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Garden Office Shed Ideas for the perfect home working hub
Lifestyle
Working from home has become increasingly popular in the last few years, and with it has come a steadily growing need for more private office spaces. If you have the privilege of a sizable home, this might not be an issue, but for many it simply isn’t always easy to designate a single room as solely an office.
So, if you’re still working from the kitchen table, a desk in the corner of your bedroom, the lounge sofa, or you’re just after a workspace with more privacy, then you might want to consider a garden office shed.
Requiring little in the way of extending your home and often being more cost-effective than a full-blown extension, a small garden office can be the perfect project to provide you with a dedicated space that’s free from distractions – letting you separate work from play when you need to unwind.
If this sounds appealing to you – and let’s face it, why wouldn’t it – we’ve created a list of key garden office ideas to consider, helping you to prepare the ideal private space for your needs.
What is a garden shed office?
As the name implies, a garden office shed is exactly that, a small external building in your garden. But calling it a shed doesn’t really do it justice.
Like any outside garden room design, a garden office is fully detached from the house but built to resemble something along the lines of a cabin or eco-pod. They can be as big or small as you want and are fully insulated in line with regular buildings.
In other words, they’re built exactly like an office, except you can literally open the door and walk outside.
1. MAXIMISE YOUR SPACE
The very first of our office shed ideas you’ll want to consider is how big your office space needs to be.
Do you want a simple pod that accommodates only your desk, a slightly wider space for whiteboards and a refreshment area, or the kind of room that could host a meeting?
The choice is up to you, but bear in mind that you’ll also need to consider how much space you actually have in your garden – there’s no point in planning for a large office that you can’t actually fit on your property.
If you’re at all unsure of how to measure your space and what sort of office shed might fit, it’s best to get in touch with an architect and discuss your size needs with them – they’ll help you get the most out of your available space.
2. SHED POSITIONING
As well as the size of your new work area, one of our other key office shed ideas revolves around where your new workspace is positioned. You don’t want to ruin the view from your home, but you equally want a nice vista from your office.
Take some time to find the right spot in your garden, one that is easy to reach but also has the kind of views you won’t get tired of looking at while working, and mark it out with rough measurements to see what size space it might take up.
Now is also the time to start thinking about sunlight as well. You want to be sure your new workspace gets plenty of morning rays to wake you up and boost productivity throughout the day, so be sure to choose an area that can accommodate this.
3. ADDITIONAL INTERIOR SPACE
Although not everyone will be able to build an outdoor office with extra space, if you are planning to invest in this roomy extra, then you might want to consider including an area in the office where you can unwind over lunch or after hours.
From a quiet yoga and meditation suite for when the stress gets to you to a pool table and beer fridge once the workday is done, when it comes to a relaxation space, the choice is all down to you.
4. HEAT AND INSULATION
The next big point to consider from our office shed ideas is how you plan to insulate your shed against the cold. Naturally, one of the main benefits of a garden office is the fact you can work in it all year round, but this isn’t so appealing if it’s going to be cold in the winter.
For starters, you’ll want to be sure that the floor, walls, and ceilings are properly insulated, as well as investing in double-glazing for your chosen windows and doors. We strongly recommend a set of aluminium frame windows and doors so you can make use of their excellent thermal-efficiency rating.
On top of this, if you have the space, you might want to consider fitting in a small log-burning stove for when you really want to be toasty, though a coating of rugs and soft furnishings works just as well.
5. LIGHT AND VENTILATION
Keeping warm is one thing, but what about when summer rolls around and you find yourself getting stuffy in a cosy wooden box? Well, that’s what openable windows and doors are for.
A set of sliding or bi-folding doors are ideal for this sort of space. Properly insulated against bad weather but able to open your office fully to the outdoors when it’s sunny, they give you the power to decide just how much ventilation you want.
And as an added bonus on top of this, bi-fold and sliding doors welcome in incredible volumes of natural light, keeping you awake and refreshed throughout the day even on those sleepy summer afternoons.
6. ELECTRICITY AND WI-FI
Outside of the construction of your new office, another of our priority shed office ideas is how you’re going to power the lights, sockets, and internet you need to get all your work done.
In most cases, you’ll be able to connect your new office to the power supply of your home, and you may even be able to hook up to your home’s Wi-Fi with the help of a booster.
However, we strongly recommend employing the help of an electrician to make the process safer and easier, and installing either a strong booster or brand-new Wi-Fi hub inside your office space for a quick connection.
7. OFFICE DÉCOR
You’ll want to look into some shed office interior ideas once you have the basic plan of your outdoor workspace written down. Much like a relaxation space, what you choose to decorate your office with is entirely up to you, though it makes sense to match the exterior with that of your home – be that the current style or a future style you plan on revamping your house with.
As for the interior, feel free to get creative with your aesthetic while adding plenty of plants for a breath of green, fresh air.
8. SECURITY MEASURES
Security is something we take very seriously here at Express, and you yourself might be having security concerns at the idea of a space filled with important items visible outside of your home.
Fortunately, all Express products come with toughened glass and Secured by Design accreditation locks that are police-approved, preventing unwanted entry without excessive effort.
Of course, if you want to take extra security measures, we recommend either taking important items inside at the end of the work day or storing them out of sight. You can also install a burglar alarm connected to your home, and if you have the budget, a noisy path to your new work shed can do wonders to deter thieves.
And there you have it; these are our top traditional and modern garden ideas for anyone thinking about building their own office garden shed.
Keep these in mind during the design phase and you should have minimal problems setting up your very own external garden office, though be sure to check your designs fall within planning permission guidelines.
Naturally, if you’re installing aluminium windows and external opening doors, then you might want to speak to the experts at Express. We can help you finalise your planning and show you our entire product range if you come and visit one of our showrooms.
And don’t forget that you can find more articles like this one on our blog, including other ideas for garden room interiors that expand your space.
