Home office before and after
When we bought our house, it had this amazing room on the main floor, with large windows overlooking the yard. A beautiful brick wall, and wood paneling EVERYWHERE! We knew instantly that it was the perfect room for a home office. Given we were moving in the middle of COVID we knew our new house needed an office space. Working on the dining room table and in the basement just wasn’t a long term solution for us.
The problem with the space once we lived in it was we realized that it was not properly insulated when it was built. This room was an addition to the main house. In the summer it was a sauna, in the winter it was an ice cube. It had so much potential, but it just wasn’t working.
So the plan was to rip it right down to the core, except the brick wall that we insisted stay. We realized once everything was ripped out that the room originally was where the previous home owners once had a hot tub and shower. We could see the cut out in the floor where the hot tub used to sit, and the pipes for the shower were still hidden behind the walls. Our amazing contractor noticed that the supporting beam above one of the windows wasn’t to code, so we had to add supports to ensure the integrity of the windows. You always find surprises when you rip walls open.
Part of designing a room correctly is making sure that everything behind the walls is set up correctly. It can be hard to spend investment dollars on things you can’t see, but you feel them so they are 100% worth the investment. You can always upgrade your furniture down the road, but you don’t want to have to rip open walls again. Don’t overlook this important step.
Before we touched this room anytime we did video calls for work people thought we were at a cottage chalet with all the wood paneling. We knew we wanted to keep some character in the room, but make it flow more with the rest of the main floor which we were also redoing as part of this renovation. We decided to add shiplap to the ceiling and add a beautiful wood beam at the peak. This beam is consistent with other wood beams we added to the rest of the space to create consistently in the house. They also complemented the brick wall beautifully.
We also wanted to make the best use of the space. It was a large room, so we decided on a layout to make it also a second TV room in our house. We set it up with a desk for working, a TV console and a comfy chair. The chair can be a seat for chatting with the person working at the desk, or watching TV when you don’t want to watch what the rest of the family is watching. We now love putting the girls in here with lots of pillows and blankets when we can’t decide on the same movie for movie night LOL. (One can only watch It Takes Two so many times).
We have been so happy with the end result of this room. With additional insulation in the walls and under the floor, a mini-split heater/AC unit and roller blinds on the windows it is now the perfect temperature year round which allows us to use it all the time. It now feels like a part of the home that was always there.
Let me help you make the most of your space. Let’s make sure it’s set up for you to use it and love it all year long. Reach out for a discovery call so we can discuss how I can help.
