Can glass extension home offices increase productivity?

Working remotely from home has become a much more viable option since the Covid-19 pandemic, after businesses were forced to take a more flexible approach to how their employees carried out their work.

Now, for at least for part of the week, more people than ever are working from home. But for those who have been doing it a while, working from the kitchen table has lost its appeal and they are increasingly craving a dedicated home office space.

If you're the type of person who needs a distinct separation between your personal and professional life, working from home can be a challenge. Many home workers are becoming tired of fitting their job around the general comings and goings of their household. More people than ever are recognising the need for a quiet and inspiring home office in which they can focus and thrive.

What can help is creating a new and separate space dedicated specifically as your home office. This will reduce distractions and help you maintain a better work-life balance. It will make you feel more professional and productive.

Home office extensions

A home extension creates additional living space that can be used in a variety of ways – and over the last few years more and more people are choosing to use it as a home office.

There are many benefits of using your home extension as additional space for an office. By creating a dedicated home office space, you can make a clear distinction between your home life and your work hours. Not only will this help you to focus and work more productively, but it will also help you relax and enjoy your home life. You’ll be able to physically leave your home office and switch off from work for the day.

With your own dedicated home office, there’s no requirement to clear your work off the dining table every day to make room for dinner. You can create a space that works for you and your needs – a comfortable, customised home office completely cut off from the noise and distractions of your family life. You’ll be able to fully immerse yourself in your work, and be more focused, productive and fulfilled.

Added to that, if you need to meet with clients or take video calls, having a home office that looks smart and professional will be a bonus.

A multifunctional home office extension

The great thing about a home extension is how versatile it can be. If you only work from home part time, or if you feel that you could do with the additional space for more than your work, why not turn it into a multifunctional space?

Your home office extension could double up as a weekend games room or a TV room for cosy evenings. You could even create a kitchen extension and plan in a dedicated workspace within it.

Modern glass kitchen extension.

And, as with all home extensions, your new living space will add value to your property, so you’re likely to see a return on any investment you’ve made.

The impact of natural light on productivity and wellbeing

Natural light can make a huge difference to your mood, energy and overall wellbeing. Studies have shown that healthy exposure to natural light can lift the spirits, enhance sleep and reduce the risk of depression.

And it’s not just your general mood and home life that can benefit from natural light. Workspaces filled with daylight help people to be more productive, creative and efficient. Not only does natural light in the office help you sleep better and therefore be more alert during your working day but, according to research in offices and schools, it can also improve productivity by up to 40 per cent.

If you work from home full time, half of your waking hours are spent in the office, so having that exposure to natural light is vital.

Spark productivity and creativity with a glass home office extension

It therefore makes sense for both your home life as well as your working day to bring as much natural light as possible into your new extension. And the best kind of structure for doing this is the modern version of a conservatory or orangery: a glass extension.

Glass extensions can be used for a variety of purposes because they function just like any other room in your home. Thanks to their high levels of insulation and air tightness, combined with controlled ventilation, glass extensions can be used as home offices, family rooms, gyms, spas, dining kitchens – the choice is yours.

As home offices, glass extensions offer a bright and airy work space filled with natural light. And what a pleasure it is to sit at your desk and be inspired by the views! Whether you’re looking for a small and cosy home office or a large space in which you can feel free and creative, a glass extension could be a perfect solution.

And, as a custom designed extension, a fully-glazed home office can be any size or shape you’d like it to be. It could be a wrap-around extension that encompasses the whole house, a side extension that utilises wasted space, or a rear extension through which you can enjoy views of your garden.

Inside, glass home office extensions can be designed to be a functional yet comfortable and inspiring home office perfectly suited to your needs. Maximising natural light, they are the antithesis to the traditional image of a dark, cramped, stuffy office. A home office extension filled with natural light can feel more spacious, sparking creativity while having a warm atmosphere in which to work in comfort.

Things to consider when designing a fully-glazed home office extension

Although a glass extension is the perfect space for your home office, there are some practical things to consider when designing your new working-from-home space. Things to think about include:

Practical considerations

• Make it a pleasant space that works for you on a practical level. Ensure it is free from distractions. Think about noise – hearing the kids being boisterous in the next room is not great for productivity! Equally, it will not be helpful for your work to have a space which other members of your family might enter or walk through.
• You’ll need to balance the benefits of natural light in your office with the practical need to see your computer screen, laptop or other tools you use for your work. Shading options such as automated blinds can come in handy in this respect. Or you could configure your space so that your screen is shaded by some furniture, or have an anti-glare cover fitted.
• Although glass extensions flood your space with natural light, reducing the need to use artificial lighting, if you live in the UK there will be some months when it's rather gloomy, to say the least. Consider also installing lighting within your glass extension for those days when the natural light is not at its strongest. This will ensure you maintain an environment for sustained productivity even during dark winter days.
• Ventilation and heating are also important to create a comfortable environment for productive working. A thermally insulated glass extension should maintain an even temperature throughout the seasons, but you can make use of heating options. Ventilation can be provided through window openings as well as incorporating sliding doors or bi-folding doors as part of your glass extension design. These can then be opened up for natural ventilation when the weather is pleasant.

• Think about where your power points will be. Home offices typically require more plug sockets than a normal room for electronic equipment, internet connectivity and cabling. In a glass extension there are not as many brick walls on which to place these. They are usually built into the floor, so think about where your desk and equipment will be, to prevent unsightly and dangerous cables running across the floor. These elements must be organised separately to the installation of your glass office extension, or co-ordinated by your architect or project manager.
• If sustainable living and working is important to you, consider energy efficient options such as solar control glazing or even glass extensions that can meet passive house (Passivhaus) standards.

Design considerations

• When designing your glass extension as a home office, consider the layout. Ensure the dimensions allow you to include the furniture and equipment you need for your work, as well as ample room for movement and creative thought.
• The size of your extension will also depend on the number of home workers it needs to accommodate, the configuration of your house and, of course, your budget.
• Consider how much storage space you’ll need and where it will be placed. Use clever design and storage solutions.
• Equally, think about your office furniture and where you’ll put it. Items standing against the glazed walls won’t look great from the outside, but you’ll have at least one wall of your home connected to the extension that you can use. Although you don’t need any wall at all separating your glass extension from your house, you could keep at least one partial wall for electric sockets and furniture if required.
• Plan your route from your home office to your kitchen and the bathroom. You don’t want to be distracted by the rest of the household while nipping to the loo.
• Choose furniture and furnishings that give you inspiration and comfort. Create an ambience of productivity and motivation through the aesthetics of your glass home office. Ergonomic desks and chairs can minimise the risk of strains and injuries.