When the Prime Minister urged us into lockdown in March and asked people to work from home, offices popped up in spare tooms, kitchens, dining rooms…anywhere there was enough space while school-age children studied at home as well.
Not every household is blessed with a study or, where a family has two of more people working from home, there may be a fight for supremacy in the designated workspace.
The stop-gap kitchen table solutions may have worked for a while, but as social distancing continues and Boris Johnson still recommends working from home, people are starting to look for more long-term options. In addition, some businesses have seen the cost and life/work balance benefits of allowing their staff to work from home, which means this is not a short-lived phenomenon.
The garage is an area where office space can be created. We have worked with multiple clients who have turned their once dusty garages into a space that is more useful to them, including home gyms, playrooms, workshops, etc. and now offices.
What is critical to transforming garage space is warmth and light…otherwise is just feels like a draft-filled, dark garage! Choosing the right garage door can make all the difference. Here’s why:
Insulation
This is how you will eliminate those drafts. The make-up of the garage door and how it seals into the opening will determine how warm your garage space will be. There is no point adding the expense of heaters when you have not got rid of the main source of your chilly temperatures. If your garage is an integral part of your home, you will feel the difference in any rooms above too.
Light
Modern garage door styles include those with windows to give you natural light without having to cut a hole in your garage wall! The more traditional designs have windows at the top of the door, which will preserve your privacy too, but you can also get near fully glazed versions.
Access
If you do not have a side door or internal access to your garage, you may want to consider a side-opening garage door or even a wicket door. If you are content with opening the whole garage door, we can automate it to make life easier, but both side-opening or wicket doors present you with more traditional entry options. Another alterative is that we can put in a side door for you! There are always solutions.
If you are planning on spending more time working from home and think your garage would be the ideal site for a new office, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. I have included some links to other projects below where solutions mentioned in this article have been used.
Side doors: We do a lot of side doors too!
Side opening doors: Draft-free and secure – two reasons to choose a side-opening door and New access for fitness studio
Windows: Workshop enjoys natural light and Does your garage door need windows?
Even more light: A pool with a view
Wicket door: Wicket door suits keen cyclist
Insulation: Stay warm with insulated garage doors
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