The garden office

An office in the garden can be cheaper than you think. A regular shed won’t cut it, as the lack of insulation can make them unpleasant places to work in the winter (and we would avoid anything advertised as a summer house for similar reasons). However, you can pick up a dedicated, fully insulated home office for less than £10,000 at many garden centres, and even on Amazon. Unless you are experienced at erecting such things yourself, make sure you also budget for a few days’ work from a contractor, plus the cost of pouring a concrete floor and running power down from your house.

If industrial chic is more your thing, the latest trend in quick and easy fabrication is ‘cargotecture’ – otherwise known as shipping container conversion. A container-based home office is secure, inexpensive (prices start from around £9,000), and surprisingly attractive. If you don’t believe us, check out Kent-based Podular Developments,

Do you need planning permission? It depends. In many parts of the country, the answer is no, as the container isn’t considered a permanent fixture, but always check with your local authority before splashing out. If they say yes, and you are feeling brave, you can even pick up an unmodified shipping container for less than £1,000 to use as the starting point of your own bespoke design.

A loft conversion

The beauty of a garden office is its physical separation from your home. Clearly delineated working and living spaces can make it easier to switch off at the end of the day, as you won’t be passing the office door every time you walk down the hallway, or needing to clear commercial clutter from your dining table when it is time to eat.

Not everyone has a garden, though – and even if you do, you might not want to give over a sunny corner to a workspace. So, why not build up rather than out? A loft conversion can add more than its cost to the value of your property, and you won’t always need planning permission, although you will have to comply with building regulations – particularly if you don’t want to be answering tricky questions when later selling your home.

Specifically, you need to make sure that the space is thermally efficient, you have reduced the risk of anyone being injured should they fall, and the space is properly wired and not a fire risk. Again, your local planning office can help, but if you want to read up in advance, check out the Building Regulations.

If you have protected species living in your loft – in particular, bats – you may be prevented from converting it at all. In that case, rather than thinking up ways you can make your home bigger, consider how you can make your workspace smaller.

Think small

Cloud services like Google Drive and Microsoft’s Office 365 take all the hassle out of setting up your home office tech. Using their remotely hosted office suites and email platforms means you can reduce the amount of equipment you need to keep at home. An inexpensive, small laptop that can be packed away in a kitchen drawer or tucked under the sofa after hours is all you need. You don’t even need to set up broadband, if you don’t want to, when deals like Three’s all-you-can-eat data bundles and a mobile that can share the connection with your laptop provides a 24/7 connection for just £20 (rival providers offer similar deals at a range of prices).

The bonus of using a hotspot rather than a wired broadband connection is the convenience. You can take it wherever you want, so working in a camper van is just as easy as doing so at home. You don’t need an engineer to set it up, so you can be up and running in 30 minutes, rather than having to wait 30 days. Better yet, as next-generation ‘5G’ networks roll out across the UK, your connection will get faster and more efficient.

Co-working spaces

Co-working spaces are hot property – and we are not just talking about serviced desk rental from the likes of Regus or WeWork. If you find yourself going stir crazy with only the cat to talk to, a few hours a week in a shared office could be just what you need to regain your sanity. Easy-in, easy-out terms, and the option to buy blocks of ‘hours’ that you use when required, mean there is no long-term commitment. Prices start from as little as £12 a day and include your desk and chair, a reception desk, Wi-Fi, printers, scanners, free tea and coffee, and even on-site showers should you choose to cycle or run to your desk. Some are even dog-friendly!

Wherever you work best, whether it be straight-laced or quirky, there are co-working spaces to suit every personality, budget and need – and, in many cases, you can try before you buy, to see whether working this way works for you.

If you are looking to make some home improvements, you may find some of these services useful