How do you accommodate WFH in your house?

[Houseplantmad]

Another thread referring to a couple who both work from home prompted this. I walk to work locally and pass many houses where I see people working from home, often in what look like makeshift conditions. Now that WFH has become permanent for so many people I'm wondering how it works as I'm not sure I'd be happy to have to give a room over to a home office. Do employers provide equipment so people can work comfortably - what if you don't have room?

Through the pandemic I started with a last minute purchase (hours before lockdown) desk in the bedroom, DH moved into his man cave/study and our uni age DC already had desks in their rooms, this left the lounge, dinner and kitchen as family spaces.
When the DC went back to uni I moved into the dining room so we could have the bedroom back.
Now I am the only one left wfh permanently and we have redone the man cave as a study with 2 desks. The only thing my employer provided was my chair. I will never return to the office as my whole team/division has been moved to remote working. Personally I would prefer hybrid but it isn’t an option.
The IT and everything else is my own which annoys me (a lot) but as the job is well paid and fits my life I am not going to walk away.

I WFH on a hybrid model now (3 days) and have a home office set up. We had a garage conversion already that was sold as a '4th bedroom' when we bought the house - when lockdown first happened I was on mat leave and DH got rid of the bed, bought the Ikea desks and some office chairs and set it up for us both to WFH eventually. He then immediately took VR to retrain as a teacher, so only uses it to study for his degree occasionally. Hence I ow have the whole thing to myself and the best desk (by the window 😁). Work sent all the tech (two screens, wireless keyboard and mouse) and I paid a bit extra to get the wifi signal bounced around the house (connection was a bit patchy due to thick old walls).
It's great because I'm the only one here during the day (school hols are a real pain when DH is home because he potters about and talks to me, so I tend to go to the office a bit more and he gets to enjoy doing his own thing a bit more) and at the end of the day I shut the door and it's completely separate from the rest of my home. I'd hate to work in our bedroom or from the dining table.

I run a business from home so already had an office space set up with desk etc, during the pandemic my part time job also moved to working from home so having a dedicated space has been invaluable. DH also worked from home for the first lockdown so we split working on the dining table and using my office, we rubbed along well in the short term but would have needed a more permanent solution if it was going to continue longer term.

My work would have provided desk and chair etc if I had needed it.

I put a dressing table/desk (so narrower than a normal desk) in the spare bedroom and pushed the small double (4 foot) against the wall. My work provided an office chair and the IT kit (laptop, laptop stand, second monitor, keyboard, mouse, hub). Apparently they would have bought a desk but I only found that out after I already bought one.

It means all my work stuff is in a room with a door that shuts that I use only for work.

I live in a flat so the office/spare room is across the hall from the kitchen so I can get a cup of tea without worrying about missing a call (work phone calls come via the work laptop).

We’ve moved permanently to work from home and a significant number of people (particularly those who are lower paid and/or have minimal space at home) have left.

I currently use a small spare bedroom, I have a disability which means I need to have a proper desk with space to set up my workstation so I'm comfortable, so I need a permanent space, a laptop on the kitchen table just doesn't work.

We're looking at houses at the moment, somewhere for me to work is a major requirement, so a spare bedroom, a separate room like a dining room with space for a desk or we're looking at houses with brick garages that could be converted, final option having a garden office built. In some cases it's now cheaper to buy a house with an extra bedroom/living room than pay out for a garage conversion or a garden office although a separate space outside the house would be ideal.

Dh worked from the dining room table (in a kitchen diner) until last term.
The one advantage was that he ended up doing all the cooking because he inevitably had an important meeting when I wanted to cook, so it became up to him. He also does most of the washing now as the washing machine plays a lovely tune when it finishes, so he wants it timed right. Apparently his team had started singing along with it

He's now moved into the study as ds has now got a desk in his room.
This is a definite improvement, but I still hate it.
He doesn't get how intrusive it is. He'll say "oh you just ignore more and get on with what you have to do..." but it's really hard. I have to pass him to go out and will be asked where I'm going, or if I'm doing something that takes time he'll appear in the middle and make comments. He'll complain if I'm doing something loud when he has a meeting, and I can't really have friends over for a quiet coffee-he either joins in or complains about the noise.

Thing was during the first lock down he struggled with everyone (except me) being at home and started going out for some time on his own, so I don't get why he doesn't understand that it's the same for me.

We have managed some compromises: The first time we had someone coming to fix the boiler I told him what time they were coming and he looked blank. "Aren't you coming back to show him?"
I always have been the one to come back because I live nearer, my work is generally more flexible and I take the car, so that makes sense.
However he didn't seem to get that it didn't make sense for me to drive home at the relevant point, meet the gas man, show him the boiler and hang around in case he needed anything else when he was at home. So a good 1-2 hours out of work.
"What if I'm in a meeting?"
I pointed out that none of his meetings were so important he couldn't say "sorry, the gas man's come to fix the boiler, I'll be 2 minutes"
I'm not totally sure he gets it even now but he doesn't complain.

I think the thing that really irritates though is getting up. I get up at 7:30 and take the children to school on the way to work. He drifts up about 9:30.
But when I have a day off and the children are off, his alarm goes off about 9:20. Once he's pressed the snooze button around 4 times he start giving sighs and wants cuddles. I just want peace and quiet and to be able to lie in bed and read on my phone/read a book. I very rarely get a day where I can do that anyway.
Even when he's up he'll keep coming up and asking questions, or he'll start a zoom call at the top of his voice. Why do zoom calls always necessitate talking loud?
So there isn't ever that lovely peaceful time where I can lie in bed and relax in the way I could when he had to be in to work for 9am.

I've offered him three perfectly reasonable alternatives:
The shed-the roof only leaks in one corner so should be perfectly okay if he sits away from that.
The attic-he complains the steps would be awkward getting his computer stuff up and down. I said why would it need to come down?
The garage-just because it's in a block 5 minute walk from the house shouldn't exclude it. in fact I think it's ideal

So some people are really having to shell out to accommodate their jobs at home ie garden offices, moving to a larger home etc. it seems unfair employers aren't contributing to this.

@Oblomov22

Reading this I realise how poor mine is. I have 2 part time jobs and I work at home 1 day for both of them, so 2 days. I have a laptop for each, and I sit at the dinning room table with a pad and a calculator, and then at the end put it away in a work bag. How poor is that?

I don't think it's poor, it's normal. Loads of people don't have a whole spare bedroom or boxroom for an office.

It is amazing how much things have changed. When we moved to this house it felt very old-fashioned with lots of doors everywhere, and separate kitchen table and dining room. It's still hugely unfashionable but it works fantastically for what we need now. Doors to shut off work from home, and separate tables for work/homework/craft projects (dining table) and eating (kitchen table). Open plan would not suit us now.

Smallest bedroom and dining room now study's for us both. Table in kitchen fine for dining!

We’ve converted the spare room into an office, so DH or I tend to work there - although I will also work in the dining room as I like having space to spread out and easy access to the back door in case the pup needs out. DH and I tend to alternate our days in the office though, so we can be flexible.

DH works on the dining room table, has the whole time. When I was working, I worked on the other side of the dining table. Come Friday, he packs up his IT equipment, (2 screens + laptop) and puts it in the bedroom, and he sets up again either Sunday night or Monday morning.

Sometimes I get a bit bloody stroppy when he's on calls in the evening, which means you can't watch TV in peace. . . but on the whole it's worked pretty well! The girls know to be aware Dad is working, and he knows that he might be working, but he's working in our home, so office conditions are not going to be a thing.

@Houseplantmad

So some people are really having to shell out to accommodate their jobs at home ie garden offices, moving to a larger home etc. it seems unfair employers aren't contributing to this.

During lockdown I think it was the Dunkirk Spirit and everyone muddled through the best they could, for some it worked (me) and for others it didn't. As some form of normality has returned (we have started hybrid working and my first day back in the office is this week) I am dreading returning to the office, not for any Covid related reason but just because I am settled WFH and hate the thought of the commute, longer days and being around people! For that reason, if our house wasn't already perfectly set up for WFH I would willingly pay any sum to make it so, even without any help from my employer.

So some people are really having to shell out to accommodate their jobs at home ie garden offices, moving to a larger home etc. it seems unfair employers aren't contributing to this

We haven’t had to move or extend, thankfully, but like @Dougieowner I would have been prepared to shoulder the cost because it’s a)an investment as I think hybrid working or wfh will become the norm for many and an office space will increase the value of my home, b)the massive reduction in commuting costs would enable me to snd c)my mental health has improved massively now that I’m not spending so long commuting and driving huge distances to meetings, so I’d be happy to pay to keep it that way.

We live in a small house - under 1000 Square foot. We both WFH around 60% of the week. One person on dining table, one person in bedroom. It highlights our lack of space even more. Cannot contemplate moving as we would need to double the mortgage for larger bedrooms, an extra bedroom, extra lounge, additional WC.

I try to remain upbeat but a lot of the time I am stifled, depressed, irritable and menopausal. I have noticed an increase in my alcohol intake.