Choose a location by first taking a thorough inventory of your
work preferences--one that includes all your quirky predilections
in the way of storage space, lighting, sound and electrical
equipment. Make a list of your current and future technology needs
as your business grows. Answer the 20 questions on the following
page to make sure you've covered all your bases. Then, with
clipboard in hand, wander through your living space to see where
you might be able to set up shop. Some fortunate souls have an
extra bedroom that doesn't have to be shared with visiting
dignitaries (like in-laws), a basement that never floods, or an
attic in which a fully grown adult can stand without getting conked
on the head. If this is your deal, rejoice and simply choose a
place that protects and preserves your most precious
idiosyncracies--like your nonnegotiable need to have Fido camped
out under your desk.
For most people, however, the search for home office space is a
more complex mission, one requiring a fair amount of creative
imagination. You'll want to tour your home in search of nooks
and crannies you can easily convert. If you can annex space that
includes a door or allows one to be installed, even better. But
remember, all you really need is enough room for a work surface,
your most essential desktop stuff, a source of electricity and a
way to create decent lighting. Keeping these minimal requirements
in mind, consider the possibility of tucking an office underneath a
stairway, at the end of a hallway or on a landing in between
floors--and invest in ear plugs.
Renovations are also an option, depending on your budget, time
frame, sense of adventure and tolerance for disruption. New
frontiers open up if you have the financial and psychological
wherewithal to withstand the stress of construction, not to mention
the mysterious way contractors estimate deliverables. Decks,
patios, porches and balconies can be transformed, as can carports
and garages. What you absolutely do not want to pick is somewhere
that gives you the total creeps. Now is absolutely not the time to
work through whatever residual childhood issues you may have about
attics or basements. Nor do you want to run a business from your
bedroom, unless you already have a profound sleep disorder or
don't mind developing one.
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Storage, Lighting, Sound & Wiring
Storage
Tempting though it may be to have everything in one place, you
don't have to jam all your supplies, files and reference
materials into one room. In fact, you'll probably boost your
productivity by removing this kind of visual and physical clutter.
Office supplies and dead files that can weather any temperature can
be stored on shelves out in the garage or up in the attic. Stash
paper supplies in one of those flat under-the-bed boxes. (Don't
forget to store essential documents in fireproof boxes.)
But what about the stuff you absolutely must keep close at hand?
Does it all have to be in paper form or can you transfer a lot of
it to a disk? Look up: Is there wasted space above doors where you
can put shelving? Meanwhile, resist any urge you may have to bolt
bookcases onto the walls or to build in desks and other work
surfaces until you've had time to more fully comprehend your
storage needs.
Lighting
Unless you thrive in the dark, you'll want to light up your
work life with a combination of fixtures that provide moderately
bright, uniform lighting and lamps that provide focused or
"task" lighting. Using three-way bulbs and dimmer
switches expands the possibilities. Make every effort to avoid
using flourescent bulbs, which, over time, create more stress than
comfort. Set up all your lighting fixtures, then sit down at your
desk to assess the situation. Is light bouncing off your computer
monitor? Are you illuminating your trash basket instead of your
desk? Do you have enough natural light? Maybe you ought to consider
punching a skylight into the ceiling. No, not with your fist after
a bad client encounter. Call an interior designer instead.
Sound
Let the decor soak up as much sound as possible by installing
acoustical ceiling tile and carpeting with the highest grade
padding you can afford. Make sure every window is properly
weather-stripped and replace the hollow-core door to your office
with something more solid. If your office doesn't have a door,
you might want to rethink its location. In addition to providing a
barrier against noise, you'll be wanting something to close at
the end of the day as a mental health move. If an office with a
door just isn't possible, there are other effective ways to
block sound. Don't rule out the use of "white noise"
and environmental sounds machines. Just make sure you choose a
sound that doesn't lull you to sleep (for example, crickets) or
stimulate too many bathroom breaks (for example, babbling
brooks).
Electrical Wiring
Despite the trend toward home offices, few homes are built with the
electrical needs of entrepreneurs in mind. Sure, you can plug
everything into power strips, but consider springing for additional
electrical outlets, which are ultimately safer and more
aesthetically pleasing. And while the electrician is in, install at
least one outlet above desk level to make life easier and put one
near the phone jack. Check out the feasibility of placing all
office wiring on a separate circuit breaker, preferably one that
doesn't require a trip to the basement every time something
blows.
But I Live in an Apartment!
Apartment living doesn't preclude the possibility of creating a
totally fabulous home office. If you don't have or can't
afford a separate room, you can still do a lot to convert closet
space into workspace. Just take off the door, remove the clothing
rods, install shelves and a work surface, and then add lighting.
These days it's also possible to find furniture that's both
beautiful and functional, pieces that look like armoires, but open
up to provide desk space, file drawers and shelves. If you must
resort to using a corner of your bedroom, plan to enclose the work
area with a decorative screen or perhaps a plant jungle. While
you're at it, choose hardy plants that improve air quality (for
example, ferns, spider plants, a dracaena) but won't poison
your critters (for example, philodendrons).
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