8 Essentials For Your Garden Office

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Gosh, it’s been a while since I spoke about my garden office hasn’t it? In case you’re not up to speed, basically in February this year, I had a meeting with a builder about a garden office. Everything got the go ahead and they were all ready to get going in March, so by the Summer, I’d have my office. Then COVID happened.

Photo by Tina Witherspoon on Unsplash

So like most people, our builders couldn’t work nor did we think it was safe for them to come into our home and garden whilst COVID was picking up momentum and the statistics were looking pretty dire. During COVID, when everyone in my house was off work apart from me (as I work from home), it would have been the PERFECT time for me to have my office.

Related read: How To Look After Your Mental Health When COVID-19 Is Over

Because as an introvert, I started to really struggle a few months in. Being around people constantly and having no privacy or alone time was draining and making me super agitated and anxious. Not to mention there was nowhere safe to actually GO apart from maybe the park.

Related read: How A Garden Office Will Improve My Work Life

But alas, it wasn’t to be and I managed to make do regardless. But by August, they were able to make a start on the building work and at the time of writing this, I have four walls, a floor, a roof and a gutter. It’s definitely nowhere near ready yet but at least we have some progress and hopefully I’ll be in my own office before Christmas.

This office has been a LONG TIME COMING. I’ve actually done some serious damage to my back from working from my bed and having such bad posture for so long than I get back pain every single day. And considering the delay, I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I want and how I want my office to be.

So today I want to talk about some essentials for a garden office, if that’s something you’d consider for yourself too. Perhaps you don’t have a spare room in your house to convert into an office and the garden is a more attractive place to put one? If so you’re probably searching for ‘sheds for sale‘ to provide you with that desired space!

Reliable builders

Right let’s start with something that’s blindingly obvious shall we? Of course the same goes for any home improvement or renovation work you get done but reliable builders are the first important thing you need to consider. Use people you’ve used before, friends or family or those with trusted reviews and ratings!

Insulation

Depending on where you are in the world, having a garden office will obviously keep you closer to the elements. Although it’s an actual room, there are definitely things to consider when you have four outside walls. So the proper insulation is a must, especially if you’re somewhere cold (like the UK!)

Heating and/or air conditioning

I say and/or because again, it depends on where you are in the world, you may not need both. As I’m in the UK, I’ll have both a heater and an air conditioner in my office because I sure as heck aren’t roasting to death when it gets to 34 degrees in the Summer! Professional air conditioning installation from a reputable hvac company is a must!

Big windows and doors

Although this is a personal preference, I can’t imagine many people would enjoy sitting in a dark and dingy room whilst they’re trying to work. So for that reason, I think big windows and a decent sized door is a must, to let in as much natural light as possible. Especially if you’re a blogger, like me and need the natural light for photos!

Wooden floors

Okay yes another personal preference and if you prefer carpet, that’s totally cool but for me, a wooden floor in an outdoor garden office is a must. Especially if you have to walk through your garden in order to get to your office. Wooden floors are much easier to clean and clear up any mud tracks!

Plants

You’re outside, so let’s properly embrace it! I’m planning on having my own little patio area outside my garden office as well as filling up the inside with an array of different plants. There are also some amazing fake plants on the market, if you’re not able to keep real ones for any reason!

Locks on both the window and the door

As your office is going to be a standalone building in the garden, you can never be too safe. As you would with your actual home, make sure you have sufficient safety measures in place to prevent any potential break ins, including locks on both the door and any windows.

A small patio area

Similarly to the wooden floor point, you might want to consider a small patio area at the front of your garden office. For aesthetic reasons as well as so you don’t walk straight from the grass into the office and risk trailing a ton of mud behind you!

Do you have a garden office? Do you have any of these essentials or is there anything you would add to this post?