Basement Home Office
Running a business out of your home? Whether it’s part-time or full-time, you’ve probably found yourself wanting for a dedicated space that won’t be invaded by other parts of your life. Sometimes, a spare bedroom or random nook in the home becomes a designated office space. But more often than not, an office is usually the dining room table or shoved off in a corner or against a wall in a bedroom or den. The best solution is often a basement home office.
There are a few ways to approach a basement home office. In some cases, you may run a business where it may be useful to have clients visit you at your home. But you want a designated space that can be made separate from the rest of your house. If you have an easily accessible outdoor entry to your basement, you may consider this as an ideal location for a home office. You can then close it off from the rest of the home except for a door that you can lock so people don’t wander around your house. You may even decide to have a small half-bath or powder room off of the office. Not only does this make for a great convenience for you, but also for potential clients.
What if you don’t have an easy outdoor access? This doesn’t really matter if you don’t care if clients are going to be visiting you. If it’s just a private office, you can really put it anywhere that makes the most sense based on the layout of your home. The primary things that you need in any home office are sufficient electrical outlets, a strong internet connection (wifi is best), and enough space to store a computer, accessories, file cabinets, and any other materials to which you need consistent access. Also, you want plenty of lighting. Natural light is always best. Try not to make it too harsh, as this isn’t good for anyone’s eyes.
Beyond the obvious usefulness of a dedicated office space, you can even get a federal income tax deduction in the United States if you use the space for business on a regular basis. It’s based on your net business income, and can greatly offset the costs of actually operating the home office. Especially if you are in business for yourself, this is a very useful way of absorbing some of your expenses. It may only be a few hundred or a couple thousand dollars, but every dollar counts. This is one major reason why having a dedicated space that you can properly measure in square footage is so helpful. Of course, you need to make sure that your space qualifies, and Investopedia has some good advice regarding the home office tax deduction qualifications.
As far as resale value, they only pay back about 50 percent of what they cost to construct. But if you make it large enough, add a closet and enough natural light, you could later market it as a spare bedroom. It all depends on the buyer and a designated office space can even be a solid selling point. Whether it’s to save a bit of money on your taxes or just to avoid the headaches of sharing house space with the rest of your life, a home office is a solid investment.
