Homework

The growing number of people working from home and a desire to remodel rather than buy in a weak economic climate has made the home office a workable investment. COURTESY PHOTO There's no place like home — to work.

The growing number of people working from home and a desire to remodel rather than buy in a weak economic climate has made the home office a workable investment. "People are putting money into things that will appreciate over a time," says Chuck Hugan, owner of Closet Tailors in Cape Coral.

In its 2008-09 Cost vs. Value Report, Hanley Wood's Remodeling magazine lists home offices as among the popular remodeling projects nationwide.

Working and retired folks are having secondary bedrooms, dens and other rooms converted into home offices where they can go about their business. Mr. Hugan says people in fields such as business and real estate often have a home office, and some working parents with children opt for a home office that has study zones for the youngsters. "Most of the time, the whole family works off that space," he says.

Stylist Roni Fields had a home office, with storage space overhead and underneath, built off the kitchen. The unit features a wine refrigerator, at the right, and the countertop is bar height to allow it to be used as a bar when she and her husband have parties. BARBARA BOXLEITNER/FLORIDA WEEKLY Retirees, too, are in the mix because some of them keep a hand in their former line of work or have become involved in other pursuits, such as volunteer work. Designer Pam Katosic of All About Closets in Lehigh Acres says she turned a spare bedroom into a home office for a retired couple in South Fort Myers. The unit wrapped around three walls and had knee space for both to operate computers.

Drs. Lawrence and Elizabeth Murphy, both veterinarians, were retired from their practice when they decided to create an office in their Alva home. Dr. Lawrence Murphy says he uses the room to keep track of personal business such as investments. His wife often uses it to complete her work as a member of the admissions committee for the College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Florida, their alma mater.

BARBARA BOXLEITNER/FLORIDA WEEKLY Drs. Elizabeth and Lawrence Murphy, retired veterinarians, have a home office facing their front yard. A mahogany desk with shelves and drawers wraps around three walls, and overhead cabinets are on each side of the center window. Usually homeowners have a sizeable room to transform. But Ms. Katosic notes, "A lot of them have odd spaces."

She converted a secondary bathroom, still equipped with a fan switch by the door, into a home office for Roni and Steven Fields. The room has an L-shaped unit with a row of tall white cabinets above the longest part of the countertop. Because the two have added another home office, also completed by Ms. Katosic, Mr. Fields uses the room, mostly for research about his collectibles.

Area designers say home offices have been in demand for about the past five years. Mr. Hugan says he completes two to three home offices a month. "They add a lot of value," he says. "They're functional. They have long-term appreciation."

The projects don't have to be costly endeavors. Ms. Katosic says she has transformed closet reach-ins for $1,000, while some bedroom or den conversions have cost $15,000.

She says built-in units give homeowners space for a desk with computer, underneath cabinets to hide computer hardware and overhead and underneath shelves and drawers to hold supplies and work materials. "It's a nicer look if you can afford to get something built in," she says.

The standard for most of her jobs is a built-in that takes up two walls. "A lot of people don't want uppers (cabinets) because they might not need it," she says. "It might make the room too crowded."

Designers say the wraparound units hide computer equipment, supplies and work documents. Bottom drawers to hang files are more attractive than the floor file cabinets. "They're (people) trying to migrate from that industrial look," Mr. Hugan says. "They want it to look more of a home environment."

Stylist Roni Fields works from home. Her business includes arranging hair, makeup, props and production at photo shoots, including for commercials, and takes her all over the state. Mrs. Fields requested that an office be built off the kitchen for when the family has parties.

So Ms. Katosic installed an L shaped built-in with black countertops and white cabinets . The shorter wall piece features countertop room for a fax machine and telephone and underneath storage for supplies and work materials.

The larger wall unit has knee space for one person to use the computer and nearby printer. Overhead cabinets — each with two doors reaching from countertop to ceiling--are along the sides of the window overlooking their pool and the water behind. More storage is available in underneath cabinets, and a wine cooler anchors the bottom right of the unit.

"I just wanted some storage that went with the kitchen," Mrs. Fields says. "It's more open. It's versatile because I can use it as part of my kitchen if I want."

She had the countertops built at bar height so that she didn't have to purchase another chair and the countertop could serve as a bar during parties. "It really stayed with the kitchen," she says.

The Murphys have an Amish mahogany unit that wraps around three walls in a room overlooking the front yard. The unit has knee space by the front window, where one of them can use the personal computer, and knee space along the far wall for the other to use a laptop.

Storage is available in drawers and shelves in upper and lower cabinets, which also include open shelves to display personal items. "It really made much more sense than file cabinets," Dr. Lawrence Murphy says. "It's beautiful. It just doesn't look like it belongs in our house."

Mr. Hugan says homeowners are choosing darker tones, mainly mahogany and cherry, for wall units. "It gives it that rich feeling," he says.