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If you need some ideas and content for your marketing, we should talk. But before we do, here's an example of my work for TCS Carpentry & Construction.

Working at home or living at work?

Does working at home feel like living at work? Whether you’ve been working from home for ages or working remotely is relatively new to you, trying to run a business from your kitchen isn’t ideal, is it?

There are just so many distractions working at home. The TV, your children, and working while sprawled across a sofa isn’t very productive.

Now picture yourself in a dedicated workspace; your own home office. Imagine how much more productive you’ll be. And at the end of your working day, you can close the door on work and spend quality time with your family and friends.

What You Do and What You Need

Before rushing out and buying office furniture, let’s take a moment to think about what you actually need. What type of work you do will govern the type of home office you need. Perhaps a home studio, salon or workshop will be more appropriate for your needs rather than a home office.

How many hours a week do you think you’ll use your workspace? How important is privacy? Do you want to separate work from home, or do you still need to keep an eye on the kids while you’re working? Will you allow clients and customers to visit? Your answers will be important when choosing the right space. Which leads us to…

Finding the Space

Let’s take a look around your home to see where we can locate your home office. You may think that there’s absolutely no space available, but an experienced eye may be able to search out somewhere suitable that fits your needs.

This is where the answers to the earlier questions will prove useful. If you only need a workspace for a few hours a week, a purpose-built cupboard workstation could be perfect for you. At the other end of the scale, a garage conversion or loft conversion might be necessary. Not an option? Then maybe a bespoke garden room could be built.

In between the tiny cupboard office and the grand home office, there might be a spare room that’s hardly used, wasted space beneath your stairs.

Suitable space might not be immediately apparent, but don’t despair! Talk to an experienced professional who has been there before. Maybe they work from a home office too, so can empathise with your situation.

When you’ve found the right location, stop! Let’s spend some time planning.

Planning

Thinking about what you need in your home office will help create the perfect workspace for you. Time spent planning will pay dividends in the long run. Depending on the type of work you do, you’ll almost certainly need power sockets. You may need to hard-wire your computer or boost your Wi-Fi. A salon will need hard flooring and plumbing.

Answering some more questions about how you work will help your planning:

• How much desk space will you need?
• What lighting do you need?
• How much storage do you want?
• Are peace and quiet important?
• Will you spend lots of time on the phone?
• Do you work in organised chaos, making it essential that other people don’t interfere with your “filing system”?
• Do you need quick access to files, samples or books?

Now you have a clear picture of what you need, it’s time to take action!

Fitting Out

Setting up a home office, salon, studio, or workshop may seem daunting, but don’t be discouraged. Many, many people have been here before and are willing to give some advice.

Some things you will be able to do yourself. Others may need the skills of a professional. Choose carefully. Talk to a couple of people you can trust and have the skills you need for your home office.

Before you know it, your productivity will be soaring, and you’ll wonder how you managed to work from your kitchen!

TCS Carpentry & Construction

Based in Southminster, Essex, TCS Carpentry & Construction can transform your home. Skilled in all aspects of office fit-out, kitchen installation, bathroom installation, home and office refurbishment, they are the perfect choice for creating your home office.

Thomas Seaman

A carpenter and builder for all his working life. Thomas learned his trade working for office fit-out contractors in London before working as a site foreman for a cold Norton based residential extensions and refurbishment including kitchen and bathroom installation.

Thomas lives in Southminster with his family. He is highly skilled in his trade and has enhanced DBS clearance for your peace of mind.

 Written by Colin Kirby for Thomas Seaman and TCS Carpentry & Construction.