How Much Money Do You Need For A Home Office? [Chart, Example]

Switching to remote work? Congrats! No more stress about late punch-ins. But there’s one catch. Since you are the boss now, you’ve to take the responsibility of creating an office vibe. Smart workers know the value of investing in a home office. So, how much money do you need for a home office?

Expect to spend at least $5000 if you are renovating a separate office room. On the contrary, establishing an office area inside an existing room will require only $500 to $3500. The more customization and comfort you want, the bigger your budget should be.

Your home office budget isn’t just a number. It should reflect the style you want as well as other important decisions regarding the office. So, hop on because we are about to break down the budget issue.

How Much Money Do You Need For A Home Office?

You have technically two options when it comes to creating an office space. First, dedicate an entire room for that purpose. Second, renovate an existing and functional room. Your budget will vary depending on which option you choose.

Renovate An Existing Office

Do you live in New York? Then, we understand why you can’t find a spare room for work. The apartments barely have enough space to accommodate all your belonging. If that’s the case with you too, try renovating an existing living/drawing room. 

The plus point is that you will be done within $500. The flooring, wall painting, light source, etc are already available within the area.

At most, you have to spend $60-$100 for an office desk and another $100 for an ergonomic chair. Invest some money on the wall shelf if you want to organize everything. Just like that, your personal office would be ready without any fancy change.

Some people prefer the living room over the bedroom. It is hard to stay away from a comfy bed for a long time. But if a bedroom works better for you, go ahead.

Build A Home Office From Scratch

The second way is the traditional one. Find an unused room and turn it into a home office. Of course, the budget will be higher since you have to take care of the entire area instead of a section. Here are the tasks on your to-do list if you consider building a home office from scratch.

1. Paint the walls
2. Bring a desk and other office furniture
3. Focus on the décor
4. Install a light source and other electrical gadgets
5. Air-condition the room or buy fans.
6. Put curtains on the window to reduce glaring
7. Lay a carpet under the desk and chair for better customization.

As you can see, the cost can go from $5000 to $30,000. Choosing a wool carpet and wooden furniture would take you on the higher price spectrum. The major benefit you will receive is a working space without any outside noise or distraction. The inability to deeply focus on a subject is a major problem with renovating an existing room. 

How Much Money Do You Need For Different Home Office Styles?

You will be surprised by the number of home office styles you can pick for yourself. And, each style needs a different budget due to the change in furnishing and other accessories. We have explained the styles and the required budget in detail below. Have a look.

Small & Cozy- Under $500

Let’s understand what we mean by cozy office space. It’s a small office set-up within a full-fledged room. You can build it inside a drawing or bedroom. It’s ideal if your purpose is to research and prepare your projects for the next day at a physical office. We have assigned a budget of a maximum of $500 for the décor. Check out the furniture you would require to build such an office space.

Essential Items	Approximate Cost
Small Desk	$60 to $100
Mesh chair	$78 to $100
Monitor	$160
Side Lamp	$30 to $50
Shelf For Extra Storage	$20 to $35

 So, the total amount can go up to $450. As you can see, a small desk can’t hold more than one monitor. If you require more devices on the desk, you have to spend some extra money on a bigger desk. Besides, we think a normal household would already have a desk and chair. Don’t worry if you don’t own an office char. A regular dining chair would work too. Our suggestion is to make use of the existing items if possible.

Your budget will be further reduced because of that. Moreover, most desks come with one or two attached drawers. Unless the desk is super simple, it can store most of your belongings. 

Since you are using a regular static chair to cut costs, the office won’t feel comfortable for a longer period. Use this set-up if you can finish assignments within 2-3 hours. Otherwise, spend a few more bucks for a comfortable cushioned chair.

Aesthetically Pleasing- Under $3500

You need more than a small den to be creative during work. Especially if your job requires you to brainstorm ideas, the office set-up should be fully supportive. An aesthetically pleasing office surrounding you are calming your mind and enables you to spend more time at the desk without getting bored. Here’s what we think you need in such a workstation.

Essential Items	Approximate Cost
Spacious Desk	$100 to $300
Monitor	$160
Comfy Chair	$200 to $400
Side Couch	$300 to $500
Overhead Lighting	$500 to $800
Plants & Art Pieces	Up to $1000
Accent Wall Painting	–

Note: You can skip the cost of wall painting by doing it yourself. You only have to buy the wall paint and appropriate brushes. But we believe hiring a professional would make the wall look more beautiful. In that case, the labor charge would vary depending on how long it took.

 The total might go up to $3500. We suggest getting a spacious desk with enough storage options. Less clutter on the desk surface would impact your creative brain positively. You can see that we have assigned a significantly large amount for plants and art pieces. Because it depends on an individual’s taste.

You might be a nature freak who loves to be surrounded by greenery. In that case, we suggest including plants like succulents, cacti, and other drought plants that don’t need much water. Whether to go for a big size pot or a small one on the shelf is up to your liking.

Apart from the plants, you can add beautiful paintings and art pieces whatever makes you feel calm. It’s always a good idea to paint the front wall of your desk. It not only looks exquisite but differentiates the space from the rest of the room. That helps to put you in the “working mood” effectively. What do you think?

Super Deluxe- Under $5000

Our idea of a super deluxe office room includes an executive desk with lots of drawers and a solid wood finish. Then, we have got a large comfy chair as well as some guest chairs for visitors. Such office set-up works great if you are an entrepreneur and run the business from home. You would have clients coming to your office to discuss deals. For that, you need a separate conference table that can accommodate at least 4 to 6 people.

Essential Items	Approximate Cost
Wooden Desk	$300 to $1000
Ergonomic Chair	$200 to $400
Guest Chairs	$500
Meeting Table Set	$100 to $200
Décor (wall painting)	Up to $1000
Light Source	$500
Cabinets	$ 1000 to $2000

 It’s extremely important for a deluxe office to have appropriate décor. Because you are frequently entertaining visitors and you want the room to look polished and well-maintained. We suggest getting wooden cabinets and a meeting table to match the desk. Solid wood is more expensive than other furniture materials. So, be prepared to spend a little extra.

Apart from that, we have emphasized the importance of wall décor and light sources. You should attach a diffuser to the ceiling bulbs to distribute the light all over the room. If you already own electric devices like a computer, printer, etc you can save some money. 

Keep in mind, a deluxe set-up would only look good inside a full-fledged office room. If you don’t have a separate room to dedicate, you should probably skip this kind of layout.

What To Consider Before Making A Budget For The Home Office?

Unfortunately, there’s no fixed amount to be considered as an ideal budget. It depends on you. You can spend as much as $1000 to $100,000 to beautify a home office. We won’t judge that. But before you fix a budget, we want you to consider several aspects of the renovation journey. 

What Do You Expect From The Office?

As we said earlier, your expectations from the future office play a big role. For example, you have to attend multiple online meetings a day. In that case, your priority would be a good lighting source to make your room sufficiently illuminated. Check out this article to learn about some awesome home office lighting tips. Or, suppose you are an entrepreneur who needs to complete a lot of paperwork every day. Your main focus would be a spacious desk with appropriate shelves to accommodate all your files and devices.

On the contrary, if you use the office space for side hustles, you might not care much about the decorations and art pieces. You wouldn’t even require a separate office room in the first place. So, before you start putting in a budget, consider the type of work you do and what to expect from a home office.

What Type Of Furnishing Do You Like?

What type of office furniture do you prefer? If you have wooden furniture in the rest of your house, you would want the same for an office. You can pick a 47-inches wooden desk along with a wooden floor to carry on the same vibe as your house.

In case your preference is a super deluxe room to speak your style, try including your favorite art pieces and statement furniture like a chandelier. Or, you might like being trendy and want the best comfort in your home office. Try spending on a motorized standing desk and an ergonomic chair for your work shift.

You might also like standing desks with attached treadmills. It allows you to work out and attend meetings at the same time. Depending on your preference, your office furnishing and the budget assigned to it will vary.

How Much Can You Spend?

Your ability to spend a certain amount is perhaps the most important thing to consider. If your budget is below $5000, you shouldn’t think about transforming an existing space like a garage or storehouse into an office. You should stick with adding an office space into another room like the living area. Since these rooms already have proper flooring, wall paint, and lighting, you can cut costs significantly.

If you can afford it, you can buy everything brand new for the office space. However, if money is an issue for you, try to make the most of your existing furniture. If you own a desk and a chair already, why spend again on these items? Try a little DIY technique to paint the furniture and make them look new. This is our little saving trick for you.

Wrapping Up

How much is too much when it comes to your home office? We don’t consider any amount as too much. It all depends on the environment and aesthetic you are trying to create around you. If a leather chair along with classic wooden furniture makes you work better, then so be it. We don’t see it as a waste. It’s an investment to keep your mental state healthy during high work pressure.

However, there are chances that you mightn’t want to spend a lot. That’s why we have enlisted low-range to high-range office budgets. So that, you can completely furnish your personal office within any given range.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the discussion as much as we did. Thank you for staying.