When it comes to creating the perfect home office, one common thing that comes to mind is that you want a place that is its own self-contained area; when there is work to be done you can work and not be distracted by everyday home life, and when your work has concluded for the day you can shut off the work mind and settle back into homestead bliss. One way to accomplish this setup is by converting your garage into a home office. It can be difficult to figure out if this is a practical option for you and your family, so here’s some information to get you going in your decision-making process!
Let’s change your perspective on what a garage home office can be to help you decide if it’s the right move for you!
Start from the Ground Up: Flooring
One of the best ways to make a garage feel like another room in your home is by changing the flooring. Many of us have concrete slabs as the foundation for our garages, which can be cold and unforgiving when trying to make a cozy workspace.
A great option to soften up that stark garage flooring is with garage carpet squares. You can choose between interlocking tiles that snap together or squares that you can peel and adhere to your existing floor to create your own carpet design. The benefit of choosing the interlocking tiles is that there is spacing within the tile itself, allowing for airflow. Why is this a huge benefit for a garage? Unlike your home, your garage is much more susceptible to the elements, in particular to damp air. The last thing you want is your beautiful new office floor to start smelling like mildew after some April showers.
These premium carpet tiles can range around $4.50 a square foot. If that is too pricey for you, and you are okay with some interlocking garage tiles versus carpeted tiles, you can look to spend about $2.50 per tile.
On the aesthetic side of things, the interlocking tile nature allows for you to mix and match different designs to create your own unique floor that matches your style. Who doesn’t love to customize their home?
Creature Comforts: Heating/Cooling Concerns
Although your building your office in the one area of your home that is the closest to being considered outdoors (despite having walls, roof, and floor), that doesn’t mean you want to feel like you’re outside when you’re working from home. Upgrading your garage to have heating and cooling to keep you temperate and happy is something to definitely take into consideration when evaluating the practicality of a home garage office.
Just because you are making your office outside of your technical home doesn’t mean you need to give up all of the homely comforts you love.
The types of heating and cooling options to choose will depend on how much space you want to convert your garage into an office. If you are looking for a fairly large conversion, one option might be to install a ductless mini-split HVAC system. One indoor unit of these systems can provide anywhere between ¾ and 2 ½ tons of heating and cooling power, depending on what system you install. Estimated costs here run between $1,500 and $6,000.
If your garage happens to have windows and you’re looking for a cheaper (and less labor intensive) option, you can always choose the option of a window heater/AC unit. Many of these models even come with a dehumidifier, which is perfect for a garage. A decent solution for these can cost around $450.
Serene Surroundings: Other Aesthetics
To top off your conversion, you can always do some surface upgrades to your garage, such as a fresh coat of paint on the walls, some upgraded lighting and some high-quality drawers to store all your important office information. Think of these ideas as the icing the garage office cake.
Bottom Line: Estimated Total Costs
With so many different options for how to finish your garage office, it can be hard to calculate an exact price for what your financial output will be. Instead of breaking it down by individual item price, one source suggests that you can plan to spend an average of $150 per square foot of garage area converted. To reiterate, this is an estimate and pricing will vary based on which routes for conversion you choose to pursue.
Feeling inspired about creating the perfect garage office? Let us help you get going and get 40% off your first purchases towards your newly converted space!
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