In 2013 when we bought our house in Chandler our first daughter had just been born.

We had three bedrooms. The Master Bedroom, the Nursery, and my office. We knew if we had more kids that my office would have to move. I’d been working from home full-time for quite a while by that point, and had no intention of changing it.

One of the reasons we really bought this house was the massive yard in the back. It had plenty of room to build an office.

Some would call me handy, but I’m by no means a construction expert.

About the time we were pregnant with our second child, I started to draw up plans for my outdoor office. I had a few requirements:

  • Rough size of 8’ x 16’
  • Big window
  • Separate storage access for storing yard tools, supplies, etc.

I started putting together some drawings in sketchup and finally came up with something I really liked:

The design borrowed heavily from my brother’s home office that I helped build.

Many months came and went between the final design and the start of construction. But eventually, I broke ground.

Each hole was filled with compressed gravel and topped with a concrete stone that would support the foundation.
I spent about 4 hours making sure it was completely level in every axis.
The foundation is all pressure treated lumber to handle any moisture in our dry desert.
Finally raising the walls!
Only one wall left.
Putting the roof on.
I used 3/4 inch OSB for sheathing.
I caulked and foamed every joint
After installing the window, doors, and siding and putting some paint on it's finally completed on the outside.

After a (non-contiguous) week of construction I had a completed building. The inside was unfinished, but there’s no reason that should stop me!

I do not recommend an OSB desk.
***

It’s been almost a year since I started working in my new office, and it’s been a great blessing.

The inside is still unfinished, but I’ve added a lot including an adjustable height desk, and a few shelves.

I’ve written more about what it’s like working in a detached building, but still at home. If you work from home, or are interested in working from home, I suggest you give that a read.