Working from home has become a new normal for many of us, as businesses continue to adopt and formalise remote working measures. Remote work has become particularly popular after the coronavirus pandemic, as employees forced to work from home were shown how simple, effective and even efficient working from home could be.
But working from home means creating space for your professional life in your personal space. Not all of us have the luxury of a spare room for this endeavour – so why not build one outside? Here are some things to consider with regard to building your own office outbuilding.
Write Down Some Ideas
For starters, you should write down any and all ideas you have about your prospective outdoor office space. These ideas should take into account your work needs, ergonomic needs and any personal preferences you might have in relation to a working space.
For example, you might want a sunroof to make the most of the natural light available to you. You might want sash doors to feel more closely connected with the outside – and if your work is creative in nature, you might want your office to be sun-facing all day long. You will also have some more practical needs, such as supply of electricity or storage for your stationery and documents.
Engage Professional Help
With all these ideas written down, your external work space is starting to take form. From here, it can be helpful to reach out to professionals for further counsel or refinement of your ideas. Landscaping architects exist, and are the perfect cross-section of skills for your outbuilding idea. They might be able to help you flesh out the plans for your garden and space, and even point you in the right direction regarding structural decisions.
Re-Landscape Your Garden
From here, you can start to make meaningful changes to your garden – both to make room for the outbuilding, and to refurbish it with the finished building in mind. For example, you will need a patio pathway from your door to your office, which might require re-designing your lawn space as well as installing paving stones. Your office might require the clearing of trees and hedges, too, either to make space or create sunlight space.
The Workspace
Even with design principles decided and, potentially, a blueprint, there are some considerations you need to make about your workspace. Modular units are available at cheap price points, that enable you to build an insulated outbuilding with ease. Alternatively, you might repurpose a gazebo or conservatory design from a popular manufacturer, or even have an architect bring contractors to build a brick and mortar structure from scratch.
Whatever your choice, the interior needs to appropriately reflect your intentions for the space, in order to promote productivity and comfort. This means investing in the right furniture, and ensuring everything is ergonomically sound.
Benefit from Being Closer to the Outdoors
Much more than just pleasant, working close to the outdoors can help you to focus and improve your productivity.
So go forth and benefit from your beautiful new work space!
