home office

Like most of us with home-based businesses, my “office” was converted from an available room in my house. I was lucky enough to have a spare room on the ground floor with double doors and a little natural lighting. After painting and some attention to the right furniture, I created a workable space with all the equipment and supplies I need close at hand to run my business and you can too.

Making it the Right Space

Finding and making the right space can sometimes come down to what space remains available after family needs are taken care of. Everything in business is a compromise between what you need and what you can get. It’s no different with your personal workspace. Assess your needs and then assess your home. How much space you really need and how you configure it depends on both your personal work processes and the nature of your work. See the Sidebar “Space Out Options” for more details.

My own work requires laying out technical materials and drawings with close access to a computer and a phone. This drives my space requirements. I have no need to provide space for clients or marketing materials, and my work-space reflects this—does yours?

Since I live in California, I don’t have a basement, but if I did that might not work for me anyway. I spend most of my working day walking in and out of my home office—I walk around a lot to the kitchen to refresh myself and into the backyard to clear my head. I walk around when I'm on the phone. It’s what I do, so it makes sense for my office to be on the ground floor in the house, and I have the luxury of a space available to fit this need.

Now ask yourself a few questions about what might have to go into your work area. Do you need horizontal work-space? What about access to books or reference materials? Is most of your work computer-based? If so, what is the best light to work with? Do you sit or stand most of the time? Are you talking on the phone or reading during most of your work-day? The answers to these questions can drive a lot of how your work-space evolves to fit your needs.

You also need discipline. The last thing you want to do with valuable horizontal work-surfaces is use it to pile up papers. Are you making the most of the space that you have?

Light and Sound

Inadequate or overabundant lighting can stress your eyesight as well as lead to productivity issues. Invest in dedicated task lighting to illuminate your immediate work space, as well as indirect lighting to brighten the walls and ceilings. I use a combination of fluorescent task lighting and incandescent overheads lights. I’m unhappy with the fluorescent lighting, because when I work at night it casts a white-blue pall over my papers making it harder to read technical materials.

Sound attenuation and control are also critical factors in your work-space. As I’ve said many times before, no one wants to hear your dog barking or your children’s television show when on a conference call with you. You may not be able to eliminate all the extraneous sound from your workspace, but you can work to mitigate it with a solid door, fabric or cork-board wall treatments, carpeting and soft seating, as well as plants.

Music can enhance your working environment as well—this is a personal choice and since you’re the boss, you can make it. I use a small Bose™ system with soft selections of forest and water sounds to soothe the day away.

Furnishings and Equipment

 Your selection of furniture and office equipment is likely the single most important contribution to your personal productivity. I have previously written at length about various technologies and tools available for the modern home office, but I cannot emphasize more strongly the importance of quality seating and ergonomic work-surfaces. I have used and rejected many chairs in my career, and have finally settled on a wheeled swivel kneeler from Backsaver™. This provides me with many hours of comfortable posture for detailed computer and desk work. I also use an elevated drawing table and have found that my Aeron Work Stool by Herman Miller is a very comfortable alternative to standing.

You’ll have to decide what works best for you, but this is an area where a good investment can provide you with long term benefits for both your home-based business and your body. Check out the major office furniture manufacturers (Herman-Miller™, Steelcase™, Backsaver™, among others), and see what’s available. A lot of research and investment has been directed toward seating surfaces over the last several years, and you should leverage the best seating available.

My desk used to be dedicated to my PC—but not anymore. When I started working after college, I used a huge personal computer (Remember those large 5-1/4” floppy discs?), a small screen and a 1200 baud modem, and I was pushing the technological envelope! This equipment was hot, heavy and remarkably large. Today’s computing power requires less of everything, and I use that to my advantage. With a large desk, overhead shelving and bookcases available within reaching distance, a desktop PC set on a shelf beside the desk, a large color printer/scanner, and a broadband Internet connection, I’m, as they say, in business.

Supplies and Consumables

Ready access to business supplies and consumables may seem intuitive, but most professionals end up stashing items wherever they can without consideration to access and location. Vertical storage (anchored to a wall stud) with open shelving can add considerable value to your daily work processes. Modern furniture systems and accessories allow for both horizontal and vertical storage of printer supplies and general office consumables. Plan to store heavy items at waist level instead of the ground or even overhead. Your back and arms will thank you.

Major Changes

Clearly if the nature of your business requires major renovations to your home, this must be given careful consideration. Do you need a dedicated client area with a separate entrance to your house to segregate the work space from the family area? What about an addition? In these cases, a careful review of the cost-benefit as well as resale value of your home must be taken into consideration. Knocking out a wall is one thing, but adding square-footage to your home requires a well thought-out plan — just like anything you do in business.

Ask both your accountant and tax professionals if the remodeling costs can be expensed and structured to maximize your potential text benefits and investment costs. Consult a professional architect, explain in detail your needs for the space, and ask him to consider features that would enhance resale value. You will be very surprised at the options available when you undertake a home renovation for the purposes of dedicating space to your home-based business.

Don’t try to do all of this yourself. You are a professional and you make your money by selling your professional services to others, so it makes sense to pay for professional assistance when laying out your own home-based business environment. Interior designers and architects are as much a factor in your success as you are. HBM

Gregory Grabowski, a registered Professional Engineer and reserve Naval Officer, focuses his Project Management talents to design and build facilities for corporate and government clients worldwide. His professional experiences have taken him to six of the seven continents. He resides in Southern California and enjoys adventure sailing.