Finding a Space

After three and a half years of working out of a spare bedroom office in my house and the birth of our third child, it was apparent that it was time for GrowDev HQ to move to a new space.   Not only was my house becoming a louder environment to try to concentrate in, but my work/life divide was totally blurred.

I made a list of “nice to haves” and asked around for referrals on space.

My list of features:

• One room with a door.  I don’t need a conference room since all of my clients are out of state.
• Under $200/month rent, preferably no long-term lease.
• Fast internet
• Within 5 miles from my house. I’d love to be able to walk or bike to work.

While out driving with my wife she suggested that I stop in to an office complex near our home and see if there were any vacancies.  The complex turned out to be two buildings owned by a flooring company and they had a vacancy in their smaller building.   I went the next day and was excited to discover that the space met or exceeded each item on my list.  Also, the electricity, security system, and trash pickup is included.

The office is located 0.1 of a mile from my front door.  Once the weather calms down and street construction finishes I’ll be able to walk to/from work.

After Two Weeks

I’ve been working from the new office for two weeks now and the only response I have is “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”   Having a quiet dedicated space to work has made a huge difference in my productivity.  When I’m at the office there are not any crying kids downstairs (or happy kids that want to play), chores waiting to be done, or other distractions.  Plus, when I’m home I can disconnect from work and not be tempted to pop in the office for 10 minutes to work or code something.

Pictures of Office

Here are some pictures of the new office.

I moved my current desk and “world’s smallest couch” into the new space and it fit perfectly.  I have some wall decor to put up, but haven’t hung anything yet.

The internet offered by the office was 1MB up/ 1MB down, and a little flaky in the afternoon.  The owner was ok with me getting my own service so I had Time Warner Business Class installed.

I share the space with two bookkeepers, a fence company and a custom home builder.  My neighbor brings her dog Sam to work every day.  He’s so quiet you hardly known he’s here!