Sometimes, finding the space to get some peace and quiet
when you work from home can be difficult. If you have had difficulty carving
out space for a work from home office, why not build one in your backyard?
Whether you work from home occasionally or every day, a steel building is an
excellent choice for your work from home office. In this article, we will look
at why it is such an excellent choice!
Why build a work from home office?
When you are at home, you can be too accessible to people.
There can be a lot of distractions, and the boundaries you have between home
and work will blur. Your productivity can suffer, and you might always feel
like you are at work, even once you clock out for the day.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many people to begin working
from home, and many people have chosen to continue working from home after they
had the option of returning to the office. However, it can be difficult
sometimes to carve out the space you need for your work from home office, which
is why it might be worthwhile to consider building one in the backyard. You
would then have a designated workspace, which can help you keep your home and
work lives more separate, and it ensures that you get the peace and quiet you
need. People knocking on the front door will not disturb you; your cat will not
accidentally send an email to your boss when you get up to get more coffee.
You will still be close enough to home to be there if
something comes up, and you will not need to spend time commuting each day. If
there is enough space on your property to do it, it can make a big difference
in your productivity since you will be cutting out any distractions. Think
about it: you have a nice, private office where you will not hear your kids
playing in the background or dancing in the background during your Zoom calls,
but you can still be at home at the same time. For many people who work from
home, this more than likely sounds like a dream come true!
What to Consider When Building a Steel Work from Home Office
When designing and building a custom office in your
backyard, there are some things to consider before you get started. Let's take
a look.
How much space will you need?
Take the time to determine how much square footage you need
your building to be so that you have enough space to work comfortably. The last
thing you want is to discover when you are done building is that the space is
not big enough.
Where is your building site?
Make sure you know exactly where you want to put up your
work from home office. You need a level space that is clear of plants and
debris, so it will be easy for the crew putting it together to access and move
around.
What is your budget?
Make sure you take the time to determine what your budget is
going to be before you get started. This will let you plan things more easily
and can help you ensure you can afford any unforeseeable things that may come
up during construction.
Check Your Local Building Codes
You should get building permits for your office, though the
specific ones needed often vary depending on the size of the structure and your
location. Make sure you take time to look into what permits you might need
before getting started.
If your area has a homeowners' association, make sure you
look into their guidelines, too, because they can force you to take down the
structure if it does not meet their guidelines.
Plan Utilities
How will you get electricity and plumbing to your work from
home office? Plan this with professionals before you get started to ensure this
stays within your budget. Electricity is the most important thing to worry
about bringing into your work from home office since you will need it to power
the lights, your computer, and any other electronic equipment that you need for
your work.
While plumbing is not entirely necessary, consider having a
small restroom in your work from home office so that you do not have to go in
the house every time you need to use one. Having to go to the house each time
means you may get distracted and risk hurting your productivity for the day.
Why You Should Choose a Steel Building for Your Work from Home Office
Now, if you are sold on building a work from home office in
your backyard, you might be wondering if you should get some lumber, redesign
an old shed, or try a steel building for the office. A steel building is the
best option available for your office; let's take a look at why.
Multi-Use Building
While the main point of getting this steel building is so
that you can have a work from home office, you can make it a multi-use
building; to help maintain privacy, you can design your steel building to have
a separate entrance for your office and for the rest of the building, so people
will not be barging in on you when you are working.
You can easily divide the building to be part storage shed,
workshop, art studio, guest house, or indoor garden, and just make separate
space for your office that only has a door to the outside. If you and your
spouse both work from home, you can use the steel building to create two
separate offices, one for each of you. To help keep the noise down, you can get
some excellent insulation in a steel building that will help keep noise from
the rest of the building and outside from interrupting your workflow and
concentration.
Custom Floor Plan
When you are working from home, carving out enough space to
work comfortably can be tricky sometimes. You may have to find a corner with
your laptop to work on, which means you are not comfortable enough to be as
productive as you want to be. Thankfully, when you choose to build a metal office at home, you can completely customize the floor plan. You can choose the
layout of your windows, how big the room is, if you need it shaped a certain
way, the separate entrances if it is a multi-use building and more.
Match Your Home's Style
You might be hesitant to add a steel building to your
backyard because you want to avoid adding something that sticks out so much, do
not worry! You can customize the exterior of the building too, so it does not
look like a steel shed. There are many options available for siding accents
that you can use, including faux stone or brick, stucco, plaster, and even faux
wood. These will let you show off your personal style, and nobody needs to know
that your work from home office is really made of steel.
Create a Work-Life Boundary
When you work from home, the lines between work and home can
get blurred, but using a steel building can help you create that boundary
again. You will have an office to leave at the end of the day; even though you
are only walking a few feet, you can disengage easier.
Potential Tax Deduction
A lot more people have become self-employed freelancers in the
last few years, which means that building your new home office can be a tax
deduction. However, to write the building off as a tax deduction, you will have
to use the entire space for your business.
Get More Natural Lighting to Improve Productivity
Not having much natural light can harm our productivity.
When you design your custom steel building for your work from home office, you
can let in a lot more light. If you are worried that any hustle and bustle
outside would be a distraction, you can add a skylight instead or set up the
windows so they are up high enough that you will not see anyone easily from
your desk.
Increase Your Property Value
Having this extra workspace on your property can help
increase your property value, especially if it is a multi-use building. When
you sell your home in the future, your backyard office can be a great selling
point for any prospective buyers, especially since working from home has become
much more commonplace since the pandemic and seems to be staying that way for
many people.
Steel is More Affordable
When you design a custom building, it is never going to be a
cheap and easy thing to throw together, but choosing a building material that
is more affordable is a good idea. Steel is surprisingly affordable as a
building material. It can also save you money when insulated by reducing your
energy costs and keeping out pests.
About the Author
Auz Burger is a freelance writer and an expert in steel buildings. She has a BA from Washington
State University and has been writing and editing professionally for over a
decade.
