Office shed

[ckucia]

I start a new job in a few weeks. Nearly 100% telecommuting IT support.

Wife suggested an office shed, and I think it's a great idea both for keeping work/home life separate and to have a quiet place. We have two dogs and they aren't always silent. I'll be doing a lot of video conferencing and phone work so I need a controlled environment.

Looking for experience and advise. Still planning but I'm looking to build around 8x12 with 8x8 office and a 4x8 entryway. I figure I'll have two doors so I have a space for boots/coat in between the doors and an airlock to keep the heat/cold in the office.

With the price of lumber, I'm trying to build with whatever I have on hand. Doing a little bit of an inventory today since I have stuff squirreled around. Already have some small windows, some OSB, enough dimensional lumber to start.

Things I'm still working out are things like balancing amount of space with economical heat/cooling, insulation for both sound and weather, plus what are things you'd have done differently if you've already done this?

It will be about 20' from the house.

We're in WV so summers can be in the 90s and winters can be in the 00s although teens and 20s is more common. Probably going to use a window AC unit and use a combination of propane/electric for heat. I have a server-rack-size UPS that I'm going to augment with some larger LA batteries and I need to provide for the possibility of a power outage - I have a little generator that should be more than enough to run the shed as we've run the house (except furnace and water heater) off it and now have a larger model for the house.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Don't forget to check the local building codes before you start.
In my old neck of the woods, any structure over 10' on any dimension needs a permit.

 

[DeeKay]

+1 for checking local codes and permit requirements.
Not totally the same situation but similar, We use office sheds at a lot of our small on-site gas plants. Usually made by Tuff shed since they're easy, quick and relatively cheap compared to container offices.
With house wrap, insulation and some dry wall a Freidrick combo heater/ac window unit has proven to be plenty to keep the temps comfortable. We get pretty wild temperature swings here in CO as well.
That said a small mini split would probably be a quieter.

The nice thing about an office shed is it can be adapted pretty easily if you ever had a job change and wanted it purely for storage.

 

[P0234]

Wire to your router wherever it is. Wireless gets interference and isn’t nearly as reliable.

 

[ckucia]

I follow codes, but we're ultra-rural. There's no enforcement other than maybe letting the assessor know what we built. I'm not sure this will be large enough to matter to them - small outbuildings are ubiquitous here.

Definitely running two buried conduits. One with power and one with a couple of cat6 lines for data/phone/future needs. Thinking it might be useful to put an intercom into the house or my wife would have to call me from phone line to phone line.

Also going to run some power for a three-way switch to a light. I will be on call after hours and I don't really want to stumble to the shed in the dark.

 

[FlaGman]

I just finished building a 10x12 storage shed a month ago. Even though the materials cost over $3000, I feel like I should have gone bigger. It was a fair amount of work to build, but wouldn’t have been much more work to be 50% bigger and would be that much more useful.

My suggestion is to size it up a bit-an 8x8 workspace seems way small to me.

 

[ckucia]

That's a beautiful piece of work.

I originally was thinking 12x12. Then I found my space at work is about 6x6 so I figured 8x8 would be an improvement, and with windows it would feel larger.

Of course, at work now, I'm constantly leaving my desk and walking around for staff servicing and I'll be stuck in place for this job.

I'm still of two minds. I want this well insulated for both sound and heat/cool which starts to add up, and I'd rather have a small space nicely finished than a large space with bare 2x4s. It would be easy to spend more than the salary increase on a shed, which partially defeats the purpose of changing jobs. And I tend to get carried away so I'm trying to force myself to be as economical as I can while still not hurting my productivity.

It's also not out of the question to expand later if I build with that possibility in mind. Was thinking at minimum I could build some bump-outs later like a camper and use them as outside-the-wall storage and bookshelves which would amplify the footprint of the main area if I needed it.

I also need to keep in mind that whatever is behind my desk will be on camera for video conferencing.

When you start thinking through this, it's a lot more nuanced than just throwing up a wood box and running some wires to it.

I also have to keep in mind that the first weeks/months, I'm going to be busy getting spun up. Be better to have something small that's finished, than large that I can't get done in time. I may not get back to it until fall.

 

[FlaGman]

One thing to keep in mind is your time. Everything I do seems to take twice as long as I expect it to take-just the site prep and foundation on my shed took about a week using hand tools.

I would plan on a solid month to build (four to five hour days) as a “professional homeowner” type. I am retired, so it is easier for me to justify spending my time to avoid paying a professional for his time. If you are going to build while working, I would probably put aside 3 hours at the beginning of each day (like 6-9) and get it done in 6 weeks

If I were doing a home office style shed I would also do a mini-split. The quiet operation would be more important to me than the efficiency.

 

[Slednut]

I started a 10x20x10' shed last Saturday, if I were building an office shed I would make it as big and tall as allowed without a permit. Then wall off a spot for the office. I guess these days you have to also look at one's budget.

 

[readhead]

Have you considered buying a shed and then finishing the inside? It will save a lot of time and be movable later if necessary. 8x8 is pretty small. 6x6 inside a larger space is misleading. I sold a lot of sheds last year and several were for home offices. 8x12 was minimum but 10x12 was the most popular. Explore all your options.

 

[niget2002]

The neighbor bought a pre-made unit. He did the finishing himself. His wife is using it for her office / craft room. I think they went with a 10'x12'.

Regarding the background for your meetings. Every teleconference software has the ability to blur the background now, so anything behind you is less of a concern.

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[mike93lx]

If you aren't going to make the footprint bigger (I would. I'm in the same boat with 100% WFH and am thinking about 12x16),at least make sure your ceilings are high. You don't want to feel like you are working in a prison cell.

If I build one, it will likely double as a little retreat. I'm thinking a TV, couch, maybe mini fridge. For nights and weekends, if someone wants some privacy

 

[SweetD]

mike93lx is right, if it's no trouble from a code/building standpoint, definitely go bigger that what you are thinking. You'll appreciate having the extra room. We stick built a 9'x16' shed a couple of years ago - was originally thinking 12' for the long dimension, very glad we went up. Good luck and hopefully you post pics of your progress here.

 

[niget2002]

You know... you could always just build a 30x40 shop. Then setup one corner so that the walls 'look nice'. Put the desk facing into the shop so the camera points at the nice walls. Then you have a lot more shop space with a little corner for work

 

[justanengineer]

Whenever folks mention buying or building a shed I usually point hem toward marketplace and Craig’s free sections. Many folks including myself don’t care for the look of freestanding sheds and inherit them with home purchases.

JMO beyond that, but I’d be cautious about making large investments for new employers. Given recent events, jobs working from home at this point = temporary/expendable workforce. Personally I’d be building/buying a doghouse and setting up at the kitchen table for the first year or two, then consider adding on/renovating the house for a proper home office. If nothing else, I’d want easy access to a bathroom and the ability to walk around/exercise without going out in the weather. Having done the shed office thing in the military overseas, no way in hell I’d do that voluntarily here.


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[theoldwizard1]

8x8 is awfully small for the office space. I would want a minimum of 10x12. "Air lock" is a good idea.

Best heating and cooling solution is a small mini-split heat pump. More expensive, but it will save you money in the long run. Make sure it "makes heat" down 0F without a "heat strip". Insulation is a "must", especially in the ceiling. As much as you can fit. Insulating the walls will cut down the noise.

The best "bang for the buck" on batteries for your inverter are 6V lead acid golf cart batteries. You need to check the fluid level at least once a month. Store them in a plastic box outside.

Some UPS will shut down after a certain amount of time (< 30 minutes ?) so that they don't over heat themselves regardless of the amount of battery life left. They make inverter/charger/auto transfer switches for RV. Not cheap, but they do not have the same limitations.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you aren't going to make the footprint bigger (I would. I'm in the same boat with 100% WFH and am thinking about 12x16),at least make sure your ceilings are high. You don't want to feel like you are working in a prison cell.

If I build one, it will likely double as a little retreat. I'm thinking a TV, couch, maybe mini fridge. For nights and weekends, if someone wants some privacy

I'd agree. More than likely and sooner or later, you're probably going to get someone stopping by concerning work. You're not going to want them coming in a closet.

Besides, you mentioned server racks. Won't those generate heat ? Last thing I would want is to have them right beside me.

If the job passes or you leave it, make sure you can use the shed for something else.

 

[mike93lx]

I'd agree. More than likely and sooner or later, you're probably going to get someone stopping by concerning work. You're not going to want them coming in a closet.

Besides, you mentioned server racks. Won't those generate heat ? Last thing I would want is to have them right beside me.

If the job passes or you leave it, make sure you can use the shed for something else.

I would never invite someone to my home office for something work related. My home is my home and unless work is paying for it and insuring it, they can stay out.

If I had a colleague in town (in my case, I never will as our closest plant is 3 hrs away), I'd meet them somewhere else, like a coffee shop

 

[boyleged]

I started a 10x20x10' shed last Saturday, if I were building an office shed I would make it as big and tall as allowed without a permit. Then wall off a spot for the office. I guess these days you have to also look at one's budget.

Damn that grass is nice!

 

[NUTTSGT]

I would never invite someone to my home office for something work related. My home is my home and unless work is paying for it and insuring it, they can stay out.

If I had a colleague in town (in my case, I never will as our closest plant is 3 hrs away), I'd meet them somewhere else, like a coffee shop

I guess that would depend on the line of work...dunno... I don't work from home. Just wanted to throw the idea out there....

...
But, doggone, I wish I could work from home alot of days.

 

[mike93lx]

I guess that would depend on the line of work...dunno... I don't work from home. Just wanted to throw the idea out there....

...
But, doggone, I wish I could work from home alot of days.

Being a firefighter, I think working at home would be the last thing you would want

 

[ddawg16]

You need to figure out what you are doing for a floor. If wood, you will need to deal with critters trying to live under it.

Frost heave is an issue in your neck of the woods. I'm wondering how a cinder block foundation would work? You would be able to insulate between the floor joists.

You need to run 2 conduits out there....one for power and the other for internet. A wired connection back to your router will be so much better and reliable.

For video....no window behind the desk...just a plain wall. Any window light is going to make your face dark and wash out the video. AMHIK It also makes it easier to put up a virtual backdrop of your fav image.

Ditto on the Mini-split

Don't go crazy on lights. I'd spend the bucks on a couple of good desk lamps. Makes for better task lighting.

You want a mini-fridge.

Plan out speakers. When not on a conf call, you want some nice music to drown out other noise.

 

[NUTTSGT]

It has its days Mike, trust me, it has its days.

 

[was2]

My past work life considered 10x10 a minimum size for a work cubicle. That did not always assume room for equipment beyond a pc or laptop. You can squeeze all the printers, stereos, and tv monitors in there you want, with a capital Squeeze. Please don't assume the air lock as part of the work space. Remember many cubicles do not include room for a guest chair, which you will end up with whether you plan to or not. I would plan for it and go a bit bigger.

 

[landlord30]

You know... you could always just build a 30x40 shop. Then setup one corner so that the walls 'look nice'. Put the desk facing into the shop so the camera points at the nice walls. Then you have a lot more shop space with a little corner for work

By far the best and easiest solution so far!!!

 

[seedtime]

How about a small construction trailer or camper?An office shed seems like a big investment for such fast changing world.



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[quickfarms]

My office is 12x30 with storage behind both of the 30 foot walls and after 15 years of files it is getting cramped And this is on top of my shop

 

[bczygan]

As much as I like sheds (I have 9 of them on a 40x100' lot), I recommend you repurpose an existing room or space in your existing home. Even a space in the basement or garage, partitioned off would be so much less expensive and quicker to get ready, than a stand alone building.

Bill

 

[mike93lx]

As much as I like sheds (I have 9 of them on a 40x100' lot), I recommend you repurpose an existing room or space in your existing home. Even a space in the basement or garage, partitioned off would be so much less expensive and quicker to get ready, than a stand alone building.

Bill

Quickest and least expensive may not be the best answer.

I've been working at home for a year and doing so in a room in my basement has been tough. The noise of my kids playing, other distractions and just not having the mental separation of work and home can be tough.

 

[jrsavoie]

Sometimes walk in coolers/freezers can be. Found pretty cheap

 

[mike93lx]

Sometimes walk in coolers/freezers can be. Found pretty cheap

Huh? Why would someone want to work in a walk in cooler?

 

[jrsavoie]

Huh? Why would someone want to work in a walk in cooler?

Why wouldn't you? Easy and fast to put together. Extremely well insulated and quiet. They work great for lots of things.

 

[mike93lx]

Why wouldn't you? Easy and fast to put together. Extremely well insulated and quiet. They work great for lots of things.

It would be a cell, not an office.

I like getting light into a workspace, plus having a walk in cooler in my yard isn't particularly appealing to me

 

[jrsavoie]

It would be a cell, not an office.

I like getting light into a workspace, plus having a walk in cooler in my yard isn't particularly appealing to me

LOL. So you are going to have a pile of 2x4s and siding in your yard instead?

Myself. I have the technology and tools to cut in a window where I wish, decorate the interior as I wish and I can even dress up the outside in any manner I so do desire.

I missed a 16 x8 for $150 earlier this year.

 

[mike93lx]

LOL. So you are going to have a pile of 2x4s and siding in your yard instead?

Myself. I have the technology and tools to cut in a window where I wish, decorate the interior as I wish and I can even dress up the outside in any manner I so do desire.

I missed a 16 x8 for $150 earlier this year.

A pile of 2x4's and siding? What?

I would have something that matches the style of my house, which a cooler doesn't accomplish at all. To go through all the work for a roof and siding, it would be easier to build it in the normal manner that a house is done, IMO

Let's just disagree to agree on this one

 

[nadogail]

Reading the above makes me think of the group of blind men describing the elephant they just encountered; they each had an observation but none of them had the big picture.

We are missing a view of where the shed will be located; the OP's budget, Time Lines, and et cetera , et cetera, et cetera and et cetera.

 

[jrsavoie]

A pile of 2x4's and siding? What?

I would have something that matches the style of my house, which a cooler doesn't accomplish at all. To go through all the work for a roof and siding, it would be easier to build it in the normal manner that a house is done, IMO

Let's just disagree to agree on this one

I've built a lot of coolers. The insulation value and time saved would be huge to me. The roof will cost the same no matter how you build. Walls, openings and interior/exterior finish are easy.

Around here they would most likely build something like that on a skid, to avoid property taxes.

 

[mike93lx]

I've built a lot of coolers. The insulation value and time saved would be huge to me. The roof will cost the same no matter how you build. Walls, openings and interior/exterior finish are easy.

Around here they would most likely build something like that on a skid, to avoid property taxes.

Sounds good.

Let's see what the OP is looking for. Maybe that is the perfect solution for him

 

[jrsavoie]

Sounds good.

Let's see what the OP is looking for. Maybe that is the perfect solution for him

If he can find one. I can never find stuff when I am looking. I have to stockpile and then use it when I get to the project.

I would fur out with 1x or 2x or pallet wood or something cheap to attach the siding. Some just screw right to the cooler skin.

All you need is a couple long allen wrenches for assembly, unless you are going to adjust the size of what you find. I'm sure there are allen wrenches to be had. A few basic hand tools.

 

[homebuilt burner]

Seedtime has a good idea with a job site trailer. The tech guy in Tomb Raider worked in an Airstream. It would be fast and easy.