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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

#271

Post by greenowl »

swiftcoder wrote: post #236
greenowl wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stepping back a bit, if you are working remotely that's likely a proxy for an increased likelihood of job loss due to AI. Why start and invest in a construction project for a building that may not be staffed long term? Perhaps renting a small coworking space in town is the safer financial move. And have your employer pay for it.

> Perhaps renting a small coworking space in town is the safer financial move The article states that in only 4 years it's already broken even vs renting a coworking space. Plus it is at least a theoretical bump to the property value (vs rent paid to coworking space which would be pure overhead)

FWIW, I worked fully remotely (pre COVID) and my employer at the time was willing to fully cover the costs of renting a coworking space.

Though I never specifically asked, I sincerely doubt they would have footed the bill to construct a detached building in my backyard that I could work from instead.

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

#272

Post by saaaaaam »

kslambert wrote: post #128

Author here. Thanks for the comments everyone! There are many comments on the price point. I would like to comment on one thing. "$20k is too much" I agree $20k is an investment. Could I have done it for cheaper? Absolutely. Would a DIY shell been cheaper? Would doing more of the work myself have been cheaper? Could I have saved by putting in the smaller stock windows and not having a skylight? Of course! But I am a…

This is all very well. But what about insulting your office?!

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

#273

Post by hermitcrab »

olwmc wrote: post #270
hermitcrab wrote: post #234

This post from 2009 shows the offices of lots of indie software developers: https://successfulsoftware.net/2009/07/27/where-i-program/ Might have some ideas for people thinking of setting up a home office. When I moved house I renovated an old summer house in the garden now and use that as my office. It is great. I just wish that I had put in an air source heat pump, rather than an electric radiator.

As someone born after the year 2000 this stuff is like looking at both a future that never was, and a past that couldn't have been.

Home offices haven't changed that much, have they?

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

#274

Post by ghaff »

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.

Or where you may choose to work elsewhere on a whim. (Never mind that a partner and/or kids may place constraints.)

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

#276

Post by rconti »

trumbitta2 wrote: post #218
rconti wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't look any easier to break into than my house. Which is to say -- pretty easy, and yet, home break-ins are pretty uncommon.

I don't know. That's a wooden shed, while my house is brick and concrete with a common European armored door and roller shutters.

Well, in suburban Portland, where the wooden shed is, the house will be similar construction. You could very, very easily drill a hole in the exterior wall, reach through the hole, and unlock the door from the inside.

In fact, in many homes (like my own), there's a window directly adjacent to the doorknob, so you could more easily just smash the glass, reach in, and unlock the door.

And yet, it's quite uncommon for that to actually happen, and not something I spend any time worrying about.

In more urban settings or higher-crime neighborhoods, of course, people take more precautions.

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

#277

Post by kslambert »

jawilson2 wrote: post #147
JamesSwift wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I had the same thoughts about what they chose to DIY vs hire out. Insulation is so simple, and trim can be done at your leisure. But thats also not likely to save much overall since the contractors also know how simple those are.

You're missing the important part: doing all of this WITH A ONE YEAR OLD CRAWLING AROUND AT HOME. You can get things done, it is just an order of magnitude longer that it would take without kid(s).

Author here. 100% this. I bought a fixer upper before my child was born. I gutted our house and did most of the work myself. I saved a lot of money. And I realized something… I don’t actually like home projects. Once my kid was born it exacerbated the issue. I didn’t have time. My wife is a full time caretaker, she was with my kid all week so nights and weekend is my time to lean in. Doing this myself would have strained our whole family. The time just isn’t there, I want to be a present dad, husband. And I want to do things I truly enjoy: making art, playing music, cycling. It’s not a fit for everyone where I’m at in life contracting out work I don’t want to do myself is preferable.

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

#278

Post by lstodd »

krn1p4n1c wrote: post #247
lstodd wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you do it according to the code or better. No cheaping out on components, no shoddy work. Insurance won't revive you or your loved cat either.

Ideally yes. For me I found following the code difficult. Then compound that with needing to know the NECA https://www.necanet.org/topics/codesandstandards/neis/the-st... > + the state codes. It's non-contiguous in the way it's written so you need to know the relevant sections and how to apply them together. Simple things add up; proper color coding of wiring, knowing how much sleeve to leave in at the edge of a box,…

To the first approximation you have to control thermal output of your wiring.

Since it's I^2*R, you have to size your wires according to max sustained current, take into account thermal conductivity of where your wires are placed and keep all contacts tight. Also size circuit breakers according to that max current so they trip before the whole thing catastrophically overheats. Which is a trivial exersize in itself.

Short-to-case and leak current protection (the reason for three-wire systems/PE conductors and differential protection) takes second place. In larger installations there are also considerations about grounding / ground loops, but that usually does not matter for residential.

This is what the most of the code should be about (I never read US ones, but was doing apartments/small homes for like 20 years already).

The rest, as in colors, sleeves and exact connectors used is helpful, but not critical, and if you think that a typical contractor would not botch it up in a most horrible way, well..

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

#279

Post by zie »

toast0 wrote: post #206
zie wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you might get screwed on regulatory compliance, it just depends on your local govt and how much they want to screw you. It's got to suck to do the inspectors job. Having to keep up with whatever the code creators come up with, while also getting abused by every home owner and contractor in the area because they hate X,Y or Z. While trying to dodge political leverage from elected officials trying to get whatever pet m…

> It's got to suck to do the inspectors job. Having to keep up with whatever the code creators come up with, while also getting abused by every home owner and contractor in the area because they hate X,Y or Z. Permit inspectors are basically unaccountable. There's no requirement that what you sign off meets code or that you'll sign off if it meets code. As a builder, best thing is if you can fix whatever needs fixing…

Sounds like the sign of a badly run department. If they can't have some continuity/consistency, people will build less because it's a hassle and their community will eventually suffer.

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

#280

Post by amatecha »

copperx wrote: post #106
amatecha wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in the post: > I had tried coworking spaces but didn’t love the vibe or the idea of spending hours in a phone booth.

* Goes ahead and builds a $20k phone booth. Fantastic.

Yeah, it does seem pretty excellent! Even if it's a relatively small room (105 square feet or something), if it's right in your back yard with all your own stuff (and no strangers immediately outside the room), that's pretty awesome. No commute, no monthly/annual fees or lease etc... Plus it can be repurposed for other stuff if needed (guest house? kids' play space? etc.)
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