It’s been a tough year and a half to get through globally. From adapting to working from home to figuring out how to stay sane with the whole family always around, we have all had to get creative. As those lucky enough to have an oak garden room in place already know, being able to mobilize your outdoor space to help has been the saving grace of lockdown, and doubtless will continue to help us adapt to the ‘new normal’ for years to come. Today the Monarch Oak team takes a look at how the U.K brought the inside outside to survive- and thrive- through lockdown.
When the oak garden room became home
Many of us probably didn’t install our garden snug with the thought it would become equal parts refuge and office/gym/home! Yet reality through 2020 was that we all had to get creative with what we had.
We’ve focused a lot on the practicality and versatility of having an oak home office added to your property before. Not only does it help you maintain that all-important boundary between workspace and home, it is extra useful to anyone who needs to meet customers you may not want to intrude into your private life. It gives you the freedom to leave your office set up day-to-day, without the need to dismantle it or move paperwork and PCs around family activities, and can encourage spouses, kids, and even pets to respect that you still have a 9-5 to perform, even if you’re technically at home. It also gives you the benefit of concentration. Whether you need to play music to focus, need dead quiet to take calls or host a Zoom meeting, or simply to think, you can set your ambience to suit yourself. All against the backdrop of a professional setting the rest of the family cannot easily intrude on. And, for working couples, it’s the perfect way for you to both get what you need from your working environment without trampling each other’s toes. It’s far easier to keep that treasured work-life balance when you have an office setup to use. When the door closes, the workday ends, and you can focus on your family guilt-free.
For many of us, before March 2020, we would never have thought about having an oak home office, or any home office at all, however. We were also used to a world where we packed the kids off to school for huge swathes of the year, left for a 9-5 ourselves, and could take off to the gym or the movies if we needed our space. British homes can be cramped in comparison to other countries, especially during the gloom of winter, so being able to get some breathing room has always been a priority for healthy families.
So much more than just an oak garden room
Even if you were always a habitual stay-at-homer, lockdown 2020 prevented us from going anywhere, for anything. And everyone knows that’s not the way to healthy family dynamics. Not to mention the effect of months of enforced Netflix binging on our bodies! Being able to take ‘me time’ for self-care and space to decompress is just as critical as enjoying bonding time together, and making time to care for your body and mind is a priority. If you had a garden office set up already, work-from-home was not the massive transition it was for some, but what about just living daily life?
For those lucky enough to have an oak garden room, the answer was simple. Now your entertainment space or oak structure was so much more than something you used now and then when there were guests. It was your home gym, complete with the warm sun to lift your spirits and those makeshift dumbbells you had fun cobbling together. It was your ‘man cave’ or hobby den, perfect to escape the rest of the family for a while with a cup of tea to destress and something other than pandemic gloom to focus on. It was the reading nook you could enjoy no matter what the weather or the news threw at you and the safe space you could send the kids to play in to get them out from underneath your feet. And, of course, if you didn’t have an oak home office ready to work from, it became the perfect place to work without interruption, take your boss’ annoying Zoom calls without the kids or the cat photobombing in the background, and pretend you had everything under control even as you slowly melted away under the stress.
No frills, no fuss building
One of the best parts of adding an oak structure to your property is how quickly it can be done, with minimal interruption to your already stressed life. Many folks also found that out during the lockdown rush to add a garden office or extra space to your home. While permits are still required for larger buildings, of course, oak structures are far easier to install than masonry ones, and need less site preparation too. In fact, we even have DIY kits available if you feel experienced enough to tackle the project yourself! Despite the ease of installation, however, we still offer a bespoke tailoring service to ensure you get the perfect addition to your home each and every time.
Lockdown needed some difficult adaptations for many of us- and those who already had an oak garden room know exactly why this practical, usable space was such a lifesaver. If you’re keen to join the garden office revolution for yourself, the Monarch Oak team is always on hand to help you find the perfect solution to your needs. Why not give us a call today and find your match?