A garden office solves many problems: commuting, home clutter, and annoying colleagues. With over 20 years of experience designing and installing garden office spaces for customers, we know a thing or two. Here are our garden office top tips for maximizing your garden office and improving your work-life balance.
Budget is key to determining the size, quality and style you choose. Installing a good-quality garden office will add value to your home. Don't think of it as spending your hard-earned savings but as investing in your home. If you don't have enough money saved, you can get financing from suppliers or borrow a little more on your mortgage.
We offer a range of garden offices. Choose from high-quality log cabins if you're on a budget, through to fully finished insulated garden offices.
If you are practical and have some time on your hands consider a self-assembly garden office kit. Building a garden office can be great fun and reduce your costs.
A dedicated workspace means less hassle – but think through your options. Having a garden office is faster than extending your home and doesn't require planning permission. Call us if you need any planning advice. It's important to get good advice and consider what you want from your garden office before making a decision.
Visit a show site to see the quality of a building for yourself. Never buy without seeing an actual building and be wary of buying cheap buildings on the Internet. It's a good idea to check the quality of the timber plus the doors & windows before you buy. Double glazing and high-security locks are important considerations.
Size, design, specification, heating, utilities, built-in storage – there are plenty of options and your decisions depend on your budget. Think about what you need, now and in the future. It also has to fit in with your garden and enhance the view from your house.
A garden office means no commute – so plan to use your time effectively. Not spending two hours a day in traffic or on the train is always a winner. Think about how you use that time instead. You can work longer in the morning or evening if you're more productive then, and rest when your brain needs it.
Not many people would choose to run to the bus to stay fit. Working at home can reduce the amount of exercise we get in our daily routine. So, use the extra space to do activities you enjoy, such as hobbies or exercise.
“I might as well make the most of working flexibly, and I want to make sure I don’t get lazy so I decided to book a daytime exercise class and treat it as an appointment that I won’t miss,” said one customer.
You could spend the extra hours you’ve tasks around the home or garden, being with family or doing a hobby. If you concentrate on your own priorities, others won't waste your time with their ideas about what you should focus on.
Your garden workspace reduces conflict with home – but guards your space and time. Working from home can be challenging. It is difficult to separate work and personal life when they happen in the same space. It’s hard to keep things tidy, and it’s tricky to leave work behind for the evening.
A garden office means separating work from home, which is better for everyone. And in the design stage, we can advise on the best use of space to maximise this advantage.
We also recommend thinking about who else may use your garden office. In the future, the use may change if you no longer need a home working space. It may become a gym or even a teenager's den.
One customer sent us some photos of a recently installed garden office. “There are still a few bits to organise inside, it just takes longer than expected with a new baby in the house! Anyway, I love my office space and the storage area is fabulous – the house feels bigger again!”
Being close to family is great, but it's worth setting some basic ground rules. Only call me in an emergency when I am working. No small children are in the office during working hours, and they finish work at a reasonable hour.
A business consultant who has one of our garden offices in her courtyard garden said it made both working and parenting easier. “When I’m working, I’m working, and when I’m being dad, I’m being a dad. Locking the door and walking away, makes it so easy."
A garden office offers a quiet place to work, but it doesn't have to be isolating. Making a move from a busy workplace to home-based work is often a welcome break. No more interruptions, no more office politics, no more catching colds from your colleagues.
Still, plan for times when you get to meet people you do like. There will be friends nearby who would enjoy meeting up for coffee. Connect with local business networks, social media groups, or community organizations to share ideas and find new job opportunities.
Incorporate a sofa or chairs for friends and colleagues to visit you in your garden office. Have a kettle and a mini fridge to make them tea or coffee. Extend a deck or canopy to give you an outdoor socialising area.
It's your garden office so don’t compromise! How many times in your life do you get to design your very own space, just to meet your own specifications? It's not often we can add our own touch to a room and make it both functional and enjoyable for work.
Even on a tight budget, you can create a garden office that says something about you. Whether Zen is minimalist, shabby chic, quirky, practical or traditional. Yes, you’ll need desk space, lighting, seating and storage, but they come in every style and shape. Add pictures on the walls and objets d’art to create interest and style.
For garden office ideas visit our galleries for a wide range of options. From cost-effective log cabins through to garden office pods.
You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your garden office so express yourself. Follow these golden rules and look forward to happy and productive times in your beautiful garden office.
For your own garden office, made-to-measure to suit you give us a call at 01225 774566 or click the button below to contact us and we will help guide you every step of the way.
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