Over the last few years, the number of people who work from home has grown exponentially. Hybrid and remote workers now dominate much of the workforce.
Naturally, along with this growth comes the need for professional home office spaces that cater to working from home.
Finding a perfect balance between comfort and professionalism, much like the balance between work and life, takes a lot of effort to achieve.
One solution to this predicament is a backyard office pod.
To learn more about backyard office pods and how they can benefit your work-life balance, keep reading.
All About Backyard Office Pods
What is a Backyard Office Pod
A backyard office pod is a small garden building, typically detached from the home, that is designed to serve as a quiet, private home office.
This sense of separation from the main homestead is what gives backyard office pods their edge.
In this era of working from home, a distinct separation between work and home is a difficult balance to achieve. Out of this conflict came the backyard office pod, a modern solution for a modern quandary.
Most garden office pods are insulated and fully fitted with electrical sockets and lighting, functioning just like any other room in your house.
Sturdy yet aesthetically pleasing and cohesive materials are also crucial, which is why you’ll see many an office pod made of sleek metal and clean wood paneling.
One of the key features of the backyard office pods is the expansive windows and doors. No one wants to sit in a stuffy, dark garden shed outside to do their work.
Plenty of natural light and views of green grass, lush trees, and beautiful flowers are major selling points for backyard office pods, and for a good reason.
Looking out into nature instead of a blank white wall, a busy office space, or the back of your coworker’s head will do wonders for your overall health and happiness.
How To Get Started With a Backyard Office Pod
One of the many great features of a backyard office pod is the set-up options available to you.
If you’re on a tight budget and short on time, you can get a pre-designed, pre-built office pod ready to go delivered to your backyard.
This option is typically the cheapest and quickest to get set up.
Though pre-built, these backyard office pods come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and features, so you can still customize some aspects of the space.
But, a pre-fab backyard office pod might not fit your exact needs and standards.
If that’s the case, then you can also invest in a bespoke backyard office pod made and tailored to your liking. Usually, this is the most expensive option.
However, a bespoke office pod will ensure you have exactly what you need to establish a private, comfortable, and professional home office that will last.
If you’re particularly handy, you can, of course, build your own backyard office pod! That way, you’re involved and in charge from start to finish.
The downside to DIYing your own backyard office pod is all the finishing touches needed to get your new home office up and running.
An office pod isn’t just a shed with a desk. For it to fulfill its function, you will need an efficient electricity system, not just an extension cord and surge protector that run from the house.
You will also likely need insulation and some HVAC work to make it suitable for year-round comfort.
Ultimately, there is no best way to go about getting your own backyard office pod. The decision is entirely personal and circumstantial.
Regardless of the means through which you get your office pod, you’ll be glad you took the leap and actively improved your home working situation.
Your mental health, focus, and productivity will thank you!
Why Should You Invest in a Backyard Office Pod
Benefits of a Backyard Office Pod
Flexibility
Yes, a backyard office pod gives you the chance to tailor your office to your liking. But it also gives you the flexibility to change your mind.
Ultimately, your office pod is entirely your space. If you decide one day that you’d like a standing desk or a different lighting set-up, there is nothing stopping you from making that change.
This way, your backyard office pod grows and develops with you.
Comfort
A backyard office pod allows for all the comfort of working from home while maintaining a structured, professional atmosphere.
As opposed to a traditional office space, you can curate and specify your office pod to your liking. And you can still enjoy your favorite working-from-home attire.
If you want to wear slippers, comfy pants, and a neck pillow while you work, no one’s stopping you!
Just make sure none of those items appear on camera during meetings.
Ease
For many, the commute is the most dreaded part of their workday.
Whether you’re jammed onto trains and buses or stuck in traffic barely inching along, commuting during rush hour isn’t fun for anyone.
And unless you go on foot or by bike, commuting can also be expensive and detrimental to the environment.
A backyard office pod brings your commute down to roughly 30 seconds (on foot, too), simultaneously cutting costs and reducing your carbon footprint.
Efficiency
Unless you live alone or have a space in your home completely free of distraction, you will likely fall victim to interruptions to your work that you wouldn’t typically experience in an office.
Pets, mail carriers, kids, neighbors, and chores can be hard to put out of your mind when you’re sitting at home.
However, once you’ve shut the door behind you to your backyard office pod, you can leave most of those distractions behind.
This makes much better use of your time and energy, rather than your brain trying to balance a million tasks at once.
Your focus will be much more singular, potentially cutting down on time spent working overall.
Backyard Office Pods and Your Work/Life Balance
Though working from home offers many benefits, it can certainly have its challenges and obstacles, too.
When you work in an office or store, or restaurant, you can close your computer, remove your nametag, clock out, grab your coat, and go.
There is a distinct separation from what is and isn’t work time. It’s much easier to leave work at work when you can literally do just that.
When work takes place entirely within your own home, those boundaries can get very blurry very quickly.
At first, it might seem great and super productive to be able to complete your work tasks whenever the motivation hits you as opposed to being tied to office hours.
But soon, you’ll likely find yourself sitting in front of your computer for ten hours (or more!) a day because it’s difficult to justify not doing it.
You can try to close your laptop and walk away, but when you remember something you meant to do earlier or decide you want to reply to just one more email, you’re back in work mode before you know it.
Overworking and being unable to separate your work from your life can lead to burnout, prolonged stress, fatigue, and other mental health issues that can bleed into every aspect of your life.
However, with a backyard office pod, quitting time has a much more definitive meaning.
When you wrap up your work day, you can leave it behind in your backyard office pod – hence why the physical separation between work and home created by an office pod is so desirable.
There are not one but two doors and a commute (albeit barely) separating you from your office, resembling a more traditional work setup.
This way, you can curate and maintain a home working environment that is productive and healthy.
Keeping work and home detached from one another means you can make time to spend time with your family, do the things you love, and take better care of yourself.
Feeling more balanced and fulfilled can greatly improve your overall quality of life. Backyard office pods are one way of achieving such equilibrium.
Aesthetic Value of Backyard Office Pods
Different Styles of Backyard Office Pods
Backyard office pods don’t just add value to your life and well-being – they add value to your home, too.
The phrase “office pod” might conjure up images of small, enclosed, cubicle-like spaces, like what you might see in a research library or an actual office building.
However, for your home garden office pod, this does not have to be the case.
Just like any other addition or extension to your home, you’ll want the pre-existing aesthetic and architectural themes to be continuous and harmonious.
Even with pre-fab backyard office pods, there is no shortage of style and design options.
The contemporary and modern office pod designs tend to be the most popular and pair well with sturdy materials like wood and steel.
But if you want a more rustic-feeling backyard office pod, you have options, too!
Maybe you want something a bit more quirky, or you’d rather leave your office pod nice and simple and let its function speak for itself.
Regardless, the office pod design choices you have to consider are plentiful.
Even if you’re purchasing a pre-designed backyard office pod, you can still ensure the structure flows seamlessly with your home.
Decorating your Backyard Office Pod
Such an exciting addition to your home working environment calls for some sleek, stylish furniture to match.
When it comes to purchasing office furniture, ergonomics is the name of the game.
With that in mind, small tweaks to your set-up can help to increase all the benefits that a backyard office pod affords you.
Ensuring that your office chair supports your spine and keeps you at eye level with your monitor is a must. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor, using the ground or a footrest to do so.
You’ll want to situate your desk in your backyard office pod so that you have plenty of space for your legs underneath and can keep your monitor at least an arm’s length away from your face.
Backyard Office Pods: FAQs
Are backyard office pods safe?
As long as they are structurally sound, office pods are certainly safe, just as any shed, conservatory, or back house would be.
However, whether or not you want to leave your expensive gadgets and equipment out there is something to consider carefully.
If your backyard office pod has a tough lock, is nice and sturdy, and can hold up against the elements, then you should be just fine – even better if you have a lockable cabinet or closet inside the pod to store your valuables.
Can I use my backyard office pod year-round?
Depending on where you live and how your backyard office pod is set up, sure!
Many backyard office pods have heating, cooling, and insulation that keep the space temperate and comfortable all year round.
If your winters usually bring feet of snow at a time, then you might want to think twice about your backyard commute.
But otherwise, many folks use their backyard office pods all year long!
Wrapping Up Backyard Office Pods
With a backyard office pod, you can reclaim your time, energy, and focus while working from home, where comfort and peace meet professionalism and efficiency.For some other creative ideas that make the most of your outdoor space, check out more on backyard living!
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Leah is a writer, editor, and content manager with Minneopa Orchards and holds a master’s degree in English.
She grew up in the south and enjoyed long growing seasons spent in her father’s lush vegetable garden. Buying produce from the store was unheard of in her house!
As such, Leah enjoys writing about gardening and sharing her knowledge and experiences with others.
Leah can be reached at leah@applepiemedia.net