Improvements to your home can either raise its market value or make the opposite happen. Not all home improvement projects, however, are for the intention of getting more money once the owner decides to sell. Some of them are just improvements based on what the homeowner needed at the time.
One of those improvement projects is building a home office. Not all locations are perfect for such a project, so that if you do sell your house, how much you recoup will depend on where your property is, and how the buyer feels about having the office.
That being said, a home office is a worthy project if you have the following needs.
- You work at home full time as a freelancer.
- You have a business that you run from home.
- You have a business elsewhere, but you need a place at home from which you can continue working at any hour of the day.
- You need a quiet place to finish some work and where everything you need to accomplish the job is within reach.
- You are a writer or an artist.
- You need a place at home for entertaining business guests.
- You want your own library at home.
There may be other reasons you want a home office. Whatever your reason, here are some reminders on how to build one.
- Pick a location on your property for the office. It can be connected directly to your house or it can be on the same property, but not exactly connected to your house (such as a shed).
- The costs may be much lower if you only have to convert an existing room, such as a guest room or a room that used to be your child’s.
- You need a budget and a way to stick to it as much as possible.
- Allow an extra 20-25% contingency on top of your estimated total cost. Projects like this don’t always go as planned. For example, you may need to have the plumbing in your property reworked if you are putting in a small bathroom or at least a toilet. Intex Group says you’ll probably hire an electrician for the wiring, and another professional to install the heating or cooling. From the drywall plastering tools to the flooring system, your budget should include extra just so the project doesn’t get suspended halfway because you ran out of funds.
A home office is a huge comfort if it’s something you really need. Talk to someone you know who has gone through a similar project and ask for advice on how to lower your costs without compromising the project.