/studio/shed. Something in the size range of 12ft. by 20ft would work nicely, certainly enough room to setup an office. You can expect to spend anywhere from $5000.00 to as much as $50,000.00 for your home office shed. All depends on how elaborate you want to go, and how big you want it to be.
Keep in mind that in most areas anything over 110 Sq. ft. will require permits, and almost anytime you’re running electrical and plumbing (you’ll likely want a bathroom), it changes the definition of the use of the structure - almost to that of a house, and all the glorious hoops that the Government likes you to jump through. That said, if you happen to have great neighbors, or better yet, no neighbors, then as long as you get basic building permits, you can essentially do whatever you want. Just know that your local municipality could come back at any time and deem your structure to have been built illegally and require you to either alter it, or worse case scenario, tear it down. So know what you’re getting into.
That aside, a home office shed is a great alternative to building an addition to your house. You can build it with one goal in mind, work. Add lots of windows, maybe even a skylight, or depending on what you’re doing, maybe you don’t want lots of light. What you’ll definitely want, regardless of what you do is insulation. You’ll want comfortable year round access, so this means insulating and installing some sort of heating and perhaps air conditioning for hot summer days. A bathroom and sink is also a good idea, especially if you’re planning on having clients in for the odd meeting.
The best part about building a home office shed is that you could have the entire structure built and furnished in about a week. The actual build time for prefab shed kits is about a day, even with larger units. Then there’s the interior to deal with. Drywall, insulation, mudding, sanding, painting and any finishing details you want. This usually takes 3-4 days to complete. Landscaping, creating walkways, etc… can all happen as soon as you start working on the interior. So in about a week, give or take a few days, your new glorious home office shed can be ready to work in.
Creating a separate space for you to work in that’s not in your house means you’ll have an space that’s free of distractions, noise and interruptions. A place where you can really focus and get some quality work done. Who knows, maybe because of your new space you’ll be able to come up with some great new idea and not only will you have a great space that you’ve been able to work in, but you’ll become richer as a result of it!
For inspiration on home office sheds, visit www.storageandgardensheds.com.