Practical Home Office and Home Schooling Solutions

There is little question that the coming academic school year and work environment are going to continue to look different this fall. With more and more school districts committing to virtual learning plans and most businesses asking their employees to continue to work from home to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, we’re all likely to be confined to our homes until a widespread treatment or vaccine is available. There is a good chance that you’ve come to know your home a little too well over the past several months, especially when it comes to what it’s lacking in terms of a quiet workspace or work area. The good news is that there are a variety of practical solutions you can enact now – both large and small – to make things more manageable in the foreseeable future for yourself and your children as we navigate the new normal. Here’s a look:

Quick Fixes

Don’t have a dedicated home office or study area? Don’t fret, there are a few things that you can do to create a makeshift area for either purpose. Here are some ideas, and we can help with further interior design:

• Put a desk in your master bedroom: This is an area that likely receives little activity during the day, which would make for a good environment to focus in without disrupting the rest of your household.
• Turn your dining room into a makeshift school space: Put your dining room finery in storage for the near-term and turn this room into a temporary school area. Have a desk for each of your children to work at for individual assignments and place a monitor or laptop at the front of the “classroom” to stream the teacher’s lessons.
• Create the ideal environment: Make sure where your kids are learning, or you are working is receiving a good amount of natural daylight. Daylight is proven to boost productivity and elevate mood, something we all need – especially now.

ADU

If you’re looking for more of a permanent fix, an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, can make for a great addition to your property. These units are most popular as in-law suites, pool houses or guest accommodations, but they can make for ideal home offices or classrooms as well. What’s nice about ADUs is that they’re versatile. So, while they may be housing virtual learning or serving as a temporary office for now, when the pandemic ends they can easily be converted into a guest room or apartment that you can rent out to supplement your income. Contact us today to learn more about ADU house plans and services.

Below-Grade Expansions

If you can’t build out, why not build under? A basement, or below-grade expansion, is one way to add space to your existing home when there’s limited room in your yard and you’re unable to add another story to the home. These areas can then be easily converted into a study or home office.

Contact Us Today

For more information on the little and big things that you can do to add functionality to your property and better accommodate at-home learning and work, contact us today to learn about our architectural design services.