Home Office Build-Out Tips

by Kelly R. Smith

index sitemap advanced
A home office
A home office

Recent estimates report that 33% of Americans are self-employed in some capacity. Now, the report didn’t break it down into full-time or part-time details, but it means one thing for certain — lots of home offices! You might need one for the first time because of being locked down thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether you’re remodeling a bedroom into your office, or remodeling your current one, you can use these home office refurbishment tips.

Office Interior Lighting

All interior lighting is not the same. In the office, in particular, it falls into three distinct categories: general, task, and accent lighting. How much of each you use depends on your needs. General lighting is often implemented with overhead fluorescent fixtures. Most home offices just use task lighting.

Task lighting is used to focus on your work area to avoid eye strain. Good choices here are undercabinet fixtures, or track, monorail, or Y lighting systems with halogen or LED bulbs. Accent lighting usually illuminates artwork. This is taken care of with ceiling-mounted fixtures.

Buy Ergonomic Furniture

This is important for your comfort and long-term health. The two most critical pieces are an ergonomic office chair and computer desk. Adjustable standing desks are getting to be more popular. Before shopping, know what you need. Draw a detailed plan noting where things should be situated. Size is important; be sure everything will fit into your space.

Although it might be tempting to do so, I wouldn’t recommend placing the fax, copier, and printer where you can just reach over to make a quick paper grab. Why? Because you need to get out of your chair now and then to get the blood flowing! My Garmin 235 GPS watch actually lets me know when I’ve had too much butt-time.

Flooring – Choose Wisely

You’ve got many choices when it comes to flooring. Carpet is the best choice for sound control and it is forgiving; you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet. The downside is that occasionally you’ll have to hire carpet cleaners or rent a machine at the store. If you’ve got a lot of carpet in your home, go ahead and buy a carpet cleaning machine. It will quickly pay for itself. Who knows how nasty those grocery store ones are.

Are you after a a more contemporary look? You might consider hardwood or laminate flooring. When it comes to sprucing up your home office, consider that you’ll be spending more time in there than you would a conventional office (Netflix). Plan accordingly.

Upgrade Your Office walls

Your office walls are important. You should choose a color that you like, of course, but it should also be a color that is soothing enough to allow you to focus on your work. Small office? Here are some paint illusions to make the space seem larger.

I hope these home office build-out tips have inspired you and given you some food for thought. Always check the latest IRS guidelines to maximize your deductions. It’s like getting a pay raise! Please participate in the poll on the right-hand sidebar of this article. Thanks!



Looking for more great content? Visit our main site I Can Fix Up My Home or our partner sites:

The Green Frugal

Running Across Texas


As Featured On Ezine Articles

I offer article and blog-writing services. Interested? Hire Me!


About the Author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

Cosori Automatic Coffee Warmer Review

Sip Perfectly All Day in Your Home Office

by Kelly R. Smith

Cosori automatic coffee/tea warmer
Cosori automatic coffee/tea warmer
index sitemap advanced

Ads we feature have been independently selected and reviewed. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission, which helps support the site.

This article was updated on 12/28/20.

If there’s one thing I have to have first thing in the morning is a hot, steaming cup of Black Rifle coffee. The problem I used to have is that it quickly cools off. Then I remembered back to when I was a software engineer for NASA. We were putting in some long hours (requirement drift) on the IMARS project that definitely called for copious quantities of caffeine.

My co-worker Mike had a coffee warmer on his desk. I thought, why not? So I bought the one pictured above. Problem solved. I have enjoyed it consistently since I bought it but especially during the winter.

Features of the Cosori Coffee/Tea Warmer

  • Simple button control. All you need is the on/off, raise temperature, and lower temperature buttons.
  • The digital temperature read-out is large and easy to see (I take my glasses off at my desk in my home office).
  • It’s available in two models — the one with only the warmer and another one that comes with a stainless steel mug. I opted for just the warmer because many of the Amazon reviews mentioned that metal conveys too much heat to the lips. As you might imagine, you need a mug with a flat bottom rather than that ridge around the edge. I found one at Walmart on the cheap.
  • It’s easy to switch between Centigrade and Fahrenheit.
  • The heating surface is 3 1/2 inches across, enough real estate to accommodate most mugs.
  • It is called automatic because of a button, called a gravity induction switch, on the bottom. When the weight of the mug is on the surface the switch depresses and the warmer surface remains active. Pick up the mug and the read-out will flash. The temperature will be maintained for 60 seconds.
  • It automatically turns off after 8 hours as a safety feature. Surprisingly, many other brands do not have this feature. Yes, I did my homework; I’m one of those poor souls that can easily get side-tracked.
  • It is made of brushed stainless steel rather than plastic so it won’t eventually warp and discolor from the heat.

The verdict? I’ve been using this Cosori automatic coffee warmer every morning for a long time now; about 6 months since I posted the initial review. No troubles and it works as advertised. Thumbs up. Yes, I could have saved a few bucks but the features listed above swayed me. And my after-lunch caffeine fix? I have a mug of cold brew coffee. The cooled-off Cosori makes a nice coaster.



More Product Reviews


Looking for more great content? Visit our main site I Can Fix Up My Home and our partner sites:

The Green Frugal

Running Across Texas


As Featured On Ezine Articles

I offer article and blog-writing services at a competitive price. Interested? Contact me for a quote!


Did you find this article helpful? Millions of readers rely on information on this blog and our main site to stay informed and find meaningful solutions. Please chip in as little as $3 to keep this site free for all.

 




Visit Kelly’s profile on Pinterest.


About the Author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

close

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

RSS
Follow by Email
Twitter
Follow Me
Tweet
Pinterest
Pinterest
Pinterest
Instagram
LinkedIn
Share