10 Reasons a Garden Office Creates a Productive Work Environment

These days, with the increased availability of high-speed broadband and the higher costs of transport it is not surprising that more people are choosing to work from home while keeping in touch with their employer’s office by phone and video communication software such as Skype or WhatsApp. The reasons for working from home aren’t just for economic reasons either, many employers find that without the stressful commute to and from the office every day, their employees work better and have far fewer days sick leave. Why then choose a garden office as the ideal workplace at home?

1. Working from a shed in the garden allows a complete break from household distractions such as kids playing, and allows you to concentrate completely on work.
2. No need to waste time commuting, allowing for a better work/family balance. The recovered time allows the employee to indulge in hobbies and family activities. This leads to a feeling of fulfilment and contentment.
3. A room specifically for working allows some kind of order. Apart from bedrooms, rooms in modern homes are always communal which means that work cannot be left out until the next day. A home office is ideal for keeping an organised and tidy workplace. There is room for shelves, filing cabinets and a desk. There is room for a computer and an office chair. What’s more, none of these needs to be part of the living space décor. They need only be functional.
4. It does no one any good to have the laundry basket sitting on top of the printer or the kids’ toys inside the filing cabinet. A garden workroom allows you to keep work and home life separate while still being ‘at home’. Your working day starts and ends when you say it does. If you feel like working late in the evening because of that overseas phone call, then it need not disturb the rest of the family who are watching television.
5. Believe it or not, a garden building made from timber is much more beneficial to one’s health than a building made from bricks, plaster and plasterboard. Wood is a natural building material that moves and breathes with changes in temperature and humidity, unlike masonry. Wood is also a better insulator than masonry and if the room is built correctly will be far warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than in the house with air conditioning and central heating. Natural ‘living’ building materials like wood have been shown to reduce stress and the triggers that cause stress.
6. Most sheds in the garden, unless they are extremely large, don’t need planning permission before they are built. Just make sure you put up a good solid fence so the neighbours aren’t disturbed by lights if you have to work late one night. Most sheds come prepacked and can be bought for a reasonable price from garden centres, home improvement centres and timber building specialist manufacturers. Even with the extra cost of insulation, the price of such a room will be far less than an equivalently sized extension to the house and it can be erected in next to no time.
7. The savings you make on the building of the garden office can be used for accessorising your home office just how you want it. Just imagine, you can have the shed custom designed to suit your office layout, buy new office furniture and tools such as a new printer.
8. The overheads of a garden office will be far less than either working out of your dining room or renting a desk at the local business start-up innovation centre. Garden offices can be built with wall insulation and double glazing and heating your office will take less energy than having to heat your whole house during the day when everyone else is out. Business start-up desks often cost more than £200 per month (depending on where you live).
9. There are a few completely legal ways to recoup some or all of the cost of the garden office. If your business is VAT registered then you will be able to claim that back on installation costs and some fixtures and fittings. Depending on your circumstances, you might also find it beneficial to rent the garden office to your business. Check with your accountant and find out which is the best way to offset the costs of the garden office.
10. Read this list again and see how each one can affect you and your business. Bear in mind that you won’t be restricted by your employer as to how the room is decorated. You have free rein to choose any décor you wish. This will lead to a more fulfilling workspace and one that is designed for you to work at your optimum.

In Post Image Credit: geralt  / Pixabay