The Perfect Home Office – Fad, Luxury, or Necessity?

As the landscape of the American workplace changes, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of Americans working out of their homes makes up over 10% of the total U.S. workforce. (This number is expected to rise significantly with the 2010 Census.)

In its January 2010 report, the Census Bureau reported that about one-half of those who work from home have college degrees and earned $75,000 or more annually.  Additionally, the report went on to say that the average American working from home works eleven or more hours in a typical day.

Despite the long hours, people who work from home report that they enjoy a greater degree of flexibility in their workdays and greater job satisfaction.

So what do these long hours working from home mean to homeowners?  It means that new or used homes need to feature flexible spaces that can easily adapt and transition from family space to professional spaces.

With this in mind, we went to the ultimate home experts, HGTV, for their suggestions on how to create the ideal home office space.

1.  Location, location, location. With an average of eleven-hour days, don’t stiff yourself on space (e.g. squishing a tiny desk into a windowless closet to preserve the rarely-used guest room). Also consider traffic flow and your ability to withstand distractions. Do you work best in the thick of activity, or should your office be tucked away in a quiet space? If clients will be stopping by, a private space with ample seating and a private entrance should be a must.

2.  Define the Room’s Function: Decide what activities and tasks will take place in your new workspace. This information is useful in determining how large the space will be.

3.  List Your Office Needs and Design: After you define the function of the office, list the equipment needed to complete these duties. Take into consideration how much desk space you need, how many chairs, what kind of equipment (printers, computers, etc.) and lighting.

To create a productive and comfortable workplace, use your space wisely. Here are a few valuable space-planning tips:

•   Locate your desk so that you are facing the door and have immediate eye contact with anyone that enters.

•   When you are seated, the file cabinet, telephone/fax machine and computer should be easy to reach.

•   If you have a window in your office, place the back of your computer screen at a 45-degree angle to reduce glare on the screen.

•   Plan to have task lighting for reading and writing in addition to plenty of general lighting in the room.

•   Be sure that you have enough power in the room to operate all of your equipment. If you have an older home, call an electrician to check your electrical system.

•   To keep cords neat and orderly, purchase covers designed to house multiple wires and cables.

•   You may need more than telephone line–one for the phone, one for the fax and a separate line for your computer modem.

•   Plan for plenty of work surface. A desk should be at least 24 inches deep and allow a minimum of 36 inches of width.

4.  Plan for Storage: No matter how organized you are, you always need more room than you think for paper, pens, research materials, etc., so be sure your plan includes storage space. HGTV suggests put some filing cabinets in a nearby hall closet if office space is limited. This still provides easy access and won’t take up valuable work area.

5.  Design for Personal Comfort and Style: The most important part of home offices is a good chair. Shop for a comfortable one with rollers, which increases mobility. They are available with a wide variety of arm and back adjustments for more comfortable sitting and to reduce fatigue and physical problems. If possible, choose a style and upholstery that complements the room, but comfort and support is always is essential.

Look for a desk that is suitable for a computer and its components. There are many options including adjustable keyboards and mouse trays. You may want to add a footrest, too. To reduce the chance of headaches, use anti-reflective lamps and computer screen visors (available at your local office supply or computer store). Other items designed to increase efficiency and add style to your office include computer carts and mobile file cabinets.

Paint the walls a color you love. Forget “office beige”: you need a color that gets your work motor humming. For some people, that’s a bright, cheery color like orange or lime green. Others need a calming shade like botanical green or sea foam blue to perform. Find out more about how certain colors can affect your mood.

Give yourself a view. Position the desk where you can stare at something more interesting than a blank wall (even if you do love the color) when you glance up from the computer. A window’s natural light is ideal, but if you’re in a windowless space, hang a pretty picture above the desk, or position your chair to face the door.

6. Make yourself at home. Unless you’re going for a contemporary look, choose extras that enhance the comfy feeling of your home office, like a pretty mug for a pencil holder, trendy notepads and sticky notes, and a decorative wastebasket. Wrap your bulletin board in a gorgeous fabric, and hide utilitarian bookshelves behind curtains made from the same material. Hang inspirational prints on the walls, whether that’s simply your kids’ framed artwork or a classic painting.

7.  Organize vertically and horizontally. Many home offices aren’t swimming in square footage, so using space efficiently is imperative. Hang floating shelves on the walls to get papers and office equipment off the desk, and use vertical file folders on the desk to keep important papers within arm’s reach. Are you a stacker or a filer? If you tend to make piles, get a nice basket to tame your mail, notes, and papers. If you prefer a clean desktop, designate one drawer for your “to-do” papers. Wooden or metal cube storage is a fun alternative to bookshelves, since each space can be used for books, knickknacks, or baskets of odds and ends.

8.  Master your technology. There’s not much you can do to beautify the computer, printer, and phone, but you can hide unsightly cords. Start by making sure your equipment is close to outlets and easy to access if you need to unplug. Encase cords on the desk in a pretty fabric cord cover like this one from Taylor Gifts, and feed the cords into a desk grommet, a plastic or metal cap that helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Tame the cord jungle on the floor with cord winders, tubing, or a wire organizer that’s attached to the desk and lifts the cords off the floor.

9.  Let there be light. Here’s a bright idea: make sure your office has plenty of light to cut down on eyestrain and headaches. Position the computer monitor so there’s no glare from a window or overhead light, and put a small lamp on the desk for task lighting.

10. Inspire yourself. Set up a mini-shrine — a few cherished knickknacks, a piece of framed art, a special photo on your desk — that motivates you to create and/or get the work done so you can get out of there. A print of Paris can channel your inner muse, or a photo of your children might remind you that you’re doing it all for them.

If your current work from home space is no longer addressing your needs, consider Campbell Homes for new homes in Colorado Springs in neighborhoods like Cordera, Indigo Ranch, and Meridian Ranch.  Campbell Homes are available in Colorado Springs’ finest neighborhoods with the best Colorado Springs Schools, award winning Academy School District 20 or Falcon School District 49.  Campbell Homes are close to work, school and play with easy commutes to Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, and the United States Air Force Academy.  Our models are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or you can visit our online sales center 24/7 at www.CampbellHomes.com.

Each week New Homes for Sale Colorado Springs discusses useful information on homes, issues, community and more. Covering a different topic each week, this thought provoking and educational blog is provided by new homebuilder Campbell Homes in Colorado Springs, Colorado.