After the 2020 pandemic that shook the UK’s work landscape, most businesses have shifted to running from home. Freelancers are also not left behind, as plenty of individuals have embraced the working-from-home culture. In the midst of this is an intense craving for a dedicated office.
While a home office is a conventional idea of how to run a business from home, it is often difficult to separate regular home life from work life. This has led to a rise in interest in dedicated backyard offices, and log cabins have proven to be the perfect choice for UK businesses and freelancers.
Whether you are a Small business owner, freelancer, entrepreneur, remote worker, or startup founder looking for a professional workspace in your backyard, consider a log cabin.
This blog post discusses the benefits of log cabins, cost effectiveness, among other important topics about the backyard office structure.
Why Log Cabins Are Ideal For Business Use
Separation from home life, customization, and flexible investment are key reasons log cabins have become popular among UK businesses and freelancers.
Professional Separation from Home Life
Working from home offers the freedom to work according to your schedule and at your own pace, but it often comes with the downside of distraction. Working from your home exposes you to distractions, making it difficult to concentrate on your work.
A backyard business space like a log cabin takes away this challenge by giving you a separate home office to enhance work-life balance.
Customization for Different Industries
Regardless of your business or choice of office structure, there is a log cabin that suits your needs. Whether you are into therapy, IT, or a salon, you can structure and design your log cabin according to your taste and lifestyle.
Professional Appearance
Another reason you want to ditch your regular home space for a log cabin outlet is the backyard office’s professional look. Interacting with clients in your traditional home can be challenging, which is not a concern with a log cabin workspace. Since you can design the structure’s appearance to suit your business, giving your brand a professional appearance is easy.
What Types Of Businesses Are Using Log Cabins?
Log cabins are ideal for a wide range of business owners, including therapists, writers, and consultants.
Coaches and Therapists
As a therapist, investing in a log cabin helps create a professional space to host your clients without distraction. Your clients will also appreciate having a secluded space to express themselves without the fear of someone from the next office picking up their words.
Creatives
Creative professionals like graphic designers, writers, and videographers also find value in log cabins since they can set up their space to their requirements and enjoy maximum concentration.
Freelancers
Freelancers require a workspace with enhanced focus, and log cabins are the right choice for them. Since they can have their dedicated office, akin to a regular work office, freelancers can focus on their creativity and boost production.
Boutique Services
Are you a boutique owner looking for a space to showcase your products and services? Consider a log cabin. With a well-designed log-cabin space, you can display your products to clients and carry out beauty-related activities in your space.
Costs vs. Benefits for Small Business Owners
Although a log cabin can be pricier than a traditional shed or renting an office space, it is cost-effective in the long run.
Renting a commercial office requires regular renewal to keep using the office. However, owning a log cabin gives you outright ownership of your office space and no monthly payment is required from you.
According to Tally Workspace, the average cost of a workspace in the UK is between £200 and £1400 (£800) monthly, while Sykes Cottages puts the average cost of a log cabin between £10,000 and £100,000 (£50,000).
With this data, it will take you less than 7 years (50,000/800 = 65.5 months) to pay off your log cabin home office from funds that would have gone into renting an office.
It is also worth noting that log cabins are qualified for tax incentive benefits, depending on the nature of your business and the size of the cabin. For example, large cabins in the UK are classified as buildings and are VAT-exempt.
Additionally, you can decide to sell your log cabin and make money from it when you no longer need it.
Legal and Planning Considerations
Understanding the legal framework associated with installing a log cabin in the UK is crucial.
Although permitted development rights apply to most log cabin installations in the UK, some situations require planning permission.
For example, log cabins with heights above 2.5m or units that cover more than half of the garden size require owners to get planning permission to go on with the installation. Other conditions associated with getting planning permission include installations with high visitor rates, noise, or signage.
You also want to comply with insurance policies. Since standard home policies don’t cover business activities, it makes sense to go for public liability, especially if you entertain clients in your cabin.
Regardless, check with your local councils before starting your installation.
Designing a Cabin for Business Efficiency
A few considerations must be made when designing your cabin for business purposes. Features like insulation, soundproofing, and electricity are crucial to maximize efficiency.
Insulation and Soundproof
You want a haven you can use all year round, and keeping your cabin warm is the right path to take. With the UK’s variable weather, keeping your space warm will help ensure you and your clients feel comfortable in your business space.
Similarly, soundproofing your space ensures your discussions are safe during meetings and outside noise doesn’t get to you.
Lighting
Lighting plays an important role in the efficiency of your business space. A well-illuminated space not only improves aesthetics but also makes business activities smooth. Hence, you want to invest in adequate lighting.
Of course, natural light is nature’s gift of illuminating your space, but combining it with LED lights will help optimize illumination and prevent eye strain during business operations.
Electricity and Wi-Fi
Electricity is a feature you don’t want to skip on your list of considerations to increase business efficiency in your space, which is why you want to connect your log cabin to a power source. Remember, some of the features you are bringing into your space run on electricity.
Similarly, don’t forget Wi-Fi. You want a space with seamless connectivity where clients can easily connect to the internet. You can achieve this by installing a strong broadband extender for easy connectivity.
Challenges to Consider
As appealing as log cabins can be, they are not without challenges.
The most significant challenge with log cabin installation is the upfront cost. The upfront cost of log cabin installation is high, compared to renting a traditional office, which deters many from the commitment. From groundwork cost to the cost of fittings, the initial setup costs of a log cabin can strain your budget.
However, keep in mind that while the upfront cost can be high, log cabins offer high returns in the long run.
Conclusion
Log cabins offer UK small business owners, solo entrepreneurs, and freelancers a smart solution to run their enterprises from home, and the number of adopters is growing.
With a blend of flexibility, affordability, and professionalism, professionals and business-minded individuals in the UK can have a place to run their business from their backyard. With thoughtful planning, you can achieve a space that suits your business.
Are you a business owner or a remote worker? Consider installing a log cabin in your backyard today.