Work spaces

With the right kind of property, working where you live can make life a lot less complicated, says Kirsty Mcluckie

Residences that lend themselves to remote working, Three of a Kind,

Arising number of people are turning their backs on travelling in to the office, opting instead for remote working or running a business from their home.

The most recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics in November 2018 indicate that currently 4.84 million people across the UK are self-employed and many others have embraced flexible working, with at least part of their week spent at home.

From buying a property with outbuildings to establish a business, adding an annex to house an office or workshop, or just creating a designated space in the home, it seems cutting out a twice-daily commute is attractive.

Middlefield Farmhouse in Kingskettle, Fife, is a lovely rural home set in a walled garden overlooking countryside. The house is available on its own, for £295,000, but for £30,000 extra buyers could invest in the sizeable agricultural shed at the back, which would lend itself to a variety of business ideas.

George Lorimer, who is marketing the property, says that interest has come from buyers with different ideas about how to use the shed. “It could be of interest to traders who want to deliver round the UK, agricultural contractors who have equipment for hire or a log or pet food business. It has a lot of potential and I would expect the person who buys the house to take the shed as well.”

Businesses started at the kitchen table in a modest home can find it difficult to expand if extra office space is needed.

A spare bedroom can suffice to create a physical barrier between work and home, but for a more permanent home office solution, adding a garden room or annexe is becoming a popular alternative.

These spaces can be built without planning permission, and can be

manufactured off-site using energyefficient materials meaning they can be constructed quickly and orderly, are costeffective to heat for year-round use.

Artist Krissy Stewart commissioned an art studio from JML Garden Rooms for use at the back of her house in Colinton, Edinburgh, which has just been completed.

John Langley, director of Perthshirebased JML, says: “With the increase in people working from home and high demand for space without the hassle and cost of moving home or building an extension, we’re seeing a significant rise in demand for our garden rooms, office pods and garden annexes.”

JML’S add-ons range from four to 18 square metres and cost from £15,000. They can be adapted with features, including kitchenettes or bathrooms, with most not needing planning permission as long as they don’t take up more than 50 per cent of the garden space or are located in a conservation area.

Developers are also taking note of the increased need for designated work spaces in residences, with many new homes including small offices that are not just another spare bedroom.

Cala Homes’ The Crescent at Donaldson’s has been designed to provide spectacular mezzanine studies in half the properties at the Edinburgh city centre site, taking advantage of the views out to the grounds of the original Donaldson’s School.

4.84 million UK people are self-employed and many others have embraced flexible working, with part of their week spent at home