This past year has brought on many changes, and one of those changes has been the transition from working in an office setting to working from home. It is now more important than ever to have a functional space for your home office. Whether you’re building your new home or want to make your current home office more functional, we have put together a list of 5 must-haves that will create the perfect space for working at home.
Built-in Storage
Storage is an important aspect of your entire home, however, being able to keep your home office clean and organized is best for optimal efficiency. A good way to accomplish this is by adding built-in storage units, similar to a custom organization system. This can be added to your new home build and could be a set of built-in shelves to keep your papers in order. If you’d like to take it a step further, we suggest including cabinets or drawers as well. This is perfect to use as a filing system and will keep everything in order and out of sight, creating a clean space with minimal distractions.
Additional Outlets
Rather than buying a power bar and running the risk of overloading it, consider adding additional outlets in the room during your new home build. This way you’ll decrease the risk of blowing a breaker and possibly losing work, and you won’t need to try to decide what you can live without because you have nowhere to plug it in.
Take into consideration the items you’ll need to run power to, be it multiple computer screens, the tower, speakers or even a desk lamp. This way you’ll have a good idea of how many outlets will be sufficient.
Sound Proofing
If you have other members of your family in your home during your working hours, soundproof insulation may be a worthy addition to your home office. This can be beneficial on both sides as it will reduce the noise for you to be able to work without distraction, and if you are dealing with confidential information it can prevent you from being overhead.
Proper Lighting: Natural & Artificial
Having proper lighting is important throughout your home, but especially in your office where being productive throughout the day is a necessity. Both natural and artificial lighting are beneficial.
We all know that having exposure to natural light is good for our health, but did you know it also helps us focus and can help improve our overall mood? When picking which room your home office will be, try to find the one that gets the most natural light throughout the day and ensure you have adequate window space to take full advantage of it. It’s also a good idea to consider adding window coverings to your office as well. This can be beneficial for when you’re in a virtual meeting or the times of day where the sun hits just right to project an unwanted glare on your computer screen.
On the other hand, artificial lighting is just as important! We can’t avoid gloomy days or the occasions when we may need to be in our office after the sun has set. Consider adding disc lights to your room to brighten the entire space or choose a light fixture that provides adequate lighting to the entire room.
Floor Plan Features
Versatile spaces are important in many new home builds and many of our plans already include spaces and rooms that can be used for a variety of purposes, including a home office.
Dens and Flex Rooms
Dens and flex rooms are typically provided on the main floor of the home. These are perfect for those who like to keep their business separate from their family areas, as well as those who may have future clients visiting the home. For additional privacy in these areas, you can choose to have double french doors added to enclose the space or install a full wall with a drywall opening for access.
A few of our plans that include this feature are The Westminster, The Tofino and The Barcelona, however you can visit our website for even more options.
Second Floor Lofts or Additional Bedrooms
If you’d prefer to have your home office on the second floor, a plan with a loft or an additional bedroom is perfect to convert into your home office.
The Santa Monica could be just right for you with a second floor loft. This provides an open space towards the front of a home with a large window that will fill the area with natural light. If you’d like, you can also convert this to a 4th bedroom which would add a door and closet – perfect for privacy and storage space in your home office!
The transition from working in an office setting to working from home can be a hard one to make. However, it can be made simpler for you by including these items in your home build and creating a space that’s ready to be used as soon as you move in!
If you have any questions or are looking to start your home building process, please reach out to us. We’re always happy to help.
