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Trends in Telecommuting:
The True Home Office
Today's home
offices have changed residential design forever. They are now a
mainstream feature in nearly every type, size, and price of new home.
Professional, market-sensitive builders know that families need a
separate space to conduct business from home and meeting individual
family needs is key to blending both work and living environments.
At last count,
more than 4 million people work full time from home, and professional
builders are making space in their floor plans to meet the need for a
work space that is both separate and private. Increasingly, builders are
providing more than one room in which owners can conduct business, and
the floor plan placement, access, and other features of today's home
offices are increasingly sophisticated.
Compared to the
work spaces, dens, and libraries from just a few years ago, today's home
office is specifically designed for and dedicated to office use. Just a
decade ago, a spare bedroom or parlor doubled as the home office.
Depending on its size and placement in the house, a home office might be
converted for another or shared purpose, but increasingly is a staple in
the floor plan by itself.
To answer the
homeowners demand for dedicated office space, builders often locate
these rooms on the main floor, often just inside the front door. This
allows privacy by separating the office from other public areas. In
addition, the office might share a powder room or full bath (with its
own door) and provide built-in bookshelves or extra storage and surfaces
for files and office equipment. In model homes, home offices are
marketed to make sure that potential homebuyers are aware that the
builder offers a dedicated office space in addition to the bedrooms
within the floor plan.
Increasingly,
luxury and custom homebuilders may provide a smaller office niche near
or adjacent to the master bedroom or in the kitchen. These secondary
office areas work well for home management tasks, such as paying the
bills or maintaining the family schedule. Such space can also be carved
into a long and wide hallway or in a second-level loft between bedrooms
providing family access to a computer or as a dedicated homework area
for school-age children. The floor plan may also include a similar space
near the kitchen or family room so parents can supervise schoolwork,
craft projects, or oversee Internet access.
In some cases,
the home office is a separate building, outside the main footprint of
the home's floor plan. As such, these offices also feature a separate
entry that allows at-home workers to come and go and greet clients or
visitors without disturbing or being disturbed by household activities.
Regardless of the
context and however accommodated in the floor plan, there's little doubt
that home offices have changed housing design forever. They are now a
mainstream feature in nearly every type, size, and price of new home.
Market-savvy builders recognize that families need a dedicated space to
conduct business. Whether as full or part-time at-home workers or as
part of managing the household, this trend is sure to continue and
evolve.
Warm regards,
John Kaltenbach
John Kaltenbach Homes
PO Box 21114
Albuquerque, NM 87154
(505) 856-8553 - phone
www.jkhomes.com
c. 2006 All rights
reserved.
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