Garden Shed Office?

Turning a garden shed into a home office is an enticing idea. It can be tough to find affordable floorspace when you outgrow your existing house. For many folks, expansion options are usually up, down, or out (but not always in that order). If there's no space in the attic or basement, it's time to look outwards ... but it's often not just about the available space, it's the budget that makes the ultimate determination.

Jamie wrote:

I'm interested in two types of sheds which if they could be combined in a workable way, would be great. Office type shed, and storage/garden shed.

I'm also converting an existing garage which might serve as the office unless a shed would be better.

Jamie's note strikes close to home. We've been bursting at the seams at ranchero indebto for years ... And I've long considered converting our two car garage to living space. But converting the garage means losing the garage space. In our case, that can only mean building a new garage, or better yet, a nice little barn with an office loft. Alas, the (non-existent) budget rears its ugly head and we continue to make do with what we have.

Using a garden/storage shed as a home office is a very viable option. But it might not work well if the structure has to do double duty as both a storage shed and a home office. You don't want to be confined in a small space with all the fumes from your gasoline-powered lawn tools as well as any chemicals you store.

If you build a small home office shed without a permanent foundation, it may be possible to escape the impact of the tax man. It pays to check you local municipality's tax and zoning laws. An 8x12 foot home office shed on timbers might not be considered an improvement to your property, from the point of view of the powers that be.

Finding hidden space within a converted garage can be another option. If the overall height of the garage allows a loft area, you may be able to tuck your office into space that you might not have ever considered.