With many jobs allowing their workers to work remotely, the need for home offices has increased. Some people choose to work from their spare room which they have turned into a home office, but others have gone on another path. There are now more and more people who are converting their garages into home office spaces.
If you have a big garage that’s just filled with boxes and nothing else, this might just be a perfect place for a desk, a computer, and lots of documents. So, if you are considering your garage as a new office, let’s see how you can achieve that.
1. Insulation
Most garages don’t have proper insulation since people don’t spend too much time there. And if you’d like to turn it into an office, you have to insulate it. Insulation helps restrict cold air from coming into the garage and house and retains the heat inside. What’s more, insulation will reduce your home’s energy usage and make the garage cozy. Look for insulation for sale in your area and see what experts say you should do to insulate the garage. Also, when you provide proper insulating material, you will also insulate the noise from the outside, thus creating a peaceful environment where you can be productive. Lastly, don’t forget to insulate the garage door, too, because if you don’t, you will lose too much heat through it, making the rest of the insulation practically useless.
2. Update Flooring
As mentioned, the new office should be comfortable. That isn’t possible if the flooring is just a slab of concrete. And garages usually do have concrete flooring which is cold and certainly not comfortable. So, to dramatically change the atmosphere in the garage and make it suitable to work in, you should consider changing the flooring. You can go for a number of options – hardwood floors, vinyl floors, and even polyaspartic floor coating. All these are much more comfortable and warmer than concrete and they are easy to maintain. Plus, you can always throw a rug over the updated flooring to make the room feel homey.
3. Good Internet Connection
Since you plan on working from home, it goes without saying that you need a stable internet connection. Chances are that you are connecting on your WiFi from the house, but it may happen that it doesn’t reach your garage. This could be due to the router being too far away or due to thick walls. There are options here to improve the internet connection. If there are means, you can connect the LAN cable to the outlet on the wall. If this is not an option, you can look for extenders for a WiFi connection. These extend the signal from the router and you can set it up in the garage or closer to it.
4. Lighting
In order to work productively, you will need plenty of good lighting. Adequate lighting is essential because it helps reduce eye strain and it improves your mood. There are great options for lighting in your new office space such as compact fluorescent lighting for overhead lighting, desk lamps and even standing lamps to soften the mood. You can also install hanging lights to help light up dim areas of the garage, and make sure there is enough natural light coming through the windows.
5. A Fresh Coat of Paint
You don’t want your home office to feel boring and sterile. To avoid that, you should repaint the walls of the garage. If you like bright colors and can focus, don’t hesitate to pick a nice shade. You can also leave the walls white, but then decorate them with some motivational quotes or calendars and boards that will help you keep track of your tasks. Repainting the walls is a cheap and easy way to instantly transform the space, so pick the hues and get to it.
6. Organize the Space
No matter how big or small the garage is, you have to stay organized. You can easily maximize the space by using desk organizers, wall shelves, and cabinets. These will make sure there is enough room in the office, and help you keep documents and supplies organized. Also, you should choose a simple layout for the office and keep clutter to a minimum.
7. Get Your Gear
Now that you’ve chosen the furniture and the design, it’s time to set up. Get your computer, phone, printer and every other device you need during a workday. Connect everything, set it up and see how it feels. You can easily rearrange the furniture and gear if you don’t like it. Rember, it’s all about productivity and comfort and you don’t want to feel nervous in your new office.
8. A Personal Touch
As soon as everything is connected and set up, introduce some personal things. You don’t want to feel like a stranger in your new office, so family photos are more than welcome. Any other item you like and think would make a nice addition to the office, bring it in and personalize the space.
Remote work is more popular than ever. However, if you don’t have a spare room, that doesn’t mean you cannot work from home. Your garage shouldn’t sit idle when you can convert it into an amazing home office.