Setting up a Home Office

When someone decides to start a small business from home, he or she often overlooks one essential thing - where the home office will be located. Some people have plenty of space to use for a home business office. However, for most people, finding a spot to set up an office can be a challenge, especially if they are hoping to be able to use it as a tax deduction.

Sometimes, creating a completely separate home office isn't possible, especially since having a guest bed in the office is a deduction deal breaker as far as the IRS is concerned. If the office doesn't qualify for a deduction, don't forget to check with an accountant to find out if furniture and supplies are still deductible.

Home Offices Inside the House

Turning an old guest room into an office is often the easiest solution for fledgling entrepreneurs. It is inexpensive and easy, since the most someone should need to do is remove some furniture, paint and bring in new furniture. If the business owner still needs space for guests, he or she may want to try buying a trundle bed that can be stored under a bed in a child's room until it needs to be pulled out for visitors. A sleeper sofa for the family room may also be a good option.

Large closets or pantry areas may not be the roomiest areas, but they also can be quickly converted into simple offices.

If there isn't a separate area of the home available, dividing a large room in two with a long curtain attached to the ceiling can be a great way to create a temporary home office.

For a more expensive home office solution, look at areas that will need some remodeling work. A screened porch could be finished into a year round addition without too much effort. A two car garage could be divided in half to provide a roomy office that has plenty of room for inventory, too.

• Placing the office on the far side of the garage can really provide some privacy for important business calls and eliminates traffic from family members who just need to grab something from the new one car garage area.
• Checking with the town or county permit office before doing a remodel is a smart idea.

Offices in the Yard

Prebuilt sheds make a great readymade home office and are usually not difficult to get a permit for. Electrifying the shed and running phone lines to it will be an expense, but the whole project will be much less costly than renting office space in a nice building over the course of several years.

The old RV that is quietly rusting away in the driveway can be another excellent office option. Since these travel trailers are usually electrified and can have running water, the big expense would be setting up a permanent hook up for the RV in the yard.

No matter where a home office is located, it is important to make sure that it is convenient, quiet and nice enough to entertain occasional clients. Of course, it would be nice to have it qualify as a tax deduction, too. For many small business owners, a bit of creative thinking is all that is needed to create a home office that can meet the needs of a fledgling business.

Finding Home Office Space Can Be Challenging.

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds