Offices are starting to reopen, but that doesn’t mean that employees will go back to the office soon. Many don’t want to go back to the office full time for different reasons. Home-based work can help employees save money on food and transportation. For employees with children, they can stay with and care for their kids while they work. Other employees prefer to work remotely due to health reasons.
With remote work becoming mainstream, having a dedicated home office space has become important for many. Working at a dining table or while laying down on the bed or couch doesn’t help with productivity. The ergonomics are unpleasant as well.
Working from home is likely to stay even after the pandemic. So it’s justifiable for you to invest in a good home office. If you want to go all out, you can have an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) built in your property. And this unit will become your dedicated home office.
Benefits of an ADU Office
Building an ADU on your property is a huge feat. But its benefits can make it worth taking the risk.
Increase in Property Value
An ADU can be quite expensive. The price will depend on its size, the materials you want to use, the amenities in the unit, and other factors. For example, you can have your dedicated kitchen and bathroom in your home office. You can also hire air conditioning experts to install a good ventilation system in it. But you can potentially get back what you invested when you resell your property. Having a well-maintained ADU can increase the value of your property by up to 51%.
Earn Passive Income
If you change your mind and prefer to work in your house instead of the home office, you can rent out your ADU and earn passive income. The additional property still gets utilized, and you even get some of your money back through rent.
Increase in Productivity
One struggle with home-based work is the lack of boundary between home and work. And as a result, you may be working longer hours than when you were in the office. A study from a VPN service provider found that employees are working three hours longer at home. Also, it’s easy to get distracted by everything around you. So you can’t stay focused on your work.
That said, a separate home office means having a dedicated workspace. There’s a certain line between work and home. You will mimic the experience of “going to work” and “going home” by going to and from your home office. You also get some privacy. This can make you more productive since you can put all your attention on just work. You can finish your work earlier and get ample rest.
Factors to Consider
If you’re determined to build an ADU office on your property, there are certain things that you will need to consider:
Regulations
You need to check the regulations for building an ADU in your area. You need to get a permit before you start building. Also, you need to make sure that you’re not encroaching on your neighbor’s property or public property.
Also, as we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, you need to be aware of the health guidelines implemented in your area. Identify what adjustments need to be done or what tools you need to acquire to keep everyone in your home safe during construction.
Budget
You also need to determine your budget for this project. Building from scratch will need more capital. If you want to save a few bucks, you can try getting a prefabricated unit instead.
Also, consider writing a list of the things you would want in your home office. Then prioritize them. Which facilities do you want in it? Should it have its own kitchen? Or is a bathroom enough? What items do you need in your home office? Which items do you want but can do without?
Space
Determine the layout you want for your ADU. Even if you’re not knowledgeable about designing a home layout, you can make a rough draft of how you want your home office to look like. Consider where you want your main office workspace to be, whether you want it right beside windows or not, where the bathroom needs to be placed, and so on.
Having a separate home office comes with a hefty price tag. But it will do wonders for your productivity and motivation to work. You also get to reap benefits from it in the long run.
