Mobile offices?

With the imminent arrival of my new son Thomas earlier this year I began to look at rented office spaces around the city in an attempt to relinquish myself from the piped in soundtrack of a new born baby, my (then) 3yo daughter and her friends, and the chatter from the endless stream of visitors that my wife entertains of an afternoon. I call the converted loft in which I work my "studio", since this is where I spend most of my working week: it is no news to me that sound travels upwards.

There are of course tremendous benefits to working from home; hot tea delivered, Sky TV, reduced travel time, a small overall outlay. Rented office space would cost a little more but would offer alternative benefits; secretarial services, meeting rooms, peace and quiet, and a professional address among other things.

So I discovered that for as little as £250 per month I could hire a closet in a damp, condemned, Victorian citadel, with a flickering fluorescent light and no windows. What they called internet (in-fact just a modified telegram wire) was to cost a mere £50 per month extra. If I ever wanted to keep warm of course (or dry out the damp carpet and walls) this would be added to my monthly payments too, along with the electricity charge. So to rent a stale, soggy 4ft x 4ft cupboard in the middle of gangland Glasgow was going to cost me around £400 per month by the time I included parking. I'm sure it'd be worth it because I could WOW my prospective clients with the views of dead pigeons on the opposite roof through the cracks in the frosted window glass.

I sacked that idea...and have been trying to figure out an alternative.

I saw this this morning and it brought to mind an MTV "Pimp my Ride" type show that I had seen on Discovery where the fella had had his Jeep modified to provide everything he needed to work both in an on site and off site capacity at the same time. To me this would be the ideal:

mobile office design xs/la photo

(http://bit.ly/aqCqjf)

Do any LJNers work mobile from the van or car (or even a trailer) like this, and if so what kind of work can you feasibly get done, what gadgets do you use (if any) and what tips and tricks can you share with the community here?

Nicky Patterson @ GardenImprovements.com

Thanks everybody.

The Blackberry is a life-saver of course but is a curse as well. My wife constantly scolds me for having the Blackberry out at the dinner table, or at the park with the kids, or at a family celebration, or at the cinema...etc - so it has a drawback and negative impact on my personal life which is something I am going to have to deal with!

Gary I had looked at these kind of services in various places around Glasgow, but in the end I couldn't justify the cost. I like meeting clients in their home, but will also meet them close to their work in some trendy wi-fi cafe which is appropriate to the creative environment in which I want to discuss their garden.

I do mean a portable office and not a static garden office or portacabin, though your inputs are all appreciated. Phil has it right:

"Seems to me it would be the very best way to absorb the garden's atmosphere, see the light throughout the day and be totally in tune with what a family might need."

And Andy's pal's caravan sounds like the business!!

What I was really hoping to discover was if anybody had bought any portable USB printers, or foldable drawings boards (or whatever other gadgets there might be), or had modified their pick-up to facilitate being able to work properly on sites or even just on the road - hence my reference to Pimp My Ride.

Nicky @ GardenImprovements.com

Replies

PRO

Phil Voice October 20, 2010 at 11:18am

It's funny you should start a topic of this nature Nicky as I nearly wrote a post (might still do) about garden designers being located in a garden studio rather than in an office.

Looking at the trailer, can you image what bebefit it would be to park this within theb garden or environment you're designing?

Seems to me it would be the very best way to absorb the garden's atmosphere, see the light throughout the day and be totally in tune with what a family might need.

I know it's not going to be possible to do this is many gardens.

Sorry if that's slightly off topic.
Fenlandphil October 20, 2010 at 1:24pm

I have looked at having a portacabin type office at home instead of using the dining room.
However one of the children have moved out so we now have a bedroom available instead.
The office I looked at was sectional fully lined had double glazing and was prewired with lights and powerpoints at just under £2000 looked pretty good.
Dave Sewell October 20, 2010 at 1:49pm

Nicky,
We operate from a 30ft portacabin in our yard and it's perfect for the job. Whole thing probably cost £2000 to buy and transport and had phone and electric points already installed. We run two businesses from it.
We are looking at a protable office for Tim to run the sites from (pretty much what your photo depicts) but they are few and far between at a sensible cost.
Dave
chris nangle October 20, 2010 at 4:52pm

that looks ace nicky, i wonder if it would look ad good with a few months worth of muddy boots going in and out though.
I have a home office and a blackberry for the work shop
PRO

Gary RK October 20, 2010 at 5:05pm

Although we have an office at our Unit/Yard, it's not really the right environment to 'entertain' commercial clients if we need to hold a meeting, so we use a local drop in business centre that allows us to hire an office by the hour, 1/2 day or whole day.

They provide everything else (reception services, access to printers, food, coffee etc). They also have lots of small business who rent offices full time. It's much cheaper than the national companies such as Regus or UK Business Offices etc. We can drop into any centre they have in hampshire & surrey and recieve the same level of service.

It means that were ever I am in the south east, I can normally find a temp office space and hook up to broadband or meet or just chill out...

I'll try and post their price list
AndyCharles-EnborneGardeningCo October 20, 2010 at 7:30pm

I have a photographer friend who has worked from a campervan for many years. Bought a new-ish 2nd hand one, customised the interior to be his office with mobile fax, internet, computers, seating for 4, big lightbox/table, filing and a mini kitchen - cheap, portable, parks reasonably easily, comfy, and does the business. He could even sleep in it for a few days when he needed to.
Kirsty Blair October 20, 2010 at 11:01pm

I'm impressed with the 'trailer' but I would probably end up being rolled down a hill and left somewhere if I tried to work onsite in it or I'd just try to go and collect plants or something.

I've got my blackberry when I'm onsite and if I'm at home designing its easier and quieter to get the work done.

I am thinking about getting a garden building to use as an office but its a few yrs down the line for me, spare room for a while yet. If I need to meet clients its their house or my kitchen table and not been considered an issue so far. If its commercial clients I travel to them so their office.
Nicky @ GardenImprovements.com October 30, 2010 at 9:55am

Thanks everybody.

The Blackberry is a life-saver of course but is a curse as well. My wife constantly scolds me for having the Blackberry out at the dinner table, or at the park with the kids, or at a family celebration, or at the cinema...etc - so it has a drawback and negative impact on my personal life which is something I am going to have to deal with!

Gary I had looked at these kind of services in various places around Glasgow, but in the end I couldn't justify the cost. I like meeting clients in their home, but will also meet them close to their work in some trendy wi-fi cafe which is appropriate to the creative environment in which I want to discuss their garden.

I do mean a portable office and not a static garden office or portacabin, though your inputs are all appreciated. Phil has it right:

"Seems to me it would be the very best way to absorb the garden's atmosphere, see the light throughout the day and be totally in tune with what a family might need."

And Andy's pal's caravan sounds like the business!!

What I was really hoping to discover was if anybody had bought any portable USB printers, or foldable drawings boards (or whatever other gadgets there might be), or had modified their pick-up to facilitate being able to work properly on sites or even just on the road - hence my reference to Pimp My Ride.

Nicky @ GardenImprovements.com
Eco-Maze October 30, 2010 at 5:09pm

Nicky

The sound of a rammed earth office on your property sounds perfect to my ears, another option available to you

£250 a month is still a fair amount to pay.
Nicky @ GardenImprovements.com November 17, 2010 at 10:03am

Here's a possibly cheaper alternative - could work for those cycling gardeners too!!

Source: GOOD

Nicky @ GardenImprovements.com