Home office - garden or house?

[LittleLamb93]

What is your preference between a room in your home as an office space or a garden office?

I cannot decide between the ease of having the office in our home or whether having a separate building that I physically have to leave our home to go to would be better. On the one hand, it would be cheaper to have the office in our home but then I think about being in meetings/ trying to work and potential house noise, people walking in, etc.

Separate building on the land seems the more appropriate option but also adds complication and cost. Is it worth it?

Garden office with kitchen and toilet would be my preference, otherwise separate space on the ground floor. Bedrooms are not offices.

We have a garden office. DH used it until he had a new office-based job. It was great for him, and great when we were both WFH so we had space.

But I don’t use it because :

• in summer my neighbours would hear my (confidential) conversations
• in summer I would hear my neighbours
• in winter I have to keep turning the heater on and off
• the cats pester me to come in, and go out again. And in. And out. (Hard to ignore a kitty sitting in the rain crying to come in).
• its better being in the house when the teens get home from school

Our home office is in the house.....but everyone is out all day except the person using it. So no noise. Our outbuilding is a gym. But if we were all in all day at the same time, we would probably swap that around.

Yes 😊

Phew.
I thought you might be having a rose tinted view that you could combine both!

We put a loo, drinking water, and mini fridge into a garden office. Cost about £15k. I would have insulated more but otherwise would do again.

We've had both and I far prefer dh having his office on the garden. However, there are downsides, some of which have already been mentioned, the weather being one. Another is noise outside like lawnmowers or other machinery, planes flying over. It can make it a bit tricky if on a teams call.
If we had somewhere where he could have an indoor office away from the living room and kitchen, preferably in the attic, then that would be the best option for us.

If the room is just an office and not used for anything else, then put a stairgate across the door, then once the kids are a bit bigger teach them not to go in there without your permission. That way you won’t be interrupted.

Also useful as a present hiding place and means you don’t have to childproof the space itself.

We have a garden office and I love it. It's just so much better mentally to close everything down at the end of the day and open up in the morning. It's insulated and it's really no problem to come inside for drinks, snacks, toilet etc. We have a ring doorbell so I can hear/see deliveries and heater is hooked up to my phone so I can turn it on to heat up before I go out. Anyone in the house can make as much noise as they want and it doesn't bother me and I can speak freely on my calls without worrying about being overheard. Can thoroughly recommend!