A home office used to be a welcome feature for millennials. Now, COVID-19 has made it a “must-have” for this portion of America’s population—the largest sector of homebuyers in the country and growing by the day.
This is especially true in the Bay Area where, compared to other regions in the country, a higher proportion of workers are able to work from home, something which is expected to become the new normal rather than just a choice for many young professionals, particularly in high-tech companies. Twitter, for example, recently said that many employees can work from home forever, and Google has extended its work-from-home plan until the summer of 2021.
Changing Times
According to a survey of more than a hundred CEOs, the Bay Area workplace will be a markedly different world as Shelter-In-Place orders slowly begin to lift and companies attempt to regenerate their businesses. The surveyed executives expect only 74% of workers will be back in offices, and nearly a fifth of firms plan to go fully remote.
“We learned that we could do everything without being face to face because we use all this video-conferencing. In fact, our productivity has gone up. All put together it’s been a very positive experience. And we think that we’ll carry this forward well into the future. We just don’t see the need to go back to where we were before.”
– Tushar Kothari, CEO of Attivo Networks, a Fremont cybersecurity company
The outbreak has “forced our hand,” said Emily Mikailli, head of human resources at San Jose artificial-intelligence fraud-prevention firm Signifyd. “We’re not alone in thinking long term, ‘Do we really need an office?’ It’s likely only a matter of time before the company goes completely remote.”
Reconfiguring Your Home Is Essential
This trend now places a premium on homes with a fully functional home office, even two, given that many millennial couples are employed by companies who will increasingly shift to remote work. Homeowners who wish to profit from this change should consider adding this “must-have” feature to their properties.
Clearly delineating space will become much more important to establish efficient spaces in which we work, learn, and play under one roof. “The open-plan concept probably doesn’t work so well if more than one person is working from home or if the kids are being noisy,” says Jim Westover, partner-principal at William Duff Architects, “so that concept may be refined with partitions to dedicate space for working/home office—or some hybrid where the communal spaces are open concept, but they are supplemented by adjacent spaces that can accommodate quiet, focused activities, or work.”
Home Office Ideas
A finished basement or attic, for example, are about the lowest cost living spaces you can modify on your property. It’s space you already have and ideal to create home offices.
For homes with little room to spare, a trending design solution is a “pocket” office: a small interior space set aside with a built-in desk and all the essential technology and connectivity. Pocket offices are often set up near high-traffic areas such as the kitchen, great room, or tucked away in a closet or under a stairway.
Lacking floor space for more than a desk and chair, you can put the walls to work, taking advantage of vertical space with floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets, shelves, and a pegboard, magnetic board, or corkboard. With special paint, you can even turn part of a wall into a whiteboard.
Whether you plan to sell your home now or in the near future, remodeling it to respond to the work and lifestyle changes brought about by the pandemic is a smart investment.
Can We Help?
Julie and her team have exclusive access to a network of vetted professional designers and contractors which can help you capitalize on the growing home office trend. Contact us today for a free consultation at 650.799.8888 or Julie@JulieTsaiLaw.com.
