Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the push to work from home, Forbes magazine estimates that 20% of American workers are working remotely, a figure expected to rise over the coming years. This change is partially due to the 98% of the workforce who want to work remotely at least part of the time.
But to make this transition successfully, having a functional home office is essential to success. During the height of the pandemic, many workers had to fight for space with children who were learning from home and other family members who were in the same situation. Now that the crisis has passed, it’s a great time to consider custom remodeling services or a home office renovation for your Buffalo property to better suit your needs.
Options to Consider in Home Office Renovation
Infrastructure
To start, consider whether you may need infrastructure improvements, such as a new electrical service, wired network connection for speed, or security to keep your home office off-limits to other household members due to confidentiality issues. In many cases, this can involve talking with your company’s IT and legal departments to determine what should be included in the renovation. Of course, if you don’t have a separate space for your home office in a spare bedroom or similar area, you may want to consider an addition to create the space by bumping up or out.
Flooring
Office flooring can include a range of options, and it’s really up to you what you’d like to go with. However, considering that the janitorial staff at the office building won’t be cleaning it, you may want to consider low-maintenance options, such as laminate, vinyl, or engineered hardwood that requires no more than an occasional sweep and mop to continue looking fabulous and working well for your office space. Think about whether you’re going to use any wheeled carts or similar items that will require hard surfaces to move easily.
Lighting
One of the top complaints of people working from home is poor lighting issues. In many cases, this can be fixed by adding or expanding windows in the room, but you could also add lighting that you can quickly turn on to provide videoconference lighting, task lighting over your desk, or similar options to make it much easier to see. By adding these as part of your renovations, you’re able to avoid having a ton of lamps and ring lights around your workspace, leaving wires everywhere and taking up precious desktop real estate.
Storage and Work Surfaces
Speaking of desktop real estate, let’s talk about the kind of space you’ll need for storage and working on. If you’ve suffered with the dining room table in the past, you may be realizing the importance of ergonomics in your work surfaces. Generally speaking, you want the top of your monitor at eye height, knees and elbows bent at or less than 90 degrees, and your wrists at a comfortable angle to type. But beyond ergonomics, you want to make sure you have sufficient space to spread out your work, as well as appropriate storage, including lockable options, to handle any files you need to keep at home.
Amenities
Consider how much time you would spend going to get a cup of coffee in your kitchen – just to be interrupted five times by family and household tasks before you can get back up to your home office. In many situations, if you want to maximize your efficiency so that you can enjoy more downtime, you need to have amenities in place in your home office. This can include a personal coffee maker, mini fridge, bar-size sink, microwave, couch or comfortable chair, and similar options that allow you to focus on what you need to during the work day.
Custom Carpentry
Of course, when you can’t find the perfect options in ready-made office furniture, custom carpentry is a great option to consider. If you’re particularly tall or short, have specific issues that need to be carefully addressed for ergonomics, or need to store items that require specific solutions, custom carpentry provides you with a great opportunity for a completely customized office. It also delivers a completely matched and bespoke appearance that subconsciously speaks to your value and worth to supervisors, coworkers, and contractors, and often at a much lower cost than you may have assumed.
Getting a home office renovations for your Buffalo property that is suited to your specific needs is a great way to ensure that you’ll be able to work effectively from home and retain that privilege. If you’re considering home office renovations for your Buffalo home, the experienced professionals at Modern Flooring & Renovations are always happy to help. Why not contact us today with any questions or to schedule a consultation about your home office project?
