In the near future, most people will work from home. To fulfil family and work commitments a new basement design will often be the answer. According to a recent assessment, half of Britain’s workforce will earn at least some of their income by working at home in 2020. In the United States the halfway point was reached a few years ago. That’s quite a staggering demographic trend, and few homes are ready for it.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of people who work from home increased by a quarter million in the last decade. It was 4.2 million in 2015 and will soon exceed 4.5 million. About a third of these people work exclusively from home, and that figure is rising even faster. This is a major cultural shift, and the rest of us should probably be preparing for it.
Are our homes and family routines even suitable for home-working to succeed? While many of us thrive in a social work environment or quiet office, home-working does not necessarily provide either. With rents and house prices at an all-time high, increasing numbers of us will struggle to find the space.
Why Is It Happening?
Several factors are converging to promote remote working. One of course is communications. The internet and IP telephony mean that huge resources of information, software tools and connectivity need no longer be centralised in expensive offices and depots. Retailers are increasingly turning to the web and dispatching goods from automated warehouses, so they don’t need expensive high street stores.
For many business owners, there are enormous savings to be made. They don’t need to buy or lease city centre real estate, stock them with furniture and equipment and pay rates and utility bills on them.
For the rest of us, home-working could mean fewer cars on the road and more opportunities to look after our children. Nursery provision and Universal Credit have so far fallen well short of their promise to provide childcare for the long hours people need to work.
Basement Design Solutions
Working from home is far from a walk in the park. Many people find it hard to concentrate even without children intervening. Those who still need to meet clients and customers will need to entertain them in a confidence-inspiring space conducive to business.
Basements are ideal for offices, workshops, salons and therapy rooms. Unlike kitchens and bathrooms they pose fewer drainage and air-conditioning problems. Unlike living rooms and bedrooms they are less complicated in terms of health and safety and planning regulations. They are easy to soundproof and keep secure and private.
For those of us who will miss the social aspect of old-style work environments, a basement is also an ideal space for entertainment. Noise is less likely to affect neighbours or sleeping children.
Unless trends drastically change, homes able to provide a professional work space will become ever more desirable and harder to find unless we learn to make the best of what we already have.