Home is where you spend time with family. It’s where you entertain friends. It’s where you relax and rejuvenate. But these days, your home may have another role to play as well—as your office. Over the last year, many homeowners have found themselves in the once-unique position of having to make their living where they actually do their living. Working from home has gone from being the exception to being the norm, and people are trying to find ways to juggle their interior spaces to make it all work. Yet, according to CommercialCafe®, only 36 percent of today’s remote workers have a dedicated space for work in their homes, and nearly 50 percent of them are still working in their kitchens, living rooms or other common areas. And around 58 percent of those surveyed are considering a move to a larger residence that includes a home office and other work-from-home features.

Fortunately, metro Atlanta boasts an impressive list of builders that understand the importance of options that make working from home both comfortable and convenient. KNOWAtlanta Magazine asked three of the area’s top homebuilders—Century Communities, Brock Built and Thrive Residential—to share their insights on work-from-home features and what buyers should look for if they’re hoping to move into a new residence that will double as their workplace.

A Place in this Home

If you have transitioned into a more formal work-from-home situation, then you must first and foremost have a designated office space. While some people may convert a bedroom into an office, today’s new homes often are equipped with dedicated spaces that are designed specifically for work and do not take away from other living areas. For instance, Century Communities often includes a downstairs office, upstairs loft or flex space in its designs to give people options when considering their work-from-home requirements. Thrive Residential, which builds multi-level townhomes, does the same, with flex spaces, designated offices and even extra bedrooms offered in various home floor plans; extra rooms that can be converted into an office space usually are found on the ground or main level, while flex spaces typically are located on the top floor above the primary bedrooms and offer access to an outdoor terrace for when you want to take your work outside. The reason for including this designated space is simple. According to Brock Built, which also has incorporated office space options into its home plans for remote workers, “We are seeing more of our customers have an increase in desire for a home office. They are no longer satisfied with a repurposed bedroom, but they prefer a space that is intentionally structured for an office, separate from their leisure living space. Home buyers want a space that is private and separate, where distractions, such as a barking dog or other daily activities, don’t interfere with their work environment.”

The Setup

An office is unlike any other room in the house, and you’ll have particular storage, organizational and tech-based needs for this particular space. Today’s homebuilders understand that and have infused these spaces with an array of options. Century Communities recently introduced Century Home Base, which provides home buyers with workspace options that include multiple workspace layouts; built-in desks, shelving and storage; insulated interior walls; USB outlets and more. The company also offers Century Home Connect, a smart home package that will help you streamline your tech requirements for the in-home office. Brock Built and Thrive Residential also focus on smart home technology; Brock Built has technical experts who assist during design appointments, and Thrive Residential boasts pre-wired smart homes with the most current Internet, cable and telephone options. What’s more, Thrive Residential notes that all of its bedrooms and flex spaces can easily be built out with shelving, and electrical outlets can be added to support any office’s organizational or tech needs. In many cases, with each of these builders, specific home office features can be included without additional cost if you are at the very beginning of the homebuilding process and the options can be accounted for prior to any major construction.

The Goal

For each of these builders, the ultimate goal is to help buyers find the perfect balance between life, work and play within their homes. With all of the changes that have happened in recent months, working at home has taken on new meaning, and metro Atlanta’s homebuilding companies have risen to the challenge by being prepared and having flexible plans that can work for everyone. They embrace innovation and creativity and strive to work with home buyers to personalize every interior space—including highly functional and welcoming home offices. They know how to work it so you can get down to work from the comfort of your very own home.

For more information, visit:

Brock Built, brockbuilt.com

Century Communities, centurycommunities.com

Thrive Residential, livethriveresidential.com