{"id":24707,"date":"2025-03-14T14:32:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=24707"},"modified":"2025-03-14T14:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:35:07","slug":"homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Homework\u2019: The Rise of the Home Office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Families cramped together around a kitchen table, working, and learning online isn\u2019t sustainable for productivity. Now, more home builders and interior designers are carving out workspaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the pandemic, the work-from-home trend was growing in popularity. Improved technology and connectivity are allowing people to be more productive at home as employers have offered greater flexibility. But now that COVID-19 has made working from home even more prevalent\u2014coupled with students learning online\u2014many families are finding themselves crowded around the kitchen table or staking out various nooks to accomplish tasks on their laptops or tablets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Cook, founder of a Chicago-based commercial interior design firm, Mary Cook Associates<\/a>, has experienced this challenge firsthand. She took the dining room table for her office in her suburban house; one of her three children claimed the sitting area in the parents\u2019 suite, another picked the furnished basement, and the third chose a table in the family room. Fortunately, Cook\u2019s husband is retired and so doesn\u2019t need to compete for working space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The finagling has made real estate professionals note the need for more functional, designated work-from-home solutions. This has led to the creation of home offices using two techniques: reconfiguring existing spaces or adding new square footage. These new home office designs vary in size and location\u2014some near the main living space or bedrooms, others in basements or attics. There\u2019s also the trend of outdoor accessory dwelling units<\/a> if the plot size and local building codes permit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, some new homes might soon offer multiple workspace options on different levels, says Jeff Benach, a principal of Lexington Homes<\/a>, a Chicago-area homebuilder. For years, his firm\u2019s plans have included a flexible space on the main level of their three-story townhome design that some homeowners use as an office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the pandemic, more buyers\u2014maybe 50% more\u2014are interested in that plan because of the potential for having an office or e-learning space,\u201d Benach says. \u201cIt\u2019s become a bigger priority, and we\u2019ll include it in more designs and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company also offers options in other designs, including a lower-level finished space, a loft near bedrooms on an upper level, and a built-in desk with shelves at the top of a stairway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pyatt Builders<\/a>, based in Carmel, Ind., regularly includes a flexible room in its 2,000-square-foot new homes, which the company is now emphasizing on social media and in its email blasts. \u201cIt can work as a home office or remote-learning classroom,\u201d says Todd Pyatt, owner and president. Because of concerns around COVID-19 and more homeowners\u2019 desire for private workspace, the company is considering including both a home office and a space designed with more flexibility in its 2021 construction projects, Pyatt says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the country\u2019s largest homebuilders, Los Angeles\u2013based KB Home<\/a>, recently redesigned some plans that include a fully outfitted home office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve specifically offered a dedicated workspace with a range of options that provide an affordable work-from-home experience,\u201d says Jeffrey Mezger, chairman, president, and CEO. The design features a built-in workstation with cabinet space, open shelving, and an upgraded electrical package. Home buyers can customize the space more with soundproofing<\/a>, lighting, ceiling fans, window treatments\u2014even with a beverage center, half-bath, and outdoor entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe company will add options to meet clients\u2019 evolving needs,\u201d Mezger says. Two of the company\u2019s California communities will introduce the concept, after which the option will be available nationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing the demand for private conversations, another homebuilder, Toll Brothers<\/a>, based in Horsham, Penn., is developing matching home offices for couples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook, who designs model homes for the company in several markets, says people tend to speak louder when they are on a call or in an online meeting than they do in person. She also points out that home offices work best with enough counter or desk space to spread out papers and set up equipment. Well-designed offices, she says, should be flexible enough to meet the needs of different family members at different times because most homes aren\u2019t large enough to include a separate office for each person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, more important than size is creating a quiet space. Before the pandemic hit, KTGY Architecture + Planning<\/a> used to design \u201chome management center\u201d desks in high traffic areas. Now the company is brainstorming how to close off those centers. Making a space that could be as small as a phone booth with a door would let residents take a call or have a Zoom meeting in private, says Jonathan Boriack, associate principal in the firm\u2019s Oakland office. \u201cIt\u2019s not a place where you\u2019d work all day,\u201d he says. His firm\u2019s other solutions are to steal space from a laundry room, pantry, or hallway. \u201cThe challenge is to control noise,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news for homeowners who incorporate almost any variation of a home office is that they may be adding value to their home now and beyond. \u201cRemote work is here to stay,\u201d Boriack says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Stats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite some imperfect workspaces, 86% of North American workers who responded to a March 2020 survey from San Diego\u2013based Global Workplace Analytics<\/a>, a research and consulting firm, said they felt highly productive working from home, particularly because there were fewer interruptions than in their workplace offices. As the effects of the pandemic have lingered, many workers have been reluctant to return to offices and classrooms, and the work-from-home trend is expected to continue. In a survey from 451 Research<\/a>, an advisory firm based in New York City, nearly 80% of employers say they\u2019ve established or have expanded their work-from-home policies, and 67% expect those policies to remain in place. Three of the greatest predictors of work-from-home success are self-discipline, high quality remote collaboration, and well-being, according to Global Workplace Analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Association of REALTORS\u00ae
Reprinted with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Families cramped together around a kitchen table, working, and learning online isn\u2019t sustainable for productivity. Now, more home builders and interior designers are carving out workspaces. Even before the pandemic, the work-from-home trend was growing in popularity. Improved technology and connectivity are allowing people to be more productive at home as employers have offered greater … <\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8],"tags":[5,32,4,9],"class_list":["post-24707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-real-estate-tips","tag-anthony-didonato","tag-news","tag-real-estate","tag-tips","item-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Homework\u2019: The Rise of the Home Office - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Homework\u2019: The Rise of the Home Office\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-14T14:32:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-14T14:35:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":985,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"keywords\":[\"Anthony DiDonato\",\"News\",\"Real Estate\",\"tips\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Real Estate Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/homework-the-rise-of-the-home-office\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Homework\u2019: The Rise of the Home Office - 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