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Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

imkylelambert.com

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Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#131

Post by linsomniac »

rootsudo wrote: post #43

Boy things are different in Portland where you pay people to insult sheds… But 8x10 for $20,000 just goes to show how expensive USA is for construction. There’s a point where I would review coworking space cost (not as convenient, I know) to just living and owning property abroad.

For reference, ~2 years ago I did a 8x12 shed for under $3K, DIY. It is not insulated or finished inside. Footer and slab were under a grand, I used some reclaimed 2x4s and bought the rest, sheathing, roofing, flashing, self-made windows were around another $1,200-$1,500. Paint was the real surprise at almost $300.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#132

Post by zie »

Jeremy1026 wrote: post #73

I have one problem that keeps me from doing something like this. Weather. I don't want to get wet walking out or back because it happens to be raining.

You can put in an awning or covered walkway between the buildings. You can even do a fully enclosed, fully climate controlled hallway with lots of windows and doors out to the yard, etc. Just depends on how much you want to pay and your imagination.

I've seen some properties where they build ponds underneath the indoor hallway with glass flooring to see the fish and stuff in the pond. Obviously wild things like that cost a bit more then a simple awning or covered walkway.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#133

Post by nkrisc »

marssaxman wrote: post #101
ryandrake wrote: post #3

For work-from-home, I can't emphasize enough how much of a game changer it is to have a physically separate building for your work, especially if you have a family with kids and noise and pets and things. Working from a spare bedroom, even one without a bed / outfitted as an office, is just not my thing. Even if your family "knows the rules" and let you work in peace. It subjectively still "feels like you're home". W…

If what you want is an office you can go to which is not in your home, it seems like it would be ever so much simpler to go live near your actual office, which your employer already pays for, than to move far enough away from everything that you can afford to buy a piece of property, build an office on it, and then have to deal with all the extra driving a remote lifestyle implies. In my opinion it's commuting to the…

I would not go out of my way to live near where I work when my employer can fire me on a whim.

If the office was in a place where I could reasonably expect to find other jobs as well, then that could be part of my consideration, but I would never choose to live somewhere based primarily on whatever my current job is.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#134

Post by dearilos »

eysquared wrote: post #10

Im jealous of the Tuff Shed or prebuilt being an option. Where I live we have incredibly high snow loads, so any structure ends up needing to be custom built to meet our requirements (even out buildings). I've found plenty of pre-fab units that claim to handle "high snow loads" that will not meet code where I am. I'm still planning on building out an office/studio, but it will be a much larger investment despite bein…

Heya I'd love to help you bring it to life and DIY it. I'm working on https://myhomecat.com/ - which lets you design a code-compliant version and you can fiddle around with budget, needs, etc. I've helped other folks with step by step guides after they've created a design they're happy with.

Can I ask you how you're designing it right now? I could whip up some designs for you for free.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#136

Post by dearilos »

gfat wrote: post #27

I've wanted to build one of these for a while just to have that "going into the office" feel even with WFH; appreciate the detail and breakdown. Also, lovely styled personal site.

Have you started designing? If you're open to it - I could help you jump start this and give you a few designs for free based on what you're thinking about.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#137

Post by senordevnyc »

chasd00 wrote: post #120
gehwartzen wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I would recommend just doing it yourself. Especially if you have a contractor pull in the electrical connection for it. I installed a pre-charged unit in a much more complicated attic setup (condenser mounted to outside wall on second floor, 20' of refrigerant lines run with lots of angles) and the whole thing took 6-8 hours with no experience. Mounting it to a shed where you're basically just cutting a hol…

if someone finds out you did this yourself then can't the city put a lien on your property preventing a sale until you rip everything out and have it re-done by a licensed person? I know with electricity whether you do it per code or not a licensed electrician has to sign off before you can sell your house. at least i think that's how it is..

I mean...what are the odds of that? And if it does happen, it sounds like a hassle, but the overall cost in that scenario probably isn't THAT much higher than having the licensed person do it in the first place?

Sure, if the odds are 50/50, or you go to jail, or the fines are $50k or something, then yeah, do it right from the start.

But if there's a 2% chance of getting caught, getting caught costs you 150%, and not getting caught costs you 10%...the choice is pretty obvious here, isn't it?

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#138

Post by marssaxman »

nkrisc wrote: post #133
marssaxman wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If what you want is an office you can go to which is not in your home, it seems like it would be ever so much simpler to go live near your actual office, which your employer already pays for, than to move far enough away from everything that you can afford to buy a piece of property, build an office on it, and then have to deal with all the extra driving a remote lifestyle implies. In my opinion it's commuting to the…

I would not go out of my way to live near where I work when my employer can fire me on a whim. If the office was in a place where I could reasonably expect to find other jobs as well, then that could be part of my consideration, but I would never choose to live somewhere based primarily on whatever my current job is.

That's a good point. The office I mentioned was located in downtown Seattle, a city where jobs are plentiful and I have many connections, so moving there was an easy choice.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#139

Post by someothherguyy »

veverkap wrote: post #74
krn1p4n1c wrote: post #7

I ran PVC between my house and shop/office with 2 sets of single-mode fiber instead of ethernet. Electrical code will require proper grounding for copper for lightning strikes.

Do you have to do PVC or can you just bury the fiber?

it depends on the cable type, what you are willing to spend, where you live, etc

i tried to find a page that wasn't terrible for this, still kind of bad though:

https://www.gloryoptics.com/info/how-deep-does-spectrum-bury...

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#140

Post by senordevnyc »

vinyl7 wrote: post #92

I can't even afford a home and yet some people are constructing secondary dwellings on their property. The wealth disparity in this country is massive

There is no country on earth that doesn't have the massive wealth disparity where some people can't afford to buy a home while other people can afford a shed.
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