The most efficient home office space is one you can shut the door, from the inside when you are working and from the outside when the working day is over. It has to be said that this is not always possible, you may not have a dedicated space nor the budget to create one. It may be that you need to find an under-used space in an existing room. If you have a stairway, chances are you may have an area under that stairway, which if you cleared out, might be convertible with a built-in desk and storage to use as office space. Choose either a spare bedroom or a bedroom which is not used during the day, so preferably not a child’s, and install a desk either somewhere in the room or, clothes allowing, commandeer one section of a fitted wardrobe and fit it out as a workspace. Any space that you can borrow from existing accommodation will give you a low cost work space, which although far from ideal, with allow you to work from home, especially if the house is otherwise empty during most of the working day. The expenditure involved, although limited, is not liable to add any value to your property.

Having other family members at home during working hours is not the best scenario for working in an area where you have little or no privacy, so maybe you need to consider a more radical approach to your working needs. Perhaps converting your attic into a room which could be used as an office, maybe building an extension to your house or consider installing a garden room as an office.

An attic conversion will take you up into a different level of expenditure, with the build cost depending on the style and size of the space. Based on a 30sq.metre space, the cost of a basic conversion could be upwards of £25,000; a Velux loft conversion could cost £25,000 to £30,000, with a dormer conversion understandably more expensive at around £40,000 to £60,000.

A bungalow often has a larger footprint than other house types and on that basis, a loft conversion of around 50sq.meters may be achievable. This could have a cost of around £65,000 – £85,000, but with the larger area, you could perhaps manage to configure more than one room in that floor area.

It is worth noting that a well executed attic conversion could add in the region of 20% to the value of your property, by using what is usually dead space, used for storing items which will simply gather dust and may never be used.

Also worth noting is that an attic conversion may well not require planning permission as the work may possibly be carried out under permitted development. It won’t eat into your garden space, although it will require space from existing house to allow the formation of a stairway to the new space. Converting an attic in a semi-detached house will require that you reach a Party Wall agreement with your neighbour before you start any work on the conversion.

Building an extension may seem a little extreme to achieve a home office, but an extension can take on many shapes and can have a range of costs. A simple single storey extension could cost from as little as £1,500 per sq. metre, meaning that a 5 metre by 4 metre extension would cost around £24,000 but would potentially add around 15% to the property value. A two storey extension would cost around £2,600 per sq. metre, meaning that a 20 sq. metre extension might cost in the region of £56,000.  This could potentially add 20% to the value of the property. Not only would you have built a substantial home office for your own use as well as that of any future buyer, you would also have added value to your property, which might make the spend more easily justifiable. Like an attic conversion, an extension can be built under Permitted Development, provided you meet the required criteria for the size and position of the extension.

A garden room is another alternative worth considering for use as a home office. These can be fairly basic structures, brought up to a higher standard with the addition of wall panelling, flooring and services  or at the other end of the scale, custom built, fully insulated units with all cabling, in place for lighting, heating and technology. For use as an office these can range in cost from £2,500 to over £20,000 they are a very cost effective alternative to extending or converting your home. It also has the psychological advantage of not being part of your house, it is out in your garden and as such, you leave your home to go out to the office. You are no longer distracted by day to day family activities and yet are still in close proximity to your home.

Garden offices require electricity to power the lighting, heating and all the necessary technology. That being the case, they will need to be connected to the mains supply from your house and this needs to be done by a qualified electrician who can self-certify the work. Your new office will also be required to comply with the current building regulations and this will also need to be certified by a qualified building control officer.

Regardless of which option you decide to adopt, there is plenty of advice in the market with regard to the design and configuration of an attic conversion or a home extension, much of this can be found by going to;

https://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/architects-design-drawings  

Scroll down the page and fill in the short form, agree the terms and conditions then hit the green "Get Estimates" button and you will get a list of local service providers with their contact details.

There is also a wealth of information and advice available from a wide variety of Garden Room manufacturers.

Always ensure that you check the credentials of the professionals or contractors you are about to use. Make sure they have the relevant experience, qualifications and insurances and check if they are members of a trade organisation or are on a Competent Persons Register.