Home Office With A View
Words: Pattie Pegler
Images: Supplied
Many of us work from home at some point, whether it’s a day a week or full-time. We might spread out on the corner of the kitchen table or take our laptop to the spare bedroom. But architectural designer, Josh Newlove, has created a home office that ticks all the boxes – great views of Mt Peel, close to the house, but far enough away to avoid disturbances.
It sounds pretty swish but Josh built the space entirely himself all from recycled materials, seeking out bargains on Trade Me and Marketplace and doing most of the work himself.
“I love coming up with new ideas and experimenting,” says Josh. “And Dad is a builder so I grew up around building.”
The cladding is from a damaged building, the windows are recycled from the old Crow’s Nest and even the desk is a massive macrocarpa slab that Josh milled himself. He was keen to make use of the huge amount of waste in the building industry and to be as sustainable as possible in building this home office.
Of course, using recycled materials can create some restrictions – for instance the size of the office was decided by the three sheets of ply that he had for the floor. But it doesn’t mean a compromise in quality – the office is fully insulated, all the rafters are exposed and are one continuous beam from inside to out and there’s a 20mm plywood eave. The door is painted a bright yellow (Resene Bright Spark) to match the yellow kitchen in the main house. And, of course, there’s wi-fi internet and power. The space is versatile and could be used for other things – such as a sleepout or extra living space as the family grows up.
All up the total cost of creating this office has been around $5000 estimates Josh, although obviously that has not included his own labour.
Like many of us Josh got a taste of working from home during Covid –it was a steep learning curve he says. But now he likes to divide his time between the buzz of the NB Architect office in Timaru and his own home office which he finds is a good space for focused, creative work. “It’s nice to be able to work for a while then go into the garden, do something in the veggie plot and have a break,” he says.
So what are Josh’s tips for others looking to create a similar home office? Well, keep things on the smaller side, if it’s less than 10 square metre it doesn’t need a consent but does need to be built to building code. Get some advice from a builder or designer and use recycled materials where you can to save on costs and save good materials from going to landfill. And location is key – you want to be able to tap into power and wi-fi from your house and be near enough to pop in and get a cup of coffee but far enough to get some quiet time.
