Working from home is one of the simplest ways you can reduce overhead costs for your business. Instead of renting out office space, you work from the comfort of your humble abode. Nonetheless, some people struggle to maintain a sense of professionalism and productivity when they’re working from home. This is why it’s very important to have a dedicated home office space. You need somewhere that’s separate from the rest of your home, so you can differentiate between work and free time. It will really help you get into the right mental space, which translates to less downtime in your business. 

Clearly, the best place for a home office is your garage. It’s separate from your home and big enough to be comfortable. Still, some people think it’s a waste of money to convert their garage to a home office. Well, here’s why it actually makes so much financial sense: 

You remove monthly office costs

Converting your garage gives you a place to work from home while maintaining professionalism. It may even be large enough to have one other employee work there – like an assistant. The cost of renovating your garage may vary depending on what needs to be done. But, it usually costs around $6,000. This will include a whole bunch of different payments. The cost of actually physically renovating the garage makes up a huge chunk of that, and then you have services like Evergreen Junk Removal that help you remove all the existing clutter to make room for the home office equipment. Sure, that’s a lot of money, but think about the difference between this one-off cost and the cost of renting an office. 

According to the experts, a small office can set you back around $300 per month, per person. As an individual, you’d end up paying $3600 per year on rent alone – and that’s not factoring in energy bills. Add another employee and that figure rises to $7200 a year on average. Remember, this is an ongoing payment, so you will spend far more on office rent than you will on a garage conversion in your lifetime – it’s simple economics. 

You create a more productive environment

Studies show that individuals working from home are 47% more productive than those in an office. However, the key to maintaining productivity is to have a proper workspace. You need somewhere quiet where you can think and work without other distractions. 

A garage conversion is a perfect solution. You get the benefits of an office environment that encourages you to focus without the added distractions an office can bring. Plus, you have your own flexibility to work whenever you like, maximizing productivity. Financially speaking, this can mean you improve your work output and make more money – all thanks to your garage office. 

You negate any commute expenses

Lastly, let’s briefly touch on the fact that working in a garage office requires no commuting at all. You negate any expenses related to this, such as public transport or fuel. While these expenses can be written off as tax deductibles, you won’t see this taken from your budget until tax season. So, you still pay for them every day, eating into your cash flow. 

Working from home certainly helps you save money, but the big worry is that you can’t focus or work as productively, which leads to more downtime and less output. But, a garage conversion makes financial sense as it tackles both things head-on. You get the benefits of working from home almost merged with the benefits of being in an office environment.