How to Set up the Perfect Home Office

Though the benefits of working from your home include not having to deal with rigid schedules, commutes and irritating co-workers, we do still have our share of drawbacks. Those of us working from home have our own set of challenges to deal with, including unwanted visitors, family intrusions and carving out your own little niche that lets you separate your home life from your work life.

This is possibly where the biggest challenge comes in. If you’re working from home and have a family, how do you set aside a personal space that help you focus and also set up clear boundaries for family members who often have a difficult time disassociating the work you from the home you.

Everyone is different; your environment and available resources are different. Depending on what you have to work with, and what your preferences are, there are likely quite a few good home office options to get you well on your way to a productive new year.

The Budget Office

If you’re main concern is cost, then chances are you’re also highly business minded and want quick effective steps to get you started on the bigger job at hand. For a budget office, begin with what you have. Look for a sturdy work table, a comfy chair, lighting and a quite nook. If you’re starting your office from scratch, then consider:

• Buying used furniture – Many cities have liquidation, overstock.com, or warehouse sales, where the listed price is lower and you have the option of haggling with them for a lower price. You can also use Craigslist’s “free” section to see if anyone is giving away any furniture, requiring you to only go and pick it up.

• Buy a refurbished laptop – Look around Craigslist, ask your local electronic dealer for this type of deal, or call up the manufacturer directly asking if they have a special offer for refurbished computers.

• Purchase all-in-one – instead of buying a separate scanner, printer, copier, and fax, try purchasing an all-in-one unit. It might be slightly pricier as a whole unit, but you will definitely be saving by not having to buy individual units, nor dealing with the cost of multiple ink cartridges. You’ll also save a little on electricity since you’ll only be using one outlet rather than four different ones.

Budget office ideas are also great for those who have smaller spaces to work with, since they’re looking for quick space-saving economical choices - great for East Coast homes where space is often an issue.

The Kid-Friendly Office

If you’ve got little rug rats running around, then you have a whole different set of concerns when it comes to your home office. Here are some ideas of how you should go about setting up your space:

• Be Boring – There’s nothing kids of any age love more than to satisfy their curiosity, and there’s nothing that interests them more than clutter, cuteness and lots of interesting colors and shapes. Keeping your workspace boring helps keeps them disinterested.

• Setting up a Mini-Me Station – Kids love to be like you, so setting up a little work desk of their own in the same room as yours will give them a sense of pride and belonging. Plus they’ll be too busy with their own desk to be puttering around yours. This little trick also helps you keep an eye on them while you’re working.


The Shed Office

One of the biggest problems in setting up a home office is a lack of space. If this is your problem, then considering having an outdoor office. An outdoor office is a great alternative that lets you work from home but have a completely separate, private area in which to work out of.

The easiest way to set up an outdoor office is to follow these steps:

• Unit – Purchase a outdoor shed from home improvement warehouses such as Home Depot or Lowe’s.

• Insulation – Add dry wall and wood flooring to insulate it, this is particularly important if you’re in a colder climate.

• Cost – The total costs can run anywhere from two to six thousand, depending on the quality of the shed, the level of insulation, and wiring work. However, even the higher end cost is still far cheaper than building an addition, dealing with zoning/construction permits, or striving to maintain your sanity with a make shift in-house office.

Alternative to the outdoor office include setting up a garage office. If you do opt for this choice or even if you’re in a shed, then you should likely think about the ozone air quality of your work area.

How to Set up the Perfect Home Office

Though the benefits of working from your home include not having to deal with rigid schedules, commutes and irritating co-workers, we do still have our share of drawbacks. Those of us working from home have our own set of challenges to deal with, including unwanted visitors, family intrusions and carving out your own little niche that lets you separate your home life from your work life.

This is possibly where the biggest challenge comes in. If you’re working from home and have a family, how do you set aside a personal space that help you focus and also set up clear boundaries for family members who often have a difficult time disassociating the work you from the home you.

Everyone is different; your environment and available resources are different. Depending on what you have to work with, and what your preferences are, there are likely quite a few good home office options to get you well on your way to a productive new year.

The Budget Office

If you’re main concern is cost, then chances are you’re also highly business minded and want quick effective steps to get you started on the bigger job at hand. For a budget office, begin with what you have. Look for a sturdy work table, a comfy chair, lighting and a quite nook. If you’re starting your office from scratch, then consider:

• Buying used furniture – Many cities have liquidation, overstock.com, or warehouse sales, where the listed price is lower and you have the option of haggling with them for a lower price. You can also use Craigslist’s “free” section to see if anyone is giving away any furniture, requiring you to only go and pick it up.

• Buy a refurbished laptop – Look around Craigslist, ask your local electronic dealer for this type of deal, or call up the manufacturer directly asking if they have a special offer for refurbished computers.

• Purchase all-in-one – instead of buying a separate scanner, printer, copier, and fax, try purchasing an all-in-one unit. It might be slightly pricier as a whole unit, but you will definitely be saving by not having to buy individual units, nor dealing with the cost of multiple ink cartridges. You’ll also save a little on electricity since you’ll only be using one outlet rather than four different ones.

Budget office ideas are also great for those who have smaller spaces to work with, since they’re looking for quick space-saving economical choices - great for East Coast homes where space is often an issue.

The Kid-Friendly Office

If you’ve got little rug rats running around, then you have a whole different set of concerns when it comes to your home office. Here are some ideas of how you should go about setting up your space:

• Be Boring – There’s nothing kids of any age love more than to satisfy their curiosity, and there’s nothing that interests them more than clutter, cuteness and lots of interesting colors and shapes. Keeping your workspace boring helps keeps them disinterested.

• Setting up a Mini-Me Station – Kids love to be like you, so setting up a little work desk of their own in the same room as yours will give them a sense of pride and belonging. Plus they’ll be too busy with their own desk to be puttering around yours. This little trick also helps you keep an eye on them while you’re working.


The Shed Office

One of the biggest problems in setting up a home office is a lack of space. If this is your problem, then considering having an outdoor office. An outdoor office is a great alternative that lets you work from home but have a completely separate, private area in which to work out of.

The easiest way to set up an outdoor office is to follow these steps:

• Unit – Purchase a outdoor shed from home improvement warehouses such as Home Depot or Lowe’s.

• Insulation – Add dry wall and wood flooring to insulate it, this is particularly important if you’re in a colder climate.

• Cost – The total costs can run anywhere from two to six thousand, depending on the quality of the shed, the level of insulation, and wiring work. However, even the higher end cost is still far cheaper than building an addition, dealing with zoning/construction permits, or striving to maintain your sanity with a make shift in-house office.

Alternative to the outdoor office include setting up a garage office or even making use of your stable if you have one. If you do opt for this choice or even if you’re in a shed, then you should likely think about the ozone air quality of your work area.

The Outdoor Office

Eco-culture stepped into the corporate playing field as soon as business started realizing the money saving and PR benefits of going green. Since then a whole new mindset has been adopted in corporate culture.

In a business culture war where brand identity and employee loyalty are key to survival and growth, businesses are now realizing the value of another commodity – their employees.

Merging eco-awareness with employee satisfaction, more and more business are redefining their corporate culture. Stepping away from galley ship set ups like those artfully played out in Monty Python’s The Crimson Permanent Assurance, employers are now recognizing that an unhappy stressed out employee means smaller profit margins.

Endorsing Public Workspaces

Nivea also took advantage of the outdoor office shift, and London’s willingness to host them, by offering the oxygen powered office space. Available through bookings, Nivea offered space with a reception area, three meeting areas, two work stations, with Wifi, coffee, plasma screens, and a beauty area hosting Nivea products that serves a place for employees to freshen up.

The move is not only of a benefit to businesses sponsoring the event, who gain exposure and publicity, but is also proving to be a creative outlet for companies who want to encourage out of the box thinking.

But businesses aren’t the only groups who are realizing the benefit of outdoor workspaces. The City of London transformed St James’s Park into an outdoor office space for two days, from July 3 to 4. The park provided free Wi-Fi, a boardroom, a breakout room, 12 desk clusters, and a receptionist.

Selgas Cano’s Take on the Outdoor Office

An outdoor workspace was also the creative inspiration for Selgas Cano Architects in Madrid, Spain, photographed by Iwan Baan. Selgas Cano took the outdoor office to the next level by looking toward long term harmonization merging indoor and outdoor spaces.

The design boasts effective use of space, employing a sleek tube-like structure sunken into the ground. The long window curving along the wall and toward the ceiling creates an open space that not only lets in natural light but also fosters a synchronicity between the indoors and outdoors.

The sinking foundation is also a classic design strategy that improves building insulation, requiring less energy to heat the interior. The interior color scheme is also reflective of natural greens and yellows found outdoors, making the shift between indoor and outdoor seamless.

Shifting to an Outdoor Work Space

Fortunately, you don’t need to live in London, work in Spain, or rely on locally set up corporate sponsorships to get a feel for the outdoor office. Depending on where you are, you can easily set up shop in your own backyard or patio.

There are dozens of options for outdoor offices, such as turning your shed into a detached office space, or using your deck or sunroom as an office extension. Whatever you decide, there are certain things you should consider when setting up your new space:

· Weather: If you’re in colder climates, consider investing in a portable table top patio heater. Patio heaters come in all sizes and styles, from freestanding patio heaters, including portable patio heaters, mounted, table top, electric, propane and natural gas heaters. Getting a patio heater makes the idea of an outdoor office a practical option.

· Electricity: if you’re a die-hard tech junkie and consider your laptop your ultimate life line, then you’re likely going to need to create a space that has access to an outlet. Set up shop in a spot that allows you to use an extension cord to source an outside outlet or trek one back indoors through a window.

· Coverage: Having some sort of roofing or canopy is critical to an effective work space for two main reasons. 1) It protects you from the weather and 2) It helps deflect excess light away, which is particularly important if you’re an avid laptop user. Canopies can also be purchased and readily assembled from most retail chains.

· Furniture: Your outdoor furniture should be practical. Try going for easy-to-clean glass surfaces that don’t face rust and corrosion problems. For furniture, depending on whether you have a functional canopy, try using furniture with upholstery that is easily cleaned or weather resistant. Often, even a great outdoor patio chair will do the trick.