COVID Shed Spike: The Rising Popularity of Backyard Offices
The pandemic has impacted the way people work more than almost any other event in history. Despite the technology to work exclusively from home being in place for years, mass quarantining was what proved that working from home was a permanently viable option.
With that being said, though, at-home employment isn’t necessarily as simple as connecting to the right applications over a secure internet connection. Employers are finding that many employees are easily distracted by their families and pets, among other disturbances.
The Increase of Backyard Offices During the Pandemic
Workers seeking isolation found a solution: converting a backyard shed into a proper workplace or building a backyard office from the ground up. Shed builders have seen dramatic increases in sales: in some cases, more than 70%. With a backyard shed office, workers are able to afford the escape they need from distractions and set up a space that feels more like a true office than just another room in the house.
Why Do You Need a Backyard Office Shed?
Despite the added costs involved with building an entirely new freestanding structure, having a workspace decorated and treated as such boosts productivity. A solid work/life balance is much easier to achieve as well, given that a backyard shed office is a separate space from the rest of the living quarters.
That separation is also important for employers. When at-home workers are on Zoom calls, one employee’s distractions become everyone’s distractions. Having a separate backyard office with professional decor means video conferencing can occur without interruption.
Is It More Expensive to Buy or Build a Backyard Shed?
If you’re planning to shift to a DIY backyard office shed, think about your hourly work rate. Whether it’s 25 or 125 dollars per hour, translate that to the time it’ll take to build your shed. If you have the tools and can reasonably complete the task at a cheaper rate than it would take to hire professionals, it’s obvious that you might want to take on the project.
Plenty of shed manufacturers provide kits that are reasonably simple to assemble compared to just building according to a set of instructions. Should you decide to build the shed yourself, however, keep in mind that it’s likely that there will be steps you won’t be able to complete on your own.
Seeing as how the shed will become an office space, you will need to install insulation and an AC unit or heat exchanger, and you will need electricity and internet hooked up. Though it is possible to run power yourself, properly finishing your backyard office shed and running all the wiring will most likely require outside help.
Things to Consider Before Building a Backyard Office Shed
Sheds don’t exist in a vacuum, so you’ll need to figure out where yours is going to go. First, make sure your neighborhood’s zoning laws will permit you to place your backyard office where you’d like. Build it too close to the road, situate it too high of an elevation, or even paint it the wrong color, and you could end up dealing with code enforcement violations.
Even if your shed is completely legal, you’ll still have to examine your property for the best location so you don’t end up creating bigger problems. If you have an underground sprinkler system, for instance, you don’t want your shed set up right on top of a sprinkler head. You’ll also need to consider where power and internet cables will come from, as, most likely, they’ll need to be run underground.
Depending on where you live, you’ll also need to ensure your backyard shed is ready to withstand a natural disaster. Hurricanes and floods can easily destroy such structures if they’re not built properly. You may have to get specific business insurance for the equipment inside your backyard office shed as well.
Building a Backyard Shed? Get the Tools You Need at Crane Point
Putting together your backyard office shed means you’ll need to make sure you have the right tools. At Crane Point Industrial, we love helping build-it-yourself enthusiasts like you, and we know just the right supplies you’ll need to assemble your shed. When you’re ready to make your at-home workspace, contact Crane Point Industrial to get everything you need.