If you’re considering an alternative workplace, you might want to pick up on the trending office spot for businesses today: gardens

In a 2015 ONS survey, a staggering 4 million employees in the UK work from the comfort of their homes. Quite a few of these home-based workers occupy a space within their homes but a growing number of professionals are now looking into the viability and better work environment that a multifunctional garden office shed provides.

The reasons are for more practical and highly productive than you ever thought about workspaces:

No daily commute

The cost, not to mention the hassle, of commuting every working day practically reduces to zero when all it takes for you to get to work is a brief walk from your home to the backyard. You get to save a big chunk of your income for other business or personal expense. Plus, there would be lesser car repairs or no traffic jams to deal with.  

Away from the city and office noise

Urban-based worker will find a surprisingly calm yet serious working environment in a garden office set-up. Away from the usually busy and chaotic city streets, an office in a garden thrives within a quiet working zone, which normally allows for a more productive work. And in this private space, there would be no constant gossiping of colleagues or telephone chats to disturb you and you get to focus on your work alone.

Ditch the 9-5 routine

Most of the job roles taken by home-based employees belong to highly skilled trades and professions that follows a strict working hours on company offices. But with a work-from-home set up, they enjoy less stringent work procedures such as schedules, breaks and yes, uniforms. Sounds a procrastinate-prone area? Not with the right working attitude and proper self management.

Personalised work haven

Creative artists have long benefit from having their workplaces made into styles and designs of their own. Now even professionals and career men have the opportunity to take up a workspace, bring in their choicest furniture, paint favourite wall colours, and call it their very own. The thing is: having a garden office allows them to adjust and organise until everything brings out the best working mood for them.   

Be inspired by nature

Studies show that a minute of nature walk or sight-seeing increases work motivation and productivity to a significant high. Imagine having to work all through your office hours within a garden. Having an outside office gives you free rein to get a good view of the environment, or position your desk towards the windows or wherever you may have access to green spaces. And to get the best of this natural productivity booster, indulge yourself in a couple of nature walks during breaks. You can even tend to your garden just so you could free your mind from the stresses building up or to keep your creative juices flowing.

Balanced home and work life

Given the near distance between your home and workplace, balancing your family and career needs become a little less taxing, and heart breaking. You can attend to your kids’ needs, talk or play some time with them, and prepare home-cooked meals for the family- all whilst maintaining a career (and a good pay) within your backyard premises. Work from home employees see this opportunity as a balancing ground between work and home. The only key here is management.   

A more private workspace

Taking an extra room or space in the house for an office is a built-in convenience, but getting an outdoor office proves to be more productive for your work. Garden offices provide the peace and quiet which a home-built office hardly brings, especially when there are little kids around. The typical noise and clutter would only get in the way of your focus, much as it is in a crowded company office.

As for client-oriented businesses, a separate outbuilding will allow for more secured  business dealings and private client meetups. Taking clients to a garden office is almost always a plus factor to your credibility and your business as a whole.

Repurpose a garden office

As with any other outdoor sheds or log cabins, a garden office can be converted into other room. Temporarily or permanent, it can be repurposed as your hobby area, leisure room for the family or guest room for your surprise visitors, all with an easy access to the garden.  

Increases your property value

Additional home features such as garden sheds and offices could add a 5-7% value to your property. That converts to potential profit source should you need to sell off your property to real estate buyers. A wise investment.

Having a garden office proves to be expedient in more ways than increasing your work productivity alone. It is a growing trend that has captured a good market within the country’s workforce. And it’s yours for considering too.