Can I Build An Office In My Backyard?
A home can be an office too. This might be a foreign concept even in 2019, but now we know, with little technology and creativity, we can have an office in our home. But what if you want to keep your private and work life separated while still working from home?
An office in the backyard is the perfect solution to keep working from home while not disrupting your home life. You can use the leftover space in your home, save money, and have your own space for work.
If the thought of building an office in your backyard has crossed your mind and don’t know how you should proceed with all these, keep reading the article.
Can I Build An Office In My Backyard?
If you have vouched for work from home or initiating a business, a home office can usher you with perks and benefits. There is no time to waste commuting from and to the office, you can connect through the world virtually, and you can get more work done.
If you are starting a new business, you can invest more in your business instead of spending money on office rent. You can control everything 24/7 staying at your home. However, working from home doesn’t sound so magical in reality.
You need an organized setup for your office space. When your personal life or space is invading your work life, you can neither function in your work life nor your personal life. Especially, if you live with your family.
A home office might not do justice to your family members as well. They also need privacy and maximum space in the house. What to do in such a situation? A designated office just around your main house is the best way to deal with such a situation.
A backyard is usually a very spacious place where you can grow, play, and build separate construction. It has a direct link to your house and, you can enjoy nature while working peacefully in your office. Hence you should definitely build an office in your backyard.
7 Benefits Of An Office In The Backyard
An office in the backyard is not a product of an abrupt decision. You must systematically consider the pros and cons before you commit to it. If you still haven’t made up your mind, let me try to nudge you toward this decision.
1. Separate Office Space
When Covid-19 has first ushered into our life and lockdown started to be the new normal, everyone got excited about the new work-from-home scenario. But after a while, people begin to realize, it is not as fancy to manage both home and office as it sounds.
Without a designated office space, proper monitoring, and official ambiance, people tend to lose focus and productivity. Even when there was no usual 9-5 office schedule or time wasted by commuting, people started to lose touch with productivity.
Turns out, an office setup has an intense influence on employees’ minds. It stimulates functionality and efficiency. But instead of going back to the previous setup, people started to become creative. And now a backyard office is more popular than ever, for the right reason.
2. Work-Home Balance
For every employee in the world, a common guilt has always eaten them alive. That is, not to spend quality time with their family because they are too occupied with office work. With a 9-5 office job, it is quite impossible to balance your life between your job and your family.
A backyard office is what you need to lift up your guilt. A few walks from the home, you can maintain close connections with your loved ones. Meanwhile, with a separate office, you can dedicate your focus and attention to the office work when it’s required.
3. Save Money
The initial cost of constructing a backyard office may seem a little extravaganza. But without seeing it as an unnecessary cost, think it of as a lifetime investment. The construction can serve you for years as an office. And when you are retired or don’t require a backyard office anymore you can simply convert the establishment into something else.
4. Higher Productivity
Imagine a scenario where you are doing your job at your office. After commuting for hours you are sitting in a small cubicle where you can’t even stretch your leg. The cacophonous sound from your neighboring colleagues is invading your attention and focus.
Now, imagine you are in your home. Maybe not wearing formal attire but working on your pc in your bedroom. The loud noise of the kids and the banging and thrashing sound from the kitchen are making their way to meet your ears. Every time you want to concentrate, there is a doorbell you need to attend to.
What if we could eliminate those cacophonous sounds? What if we could reduce your commuting period from 1 hour to 1 minute? What if you can work in an environment with no distractions? Yes, you can finish your task in a period that usually takes quadruple the time. And with more efficiency and errorless.
5. Close To Nature
A backyard is a location where your urban self can meet and reclaim your nature-loving self. There are an abundance of greenery, fresh air, and sunlight. An office in the backyard will not only eliminate loud noises but also incorporate sweet calls from nature. It will boost your functionality and keep your health intake.
6. Growth Of Home Value
The value of your home will significantly be increased with the help of a separate office in the backyard. Why? Because a built-in office lifts up the price of the home value. Imagine, if you were to buy a home, what would you prefer?
A plain backyard or a furnished construction that can be used as an office? Of course, the second one. That is why an office in the backyard is not just a convenience but it is an investment for the future.
7. Organizing And Planning
You are working on an important task, you are typing and eating, and suddenly a big chuck of that food falls over the keyboard. How would you feel? Or, what about you are searching for an important office document but can’t find it? Suddenly realized your little son has decided to unleash his inner Picasso on the back page of that important document.
To avoid such clumsy and innocent hostility, an office in the backyard is a good option. You can organize your life and your office. You can use every inch of that room the way you prefer. By separating your office life from home, you can keep up your professional integrity and morale even while living at your home.
5 Drawbacks Of An Office In The Backyard
Every pro has some cons as well. A backyard office culture may have been popularized by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the trend and idea of that have been lurking around for ages. This idea is so advanced that you can eradicate those drawbacks easily to take full advantage of the backyard office.
But, before you start constructing an office in your backyard, you must learn about the cons that might come along the way so that you are prepared. Let’s see what those are.
1. No Space For Co-Workers And Visitors
Usually, the idea of a backyard office is for the solo-officials. The spacing and location are in such a way that can’t accommodate more than one person. If you want to build a separate segment for another worker in your backyard office, this is bound to be chaotic.
This is more critical when you want to initiate your own business. At the primary stage, you may not need any helping hand. But eventually, you need to hire new employees as your business grows. However, a backyard office, being small and closeted, can’t accommodate as many persons as an office do.
2. Insects And Mosquitoes
Yes, you will be close to nature. But nature cannot be that much fun for you. Especially when you are trying to build an office setup. A backyard is filled with trees, bushes, and brunches. If you are not careful and maintain it properly, it will attract several types of insects.
A backyard office is usually made of wooden and vinyl elements. These materials don’t have such efficiencies in repealing insects and keeping mosquitoes out of the way. This is not only an inconvenience but also a health hazard. Especially when the establishment ages and proceeds into its final days, they tend to attract more and more insects.
3. Temperature Set Up
When you are inside a corporate office, the temperature seems to always be in control. It is never too hot and never too cold. But here the temperature is in your hand. It must feel like a blessing at first. But, under extreme weather, you will wish for a different setup.
In a backyard office, it is very unconventional to invest in luxurious temperature-related appliances like an air conditioner or room heater. The idea is that the nature surrounding you should provide the heat or coolness as per the season. But when the weather gets extremely cold or hot, you have to invest in some setups separately for the office.
4. Cost Upraise
Building a backyard office is not an inexpensive task. This will require a detailed and elaborated budget which doesn’t come so cheap. From material and construction costs to labor charges each and every step will require your money. Usually building the base foundation and pilers will cost you $1,000 to $3,000.
Then, painting, furnishing, and setting up the necessary connection will cost you more and more depending on your requirement and wishes. Not only that, even after the setup, you need to put some money aside for the connection bills.
5. Protection And Security
A backyard office is usually where you keep all your electronic devices, expensive gadgets, and important documents. However, if you think about it, they are not as secure as you think. As the materials are generally wood, vinyl, or plywood. They are easy to invade and loot. Even though it is only a room in the backyard, the security can’t be compromised.
3 Types Of Backyard Office
A backyard office comes in lots of shapes and structures. Depending on your preference and budget, you can opt for different offices. Let us see what type of backyard offices you can build on your premises.
1. Sheds
The shed is the most versatile and useful item for the office. They come in different varieties and sizes. There are lots of perks and benefits of a shed. But the most interesting part is their versatility. You can use a shed for an office, or indoor garden, or as a storage facility.
A shed can be built with your preferred material like wood, vinyl, or glass. It also comes prefab so you can just buy it and install it. You can also customize the design and dimensions. Each shed has its unique features and traits. You have to decide what is best for you.
2. Sunroofs
If you want your office to be sunnier and shinier, sunroofs are a better option for you. They are so distinctive and give an antique and dignified look. The surroundings are usually made with glasses and can cost $260 to $350 per square foot.
Of course, with so much sunshine and light, the sun glare on the screen will be a problem. Especially if your job is mainly on the computer. But you can always put on blinds to deter such glares. But they are so pretty looking and unique, you will feel like a royal working inside a castle.
3. Shipping Container
Yes, this is quite unconventional. But people are actually converting an old shipping container and giving it a new name. As it is rectangular in shape and quite spacious, you can build an efficient and productive office inside it with your creativity. It costs around $6,000 to $7,000 to buy a container. And it may take an additional $3,000 to $4,000 to ship, design, and build it as an office.
However, I guess, it works best only if you are opting for any temporary accommodation for your office. As the material is steel and it creates echo inside the room, they are not so ideal for an office. But on the other side, they are fire-proof and very sturdy.
Final Words
With goodwill and little creativity, you can create a perfect balance between work-from-home and typical office culture. If you want to build a shed read this article Can You Use A Shed As An Office? To learn more and explore.
