Working from home might be your dream, but you need a real office space to call your own.
Fresh air, peace and quiet and freedom from the city grind are all reasons rural living is making a comeback.
But another big driver behind the trend is the option of telecommuting.
Whether you own your own business, are an independent contractor/consultant or are able to negotiate a work-at-home arrangement, if you have a phone and internet connection, telecommuting could pave the way for the rural life you’ve always dreamed of.
However, sharing your work/home space with a young family can present its own challenges, i.e.: distractions, noise and interruptions.
You may have thought that guest bedroom would have been perfect for a home office, but quickly realized it takes a lot of focus (not to mention patience) to ignore the cries, giggles and interruptions of children when you’re up against a deadline…or on a conference call.
Or perhaps you planned on building an addition…until you realized it would set you back an average of $40,000 (according to homeadvisor.com) and force you to live and work in a construction zone for untold amounts of time.
Fortunately, there is a simple, affordable and convenient alternative for the rural-work-at-home family: meet the modern office shed.
These detached, tiny-office pods, studios or sheds are all the rage for creating a separate and peaceful office space at home. They come in a variety of sizes and styles to suit every need and budget, and because they’re technically sheds (and not separate living quarters) you can install one on your land without a lot of hassle.
Today, we’ll explore 5 stand-alone office space ideas and let you decide if an office shed is the right fit for your rural-home-office.
The shed directly above is the Studio Shed Signature Series 10x12 and the shed at the top of this article is the Studio Shed Signature Series 10x14 shed. Both images courtesy of Studio Shed.
#1: Studio Shed—Boulder, CO
Studio Shed offers an award-winning line of beautiful, pre-fab green-built sheds for your big backyard or rural land.
You customize your shed to your budget and level of involvement by choosing from size, layout, siding, colors, accessories, foundation, and installation. You also have the option to purchase plans, a turn-key electrical package, and interior finishings.
Their most popular model for home offices is the “Signature Series” that ranges in size from 6X8 to 16X16, and “The Portland” is another nice option as well.
The average cost for a turn-key office studio shed ranges between $120-$180 per square foot, and you can choose to install it yourself (with support materials) or two levels of professional installation.
All the sheds are built with green materials like denim insulation and cork flooring, are solar ready, weatherproof, include a 1-3 year warranty, and can be shipped across the USA.
Learn more and play around with customizing your own office shed at: www.studioshed.com.
#2: Tuffshed—Denver, CO
Tuffshed, known for their traditional-style backyard sheds, now offers the Premier Pro Studio shed that can easily be converted to a contemporary rural stand-alone office space.
Shed studio size options range from 8X10-12X24 and can be modified to suit your style with a house wrap, full glass entry door, a variety of paint colors, roofing options and double-insulated windows.
Starting at under $5000 delivered, installed (and even painted if you want) Tuffshed offers an affordable, semi-DIY option for your home office.
Learn more at: http://www.tuffshed.com/product/premier-pro-studio-2.
#3: Tiny Home Builders (DIY)—Deland, FL
Tiny Home Builders offers plans for a foundation-built, tiny backyard studio shed you can build yourself. And because it is small enough to be considered a “shed,” and not a Tiny Home, you avoid the legal hassles of Tiny Homeownership.
Featured on numerous media outlets including Good Morning America and HGTV, plans for their 8X16 foot “Backyard Studio” model are just $147 and come with amazing support options.
If you need some hand-holding, you can attend a hands-on workshop for under $300 (no previous building experience required), or opt for their eWorkshop for $99. They also offer one-on-one consulting.
View the Backyard Studio photos and plans at: https://www.tinyhomebuilders.com/tiny-houses/backyard-studio.
#4: Kanga Room Systems—Waco, TX
Kanga Room Systems offers stylish prefab wood product kits, with sleek design options to suit the modernist or traditionalist.
Their popular office space products include the basic one-room 10X8 Modern Kwik Room and the Cottage Kwik Room kits with 60” French doors and windows included starting at $5,700 for the kit. They are available with numerous options and upgrades like bamboo flooring, a deck, and a wiring and lighting package.
If you desire a little more space and convenience and have your big backyard to house it, they also offer the Modern or Cottage Luxe series. Ranging from 192-500 square feet each model comes with its own bathroom and can be customized to suit your needs.
If you live in the state of Texas they will build and install your office space for you. Otherwise it is shipped to you as a kit with detailed instructions and phone support.
Learn more at kangaroomsystems.com.
#5: Speaking of Bathrooms…
It may not seem like a big deal, but having a bathroom in your office space can save a lot of time and distractions. But, installing a bathroom with plumbing, fixtures, permits, etc. can really drive up costs.
However…there is another way: the modern composting toilet.
Once reserved for hippies and idealists, today’s composting toilets are designed to have no odor, to look like a traditional toilet, to require no plumbing lines (just a vented pipe), are easy to install and amazing for the environment in that they use zero water.
Plus, popular models like Separett Waterless Toilets used by some of the best Tiny Home manufacturers, break down liquid and solid waste and sterilize it for use as natural fertilizer in your garden.
You will likely spend more for a composting toilet than you would a basic traditional toilet, but you won’t spend any money on installing a bathroom, plumbing, or future water use.
Add in some simple “upgrades” like a privacy screen, air purifier and a nice bottle of all-natural hand sanitizer, and you’ve got yourself a convenient (and cheap) office shed bathroom.
Learn more about composting toilets at: separette-usa.com.
This post focused on using office sheds for telecommuting or running a business from your rural property…but why limit yourself?
These affordable stand-alone additions could also be used as:
- a shop or office for your secondary farm-based businesses,
- a “man cave” or its counterpart, the “she-shed,”
- a home school classroom,
- an art or music studio,
- a playroom,
- a yoga studio,
- an exercise space,
- an herb drying facility,
- a tack room or
- a check-in office for your Airbnb rental.
No matter what your plans may be, an office shed could offer the perfect way for you to spend more time enjoying your dream property or your big backyard…and less time on the road.
If you love the idea of these "kit buildings," you may also enjoy our article at this link, The Beginner's Guide to Build-It-Yourself Home Kits, in which we interview owners and customers of DIY house kit companies to give you an in-depth look at the options as well as the work and costs involved.
If the freedom of country life is calling you, view rural property for sale in Florida, Georgia and Texas on our parent company's website at RaydientPlaces.com.
