If your home business or freelance endeavour is beginning to outgrow the spare room of your house, it may be time to consider striking out into your own dedicated office space.
There are many office rental options available on the market, however, if you are looking for something a little closer to home that will also save on overheads, then building your own office space is a viable option. The beauty of many creative solutions is that in many cases, all you need to think about is how to decorate.
Offices that are tailor-made to your requirements offer a number of benefits in comparison to existing office space.
In most cases they provide better utilisation of space, increased cost efficiency, the chance to design a pleasing work space and a whole host of eco-friendly benefits that traditional office units are unable to provide – a perfect solution to that cluttered corner that also won’t cost the earth to build.
Take a look at our top four self-build office solutions and start getting creative on your workplace as well as in it.
Shipping container
Office shipping container offices and homes seem to be particularly in vogue at the moment; and much of this is to do with their sheer abundance and subsequent low cost. Of course, this depends entirely on your location but with self-contained office units of around 300 square feet, you get plenty of space at a bargain price.
Recycling these units into workable spaces often requires little more than fitting quality windows such as those found at Neuffer Windows Germany. Simply add insulation and furniture and an instant office is yours.
Rammed Earth Office
Houses created, literally, from the ground up have been a mainstay of ancient architecture since time immemorial. However, with an increased awareness of the impact modern structures have on our environment, rammed earth buildings have been receiving increased attention. With superior (natural) insulation and building materials that are as “cheap as mud”, a small office space will barely make a dent in your wallet. The only downside to these types of structure is that they can take a lot of time and physical energy to build.
Pre-fabricated office
Pre-fabricated eco-buildings, such as this example from Sustainsia, are surely the simplest option, if not the most expensive. Fully fitted and ready to get, these eco-friendly “boxes” have come a long way from your chintzy caravans that were often held together purely by the accumulated mould. The fact that they look fantastic is just another bonus.
Straw bale office
As easy as building with Lego, straw bale structures go up quickly and offer superior insulation alongside cheap construction materials. The one downside is that, with metre thick walls, you’re going to need plenty of space to build; however, when kept dry with lime plaster or stucco, these structures will last thousands of years – plenty of time to turn that small business into a corporate empire. Take a look at some of the wonderful architecture created with straw bales.
Images: Sustainsia
