A garden office

Around 30 per cent of us work from home now – and as the recession bites (and I promise not to use the r word again) the number of telecommuters is going to rise, as companies realise that they can save costs by saving on office space.

But where do you find the space for an office in your home? Are you relegated to the kitchen table once the kids have gone to bed – or do you have your computer and work files as an ever-present reminder of that report you have to finish in the corner of the bedroom?

Moving house is not easy at the moment, and besides, do you really want to go through the hassle of moving, just so that you can telecommute? An extension is a pretty expensive option, so what can you do if you want to work from home?

The answer is simple. Look out the back window, check out all that space in your garden. Go and work in the garden! We’re not suggesting you camp out on the lawn, but instead invest in a Home Office like the Gardeneco Kansas Home Office. For less than a tenth of the cost of a home extension (and with a lot less hassle, dust and sound of builders playing Radio 1) you can have an attractive wooden building in your garden that will act as your very own home office.

Garden office advantages
A home office in the garden offers several advantages for anyone working at home. First, at the end of the working day, you can lock the door of your garden office and leave your work behind. Second, you have a great working location – you can watch the seasons change from your home office window – you could even set up a bird feeder nearby (try not to get too distracted though). Third, because the garden office is out of the house, you won’t be constantly interrupted by the home phone, TV noise, the kids, the Hoover or whatever.
Have you ever thought that your garden office may even become the home of the next great novel – Roald Dahl, Dylan Thomas and Philip Pullman all wrote in ‘sheds’ in the garden. George Bernard Shaw famously wrote in a summerhouse that revolved to follow the sun – you can still see it at his former home, Shaw’s Corner in Hertfordshire.


If you do move at a later date, your home office will be an attractive incentive for a prospective buyer (it could add up to 5% to your home according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors), or you could resell it at the Log Cabin Supermarket.

Order your Home Office from Garden Eco and in a couple of weeks you can forget your hot stuffy commute – just step out your back door and be at your desk!


The practicalities of a garden office

Will I need planning permission?
It’s unlikely, as most wooden outbuildings of a reasonable size will not need it. But it is worth a call to your local planning office to check.

How can I connect to the internet?
A wireless connection in your home should reach your garden office as long as it is not too far away from the router. It’s worth testing this before deciding on the final position of your new office in the garden.

Will I be insured?
Check with your insurance company that your home office equipment will be covered if it is stolen from your garden office. Some companies put a cap on the amount of cover offered, so make sure that covers your equipment.