Factors to Consider when Deciding Where and How to Setup your Home Office Setup

With the pandemic forcing most office workers to work from home, questions about work productivity has come up. While there are many factors that contribute to productivity while working from home, having a dedicated work area goes a long way towards your productivity. Your dedicated workspace does not have to be a big office desk like what you are used to at the office. It can be a small workstation beside your kitchen or your bedroom, or a multi-person workstation in your basement. You can also convert one of your extra rooms into a dedicated office space. What is important is that you setup a dedicated workspace that inspires productivity. For more ideas, check out this article on options for where to setup your home office.

Five Questions to Consider When Setting Up Your Home Office

1. How big of a work surface do you need? How much desk space do you need to do your job?

The amount of desk space required will determine the minimum size of your work area/office. Some people simply require a small work area that fits their laptop, while some will want to have enough space to include one or multiple monitors, printers and scanners. Some may also want enough work surface to spread out documents.

2. Do you need a lot of storage space to file paperwork and books?

If you have a lot of files or books, adding bookshelves, filing cabinets or extra storage space will help make keep your workspace nice and tidy. If you don’t have a lot of extra space, custom cabinetry can be added to take advantage of the vertical space on any wall for bookshelves, extra storage and display space. Built-in upper cabinetry can be added over your work area, which provides the perfect place for undermount lighting for your work surface. Lower cabinets can also be added to store your files and office supplies.

3. Is privacy important for conference calls or client meetings?

A separate room will be required if privacy and/or client meetings will be conducted in your home office. If clients are welcomed into your office, make sure you choose a room that is close to the entrance for easy access.

4. Will you be claiming a tax deduction for your home office expenses?

One of the requirements to be able to claim a tax deduction for your home office expenses is that the space is your principal place of work. If so, you are allowed to prorate your expenses based on what percentage of your home space is used for work and what percentage of time you use the space for work. Keep this in mind when deciding how big of a space you want to set up aside for your home office.

5.Do you need to keep an eye on your children while working?

If you need to supervise your children while working, you may want to setup your workstation in the area where they usually hang out. You can also create a multi-person work-station for your kids to do homework alongside you.

With the above factors in mind, we hope you can design the right work area that allows you to be productive while working from home. Remember that you can leverage custom cabinetry to make the most of your space, no matter how small or odd-sized it is. Contact us for a free design consultation and we’d be happy to provide you with some options to make the most effective use of your space at home