People have been working from home for as long as businesses have been established. As far back as the 70s, telecommuting was possible, and even common, especially for customer service positions that required little more than a telephone. Today, virtually any vocation can be handled from your private residence, provided that you have the right environment.

What Is The Right Environment?

For most of us, the right environment to work from home is one that’s quiet, away from our main living areas, and that has natural light. It’s typically easy to add a home office to new construction, but it’s best to have that drawn into the blueprints before you break ground to meet your needs and minimize hazards.

When you don’t have plans to move anytime soon, you might also consider transforming your current home into a functional workspace. This might require repurposing an unused bedroom. The biggest challenge here is ensuring that your office is located far enough away from the rest of your home so that you are not continually distracted by the other members of your household. There are a few ways to work around this if you can’t physically distance yourself. You can reduce noise in your office by adding plush furniture, acoustic wall panels, and sealing air leaks.

There are two other options when you don’t plan to buy or build a new home. These are to renovate a space in your home that’s not already set up for living, such as the attic or garage, or to construct an addition to your main home. For the latter, this may be an attached room that you access from the existing structure or a detached metal outbuilding.

Regardless of which option you choose, make sure that you are using a licensed, insured, and bonded contractor.

More Than Space

Before you begin your new build or room transformation, keep these tips in mind:

●      Check with your local codes department. Unfortunately, despite the boom of work-at-home careers, not all cities allow the added traffic this brings. Contact your local codes department to determine if your current or future property is in a restricted zone. You may have to get special permission to have a home office or, you may have to move to a new location to accommodate your needs. And, if you have employees, there are a host of other rules, laws, and regulations you will have to adhere to.

●      Protect your personal property by filing an LLC. Form an LLC, which is a business structure that protects your personal assets if something goes south with your business. You can file using a formation service. Keep in mind that your formation service should have plenty of information on the rules in your state since no two areas are exactly alike. In addition to reducing the chances that your personal bank account will suffer in case of a business snafu, forming an LLC may provide some tax advantages.

●      Understand the trade-off. Perhaps most importantly, be prepared for a trade-off. While working from home is a great way to achieve work/life balance, it’s a slippery slope. Often, people that work out of their homes, and especially entrepreneurs, feel as though they can never quite turn work off. Learn to set boundaries with both your family and your work obligations so that you can enjoy each when their time rolls around.

Working from home comes with many freedoms, but there are details that you have to handle before you set up shop. From deciding whether to build a new home to accommodate your office or renovating your current space and confirming local rules and regulations, working from home takes preparation. Fortunately, once you’re set up, you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy work/life balance and enjoy all the benefits that come with skipping the drive to work.

Are you ready to find the perfect place to set up shop? Scates Real Estate can help! See what customers are saying. (612) 877-2100