Chuck Newton

The AbleNook - Possibly The Ikea Of Home Office Space

I still hear it all of the time from lawyers.  I want to work at home, but there is no space.  I need to get out of the main house because the family dynamic (wife, relatives, kids and/or dog) leaves me nowhere to concentrate on my work.  In this regard, we have proposed a lot of solutions to construct a small office away from the home, whether just out back or near the house.

The new alternative being developed is the AbleNook. Sure these structures tend to be promoted as emergency housing, but it is really for any use or need you might have.

On Kickstarter, the system has already received over 150 pleadges and has raised more than $10,000.00 of its $60,000.00 goal.

Much as you would assymble furniture from Ikea, the AbleNook is intended to be put together with not much more effort. You can also dissembled it and move it with you at a later date. More sturdy than a trailer, it has a beautiful architectural aesthetic. You can back this project with a $1 minimum pledge before Monday, February 4 at 2:52 p.m. EST. at Kickstarter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How About Modular BrickBox Home Office?

I hope that most home office attorneys, spare room tycoons and carpet commuters are eliminating the paper and physical files from their lives.  But, whether you need a bulk system of storage or a more decorative solution to carving out an office, you might want to consider something like BrickBox.

It is a shelf/storage solution that fits almost every purpose. Modular, it is a system designed and manufactured in Barcelona by Antxon Salvador and Roger Zanni.  It can be assemble and stack, packed or transported by simply grabbing a handle.  It comes 10.6″ x 10.6″ x 14.2″ (small) or 21.3″ x 10.6″ x 14.2″ (large).  And, it made from birch plywood.  BrickBox is searching for an American distributor, now.  And, current pricing is between $40 and $60 per box.

The video below is in both Spanish and English and it goes back and forth from the two languages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SmartDeco For Your Home Office

Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects.  It allows for the the production of some interesting products that can fill a need.  One interesting product that raised money through Kickstarter is SmartDeco furniture.

SmartDeco is an affordable, designed and professionally engineered set of furniture that is made from 100% recyclable product called Enviroboard, that folds together in minutes without the use of tools.  It comes in a flat-pack and each piece is available for about $65 or less each.  Although the white version costs a little more.

I get questions all of the time from new lawyers who (1) have very little room in an apartment or some place for large furniture, and (2) cannot spend a lot of money. This seems to fit their needs.

The truth of the matter is that in this day and age, with all of our wireless connectivity, you do not need a dedicated office. However, we often need a sort of landing pad. We need a place to hook up computers, phone and the like, and generally keep the implements of our work. You can place this is a corner of a room or in a closet without it overcoming or making your space look gaudy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How About A $1,800 Law Office? (VIDEO)

You know me. I think the amount of space that lawyers need to do their work is exaggerated. It is more ego than necessity, and it leads to a cluttered and complicated life. But, a quiet dedicated work space is good. If you do not have room in your home, then try building a space in back or close to your home. It might be a little industrial shabby chic, but throw in some windows and some planting and you are good to go.

In Berkeley, California Karl Wanaselja, along with his business partner and wife Cate Leger, created their home-office using an old refrigerated shipping container that cost just $1,800. They cut their 40' long refrigerated unit in half and placed it in a T shape in their backyard. Because it was a refrigerated container, they did not need to add any insulation. Using a reciprocating saw, the couple cut huge windows into the aluminum/stainless steel structure.

You can see for yourself.

Live + Work + Home = Politically Incorrect?

I get some flak about my politics and the practice of living and working from my home. Fair enough. These comments come from ardent conservatives who believed, I guess, in the concept of a home office, but seemed to be disturbed with an emphasis in my blog linking the act of working from home with the green movement.

My overall argument over the years, working from The Worldwide Home Office, has been both capitalistic and green. In short, it has been about both green as in money and green as in the environment.

Here is the truth of the matter. Americans are simply wasteful in ways that do not benefit either themselves or the community as a whole. The argument I encounter often is that we have a right to be as wasteful as we want. Where that might be true, I also have a right to be as critical about it as I want. The readers of this blog are free to buy Hummers and waste natural resources, commute hours to work, and duplicate space or build a footprint on this planet as big as his or her ego will allow. I am free to explain that there is, in my humble opinion, a better way that serves each of us better, both individually and the community as a whole. Readers are entitled to their opinions, and I am entitled to mine.  Being allowed to express a difference of opinion is really the true meaning of freedom in my book.

But ultimately, the problem arises when some people see my advocacy as impinging on their free speech. These people believe it better that I not speak as it conflicts with their opinion of the World. I think I have a right to express myself and they are free to read it or not, believe it or not, or adhere to it or not.

Now, whether or not my motive for practicing law from home conflicts with someone's view of what is politically correct, my point is pretty simple. Our bedrooms are empty two-thirds of the time. Our living rooms are empty seven-eights of the time. Our office buildings are empty one-half of the time. All of this space is both the largest waste of our personal money and resources, and it is the largest single consumer of energy.  Space consumes more energy and results in more pollution than cars, or anything else. Getting to and from our spaces is probably responsbile for a good bit of the oil and gas we use. The more we reduce our footprint, the more money we get to keep to spend as we personally see fit. As an added bonus, with a smaller footprint we are less dependent on foreign sources of energy. There is less polution. We have better air quality. We are less stressed.  We have more time. To me, all of this amounts to more freedom.

It is true that I have often viewed this policy of mcmansions in the suburbs, macdaddy offices in the city, and a gas guzzler to get between the two as destructive both economically and environmentally. I believe that reducing our footprint we can benefit us both economically and environmentally, personally and for the greater good.

I think it is okay to be as conservative as you want and still work out of your home. Do it for the personal savings and the extra time it affords you and your family. You do not want to do it for the environment? You want to use the savings to buy a bigger house and a bigger vehicle? That is up to you.

Sett Studio

I continue to get throw back from attorneys that they do not have the space or privacy in their homes to have a home office or practice.  My question is often, do you have a yard? Even a small yard will do. If so, then add a small studio office. I have posted examples before, but here is an example from Sett Studio in Austin, Texas.

These home offices range in size from about 97 to 192 square feet, they are energy-efficient and cost between $20,000 – $30,000.  Construction takes about 45 days and installation is finished in a couple days.  Transportation costs between $500-$3,000 depending on where the studio is being shipped.  Typically permits are not necessary given the size of the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is There A Solar-Powered Shed In Your Future?

In order to have a home office, you need a home-based office space.  Some people have that inside their home.  Some do not.  The point is that it easy and relatively inexpensive to add if you need a degree of separation between work and home.

One example is StudioShed.  Third Wave has blogged about it before.  But, here is an example by Gail Seigel.  She is not a lawyer, but a full-time jeweler.  It does not matter as it shows the versitality and possibility of the space.  After weighing her options, including renting a space and buying a larger home, she decided to install a 14'x10'x9' prefabricated a solar-powered backyard shed by Studio Shed.  It includes electrical and plumbing, and has FSC-certified TruWood Collins siding, corrugated metal, a foam-insulated cement floor, energy-efficient windows, and eight 235-watt solar panels.  Not counting solar panels or other options, Studio Shed offers a shed of this size for about $7,200 and generates enough energy for the shed and part of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How About A Cheap Solar Powered Law Office Or Space

First, as everyone knows, I work from home.  But, I hear from people all of the time who say I just do not have the space or the privacy to do this.

Second, although I do not need to meet with clients other than online, over the phone or at the courthouse, I hear from lawyers that say they need a space to meet with their clients.  This is perfect either as an adjunct to your home or at a location near your home.

Third, I appreciate cargotecture or the idea of adding space using recycled shipping containers.  I have provided a number of examples over time on this blog.

Sometimes these examples take some reimagining as many examples show where the space is built out as a living space.  This works too because (1) an increase in living space can free up work space in your house, and (2) shipping containers are just boxes that can be finished out any way you want, and placed any where you want.

For means of more inspiration on the subject comes the Sunset‘s Idea House, or Cargotecture.  An ultra-modern small space of only 192 square-feet (this one can actually sleep fourt), it is solar powered.  The 24' shipping container was designed and fabricated by Seattle-based HyBrid, it sell for a base price of $59,500.  You can view a lot of pictures of its installation at their website HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backyard Container Office

As most know, I like the idea of working at or close to home.  I also like the idea of building office work space out of storage containers.  Below, Stephen Shoup of building LAB inc., built this modern, green office space from an old freezer and a corrugated shipping container behind his live/work space.

The building is covered in cement-board panels and reclaimed redwood with insulation under it.  It has  radiant heat, solar thermal panels, a cork floor and paneled walls.

It shows what is possible.

You can find more information on this building at Jetson Green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda Congdon On Coworking