Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220113
SECTION: FALL HOME PAGE: 14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Of those workers, 12.2 million were full-time self-employed home workers, 12.1 million were part-time self-employed home workers, 7.6 million were full-time telecommuters (company employees working at home), and 9.2 million people used their home offices to finish their work after business hours.
But this study doesn't include the millions of families who are buying home computers and setting aside special areas in their homes to use them.
The consensus among area retailers who deal in office furniture, supplies and computers seems to be that most Southwestern Virginians fall into this category. Although a good number of their customers are self-employed sole proprietors, very few of them are telecommuting in the true sense of the word.
In bigger cities, telecommuting is becoming very popular, said Jeff Hicks, director of design for Design Business Interiors, a Roanoke firm specializing in creating commercial and residential office spaces.
The company has been designing home offices for less than a year, he said, but the response to the service has been very good.
Most Roanokers want "a space for their kids to develop their computer skills," he said. Others are retirees or older couples whose children have moved out who want to put an empty spare bedroom to use as an office.
"Roanoke doesn't have the corporate structure of larger cities," agreed Doug Hyre, a vice president with Harris Office Furniture, Inc. His firm also will design home and commercial office space, right down to the floor and window treatments.
For his company, the residential market "has just begun to take off," he said. His firm always has designed offices for students and other home users, but in the past five years, more and more people have been asking for career-oriented space.
Of course, anyone can put a desk and a lamp in a corner and call it an office, but to get the best use out of the space and the equipment, it's often a good idea to call in a professional designer, preferably one who belongs to the American Society of Interior Designers, Hicks said.
"You don't have to have a lot of money to come to a designer," he said. He can accommodate people with modest ideas and a small budget.
After looking over and measuring the space the office will occupy, Hicks will create a plan for the room. His firm will order whatever furniture the client chooses, or, if they want custom-made built-ins, contract with a carpenter to come and do the work. Harris Office Furniture offers the same types of services, Hyre said.
But Hicks said many of his clients choose just to pay for the plans and then go out and buy what they need themselves, or to give them to their own contractors.
A design firm will be able to find a wider variety of equipment than a person who chooses to shop locally, but when furniture has to be ordered, the office will often take longer to set up because of delivery times, Hicks said.
About half of his customers are starting from scratch, Hicks said, but the other half already have a home office set up and just needs suggestions for making the area more efficient or convenient.
The most important thing to consider in setting up an office is what kind of equipment is needed and how space limitations will affect that, Hicks said. Obviously, someone who plans to use a copier and a fax machine will need more space than someone who needs just a computer and a printer.
Do-it-yourselfers often make the mistake of buying furniture that is too big for the space, Hyre said. They may have measured the room to see if the desk they want fits, but they often forget to measure the doorways the pieces have to brought in through, and whether there is enough clearance to open and close the door itself.
Location is important, too. Although he has wedged all-in-one units into spaces as small as 48 inches, "less isn't always more," Hicks said. Although a smaller space costs less, there's often a trade-off in efficiency and storage space.
It's not a good idea to set up an office in the bedroom, Hicks said, because the people who use the room may have different schedules. Besides, he said, "you don't want to work in the room you sleep in. Avoid that at all costs."
A family room often is not a good choice, either, he said, because of all the activity, unless the office will be used for personal business only. A basement room is a good option, if there is enough lighting.
In fact, he said, lighting is often overlooked when a homeowner is setting up an office.
"It's probably the most important factor in a home office," Hicks said. Improper lighting can cause eye strain and other problems.
In addition to having the right kind of light, desks should be made of dark wood or laminate, so that reflected light isn't a problem, either.
Having enough storage space is important, too, Hicks said. Besides filing cabinets, most people need at least one bookcase for reference manuals and a cabinet for office supplies.
The type and amount of storage needed "depends on the individual," he said, and on the work they are doing.
Both Hicks and Hyre say they believe the home-office market will keep growing.
"More and more people are going to start working at home," Hicks said.
"I think business use is going to outpace family use," Hyre agreed.
by CNB