How to Convert Your Garage into a Home Office

This is one of the best ideas when it comes to renovating your home. First of all, if you are already working from home, you’re going to love your job even more once you create your own business space. It’s been a while since you came to the conclusion that working in the dining room/bedroom is affected by too many family distractions. Secondly, turning your garage into a home office is highly desirable when it comes to investing in property.

Indeed, Australians are renovating more than ever. They are spending more than $8 billion on redecorating every year, and the figure is only expected to increase this year. What is more, changing your garage into a home office will only set you back around $5,000, which is dirt cheap compared to the other options, e.g. adding a granny flat, or remodeling the kitchen and the bathroom. A home office is the most affordable room you could add.

Here are a couple of suggestions on how to make it happen.

Insulation
The original purpose of your garage was to keep the tools and the car safe, not warm. Therefore, the very first thing to be done is proper insulation of the walls. In this way, you will keep the warmth inside during winter, and prevent the heat in summer. What is more, batt or blanket insulation has another excellent quality – it’s soundproof, so your neighbours and family won’t be able to overhear you discussing matter with the clients.

Flooring
Once you are done with the insulation of your walls, pay attention to the floor. It needs some kind of protection as well. The simple concrete won’t do anymore, both for visual and health purposes. Therefore, use some insulation here, too, and cover it with floor boards and a carpet. Alternatively, you can use interlocking, rubberized tiles to make the space more appealing.

Ceiling
Don’t forget to look above you. Though it’s not the first thing you notice, it certainly leaves a bad impression about your business if it’s unfinished. Invest in drywall, some lighting fixtures, or a fan. The whole space will look much more welcoming.

Colours
In order to make the inside look more spacious, opt for pastel paints. You can add a bit of variety by painting one wall in darker shade, but, generally, stick to all those pieces of advice for painting small areas.

The entrance
You can have the best looking office on the inside, but you won’t appear consistent or reliable to your customers if the entry door is old and battered. For this reason, it’s essential for your “front door” to look nice and be of excellent quality. Fortunately, nowadays you can choose great home office garage doors, which in turn speak volumes about your business.

Light and air
If possible, add a window to your garage. Natural light is always preferable. If it can’t be done, pay special attention to buying the right lights and lamps.

Install a special air conditioner for the room, or at least use a portable one. In winter, you can go for a portable heater, too.

Make it personal
Surely, an office is supposed to have office furniture, and you have already found some pieces that would be just perfect. However, another way to impress the potential clients is adding a few personal touches. It’s no use pretending you’re in an office downtown (no matter how top notch the space is), and people like honesty. Add a sofa if possible, a small entertainment area, several framed pictures, some pillows… These aren’t necessarily found in every city office, but they will entice trust in your clients.

Business only
On the other hand, striking the right balance is essential. Personal details are highly recommendable, but make sure you have removed everything from the garage that doesn’t belong to an office in any way (not even the latest versions). For instance, this is no longer a room for your tools or winter clothes. No matter how much space you have in your office cabinets, they have business purpose. Most importantly, you will be able to mentally and physically separate your work obligations from your family life.

Converting a garage into a home office takes some time, but in the end, it more than pays off regarding your business and increase in property value.