Working from home has been trending for years, even before the global COVID-19 pandemic that forced office workers to work from home, particularly through one of several national lockdowns. Fortunately, we are not dealing with lockdowns anymore, but what the pandemic showed us is that working from home isn’t just a viable option, but it can actually increase staff productivity.
This may be down to several reasons including the fact that employees may feel more comfortable working in their own homes rather than in a collective office, and they may be likely to work longer as they don’t have to factor in the commute back to their home once they have finished work for the day. Adapting a room within your house to a home office could make working from home more productive as you have a specific area to work from, where you can reduce the number of distractions that the living area of your house has.
Many people often choose an unused bedroom as a home office, but they may be missing out on potentially better use of the space in their home. That’s right, the garage!
Make Sure Your Garage Is Structurally Sound
You can consult with an architect or surveyor to make sure your garage is suitable for converting. They will assess the soundness of the walls, roof and foundations. If your garage is constructed of brick or block and is generally structurally sound, you will be better off. If your garage is not structurally sound it may be cheaper to knock it down and replace the external building the garage is. When the architect or surveyor gives you the green light you will still need to contact a fit out company that will be able to assist you in planning, designing and building your home office setup.
Plan Heating, Plumbing and Electrics Early
Garages can be cold, dark places. This is why it is important for you to ensure that these needs are met for you to work comfortably within your new home office. Plumbers may be able to extend your home’s central heating system to include your garage as well. Alternatively, you can buy electric wall-mounted heaters that just plug into the mains. You should also plan in advance for your electrical needs for an office by making sure there are plenty of power plug points. This will make connecting all of your office tech such as computers much easier later on.
Ensure Your Home Office Is Light Well Lit
Most garages won’t have windows or if they do the window probably won’t be big enough to let a lot of light into the room. You may want to consider biting the bullet and installing bigger windows within your home office, this may cost more upfront than buying electric lighting, but it will likely be worth it. You should also look into different lighting options for your office, whichever lighting option you choose will depend upon your budget and your personal preferences.
Conclusion
Making sure you do your research and have ensured that your garage is suitable to be transformed into a work from home office will save you both time and money. You should also make a point of speaking to an office fit out company who will be able to further advise you based on your individual circumstances.