With the UK government announcing a lockdown in March 2020, many people have been forced to work from home. And for some, this will be their first time working from home.

As we make the switch from office to home working life, many people may have found it difficult to make that transition between the two.

And with parents looking after their children, whilst balancing work, it can prove to be more stressful than ever.

So what can be done?

In this article, we’ll talk about garden offices. Offices that are in your garden at home and what benefits they have in the working world as well as home life.

What is a garden office?

A garden office is simply an office in your garden! Away from the rest of your house, it’s an area where you can work effectively without having any distractions. After all, we’ve all seen the clip of a dad whose 2 children crashed in on his interview:

A garden office gives you the freedom to work in peace and to have a specifically designed space for you to be able to work without distraction. Obviously, we don’t mean leave the children.

Think the opposite of using it rigidly for 9-5. Most roles are now that rigid, what with multi-national and the power of digital connecting different continents. So it’s just a short hop and a skip even in your PJ’s to work on a quick project or respond to an email. Or you have that lightbulb moment and want to get it down while it’s still fresh in your mind.

Decorate and use it how you want, set it out how you like, and not to company rules. It’s your sanctuary to be the most productive you can be, whilst feeling relaxed so that the best work is produced.

It can be a breath of fresh air. If you keep the door open, you’re just a few steps away from your garden, where you can listen to nature, appreciate the beautiful sunshine, and more.

The home office might be a dual space. Using a spare bedroom, meaning you may have to clear stuff away, therefore can’t hang things up, and no locks are usually used. A garden office can provide that much-needed separation.

The lockdown has proven for many that Work from Home (WFH) is very productive and also cost-effective. Virtual meetings and giving up rent-burdened or expensive office buildings. The garden office option would be a fraction of the cost over time.

Technology advances mean there’s little need for meeting spaces, with the ability to set up virtual meetings on-the-fly. See family at times when it matters.

Conservatory vs garden office

You may be asking what the difference is between a conservatory and a garden office.

Well, if you have a conservatory, mentally you’ll see it as a place to relax, maybe watch some TV or think about all the fun barbecues you’ve had with family and friends, moving in and out of the conservatory.

Furthermore, if you have children, they’ll see it as another room to play in and have fun in.

By having a dedicated garden office, you can implement rules to not only your children but to yourself.

Between the hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm you must treat this as your actual office at work, there will be no distractions and you won’t allow yourself to stop working because, you have that mentality in place to know that when you’re at your garden office, you’re there to work.

By setting these rules out, you can create a garden office that’s very productive and helpful, especially for those who have struggled to work from home originally by getting distracted with household chores, looking after children or simply watching TV.

What are the benefits of a garden office?

As we’ve mentioned above, there’s certainly a work/life balance that can be found by installing a garden office. But they’re also a great way to improve the value of your house.

It’s a great opportunity to increase living space in your home too, away from the house to experience your garden in a new light.

But it really does depend on what you want to use it for. As suggested, a garden office should really be treated as such.

Not only does it give you the time you need to focus on your work and do it at a high level, but it’s also not distracting your family members who may see you as being a distraction, constantly on your phone and unintentionally ignoring them because you have work to do.

It can be especially useful if you set it up in a way that you can easily pick up where you left off at your workplace office. The idea is to create a space where you feel relaxed, motivated and can fully concentrate on the task at hand.

Once you install one in your home, you’ll wonder how you ever coped without having one before!

Should I get a garden office?

It’s certainly something you should consider if you need that work/life balance. Installing a garden office can help define the two and help you to only be in there at set hours during the working week.

Kettell Windows can help install a garden office for you, simply get in touch with us to discuss your needs and our team will be happy to best advise and answer any questions you may have.