Home Office Cost Breakdown
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Building a home office costs around $15,000 on average, but the final total can depend on many different factors. The size of the office, the materials and furnishings you choose, and how much of the project you decide to DIY can also impact the cost to build a home office.
Size
Building a home office costs around $50 to $200 per square foot. If you’ll only spend a few hours a week working in the office, you might opt for a smaller office to save money. If you plan to meet with clients or spend a lot of time in your home office, you may want to invest more money in a larger office space.
| Office Size | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 8x8 feet | $3,200 – $12,800 |
| 9x9 feet | $4,050 – $16,200 |
| 10x10 feet | $5,000 – $20,000 |
| 12x12 feet | $7,200 – $28,800 |
| 15x15 feet | $11,250 – $45,000 |
Materials
From fresh paint to new flooring to office furnishings, office materials cost about $1,245 to $25,300, varying widely in price. You may only need to install computer wiring and add a desk and chair, or you could choose to redo the flooring, install new lighting, add built-ins for more storage, and add soundproofing.
| Material | Cost |
|---|---|
| Lighting | $20 – $1,000 |
| Furniture | $100 – $3,000 |
| Tech | $200 – $4,000 |
| Flooring | $150 – $5,000 |
| Paint | $150 – $2,000 |
| Windows | $75 – $1,500 each |
| Doors | $50 – $500 each |
| Soundproofing | $200 – $1,500 |
| Storage built-ins | $150 – $3,000 |
| Connectivity hardware | $100 – $3,000 |
| Office supplies | $50 – $800 |
Labor
Labor costs will cost an average of about 10% to 20% of the total cost to build a home office. There are many professionals you can consult throughout the process of building an office, from professional painters to give your walls a fresh coat of beige paint to a handy person to help you assemble your desk and bookshelves. Here are the average costs for labor you may need while building an office:
Interior designer cost: $8,000
Electrician cost: $350
Internet technician cost: $450
General contractor cost: $4,000
Handy person cost: $40 – $140 per hour
Painter cost: $20 – $50 per hour
Flooring specialist: $0.60 to $4 per square foot
Cost to Build a Home Office by Material
Office materials in total range from about $1,245 to $25,300, but each type of material may cost as low as $20 to over $5,000. More extensive renovations, like installing new doors and windows or soundproofing a room, will lead to a more expensive office build. Keeping it simple by adding fresh paint and a new light fixture or two may be more budget-friendly.
Lighting
Light fixtures cost about $20 to $1,000 each. If you are converting a bedroom into an office, you may only need an inexpensive desk lamp or sconce above the desk. Otherwise, you may consider dimmable, recessed lighting or chic new light fixtures for a stylish office space you’ll look forward to working in each day. You can hire a local electrician to help install new wiring for lighting, if necessary.
Furniture
Furniture for a home office costs about $100 to $3,000 per item, but you can save or splurge as you see fit in this category. You may be able to shop for secondhand items or even find free furnishings in your neighborhood, or you can invest in custom-made furnishings to last for years to come.
Tech
From computers to telephones to printers and more, you’ll spend $200 to $4,000 on technology for a home office. While most home offices will need a computer, additional tech needs will depend on your profession. You may need a phone and headset for taking calls, a printer and shredder for handling documents, a fax machine, smart home devices, or noise-canceling headphones.
Flooring
Flooring costs vary from $150 for simple concrete floors in an 8-foot-by-8-foot room to over $5,000 for rare hardwood floors in a 225-square-foot room. Floor materials cost around $2 to $22 per square foot. For most offices, wood or carpet flooring are popular choices.
Paint
Painting a room costs $150 to $2,000 for materials, or about $15 to $40 per gallon. When the kids fly the nest or you convert an old entertainment den into an office, you may want to repaint the walls to a soothing or neutral tone that won’t distract you from the tasks at hand. You can save money by DIY-ing your paint job, or you can hire a local interior painter to help with the task, though it’ll cost a bit more.
Windows
Windows cost about $75 to over $1,500 each, depending on the type of window and what it is made from. A small, single-pane aluminum window will cost about $75, while a larger, energy-efficient fiberglass window with double- or triple-paned glass may cost over $1,500 each.
Doors
Adding interior doors costs $50 to $500 each. Doors are essential to any home office, so you can shut out distractions while you take calls or write up memos. You may save money here if you are converting an existing room that already has a door.
Soundproofing
The materials cost to soundproof a room is about $200 to $1,500. For full soundproofing, you’ll typically spend over $1,000 on insulation, acoustic wall tiles, soundproof drywall, soundproof windows and curtains, and more. You can also improve soundproofing on a budget by adding just curtains or one wall of acoustic panels starting at around $200.
Storage Built-Ins
Storage built-ins cost $150 to $3,000 in materials. The taller or wider the built-ins, the more they will cost. You can also choose to save money by building storage from medium-density fiberboard (MDF), or splurge on high-end materials like hardwood or metal.
Connectivity Hardware
Connectivity hardware costs around $100 to $3,000. You may need wiring for phones and printers, or you’ll need to spend an average of $450 on the cost to connect a computer in your home office.
Office Supplies
Office supplies cost anywhere from $50 to $800, depending on what types of supplies and how many supplies you need. You can pick up notebooks, pens, desk organizers, and other basic essentials for around $50, or you may need printer ink, paper, calculators, and more supplies that can add to the cost.
Additional Costs to Consider
When budgeting for the cost to build a home office, you should also take into account some added costs that may come up during the process, as well as ongoing costs to operate a business from home.
| Additional Consideration | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Operational costs | $10 – $500 per month |
| Home additions | $22,000 – $82,000 |
| Insurance | $20 – $200 per month |
| HVAC installation | $5,000 – $12,500 |
Operational Costs
Ongoing operational costs include internet and electricity bills, which will cost an additional $10 to $500 per month after adding a home office. The cost of internet will depend on your provider and the plan you sign up for, but most home offices will need high-speed internet. Utility costs will depend on how much time you spend in the office each week.
Home Additions
Home additions cost $50,000 on average. If you don’t have a spare room available to convert into an office or want to build out a large office, a home addition may be the right move for you. This process will take several months to design, plan, obtain permits, and construct the new office.
Insurance
Whether you plan to work solo in your home office or expect to take meetings or consult with clients in your office, you’ll need business insurance to protect yourself, your business, and your assets. This type of insurance may cost $20 to over $200 per month, depending on your business.
HVAC
If you build a home addition to become your office or convert a previously underutilized space, like a spare bedroom or attic, into an office, you may need HVAC upgrades to make it a comfortable place to work. Installing a new HVAC system costs $5,000 to $12,500.
Cost to Build a Home Office Yourself
For just the office materials, you’ll spend anywhere from $1,245 to $25,300, depending on how much work you are doing to convert a room into or build an addition for an office. If you don’t have tools, like hammers, power drills, paint rollers or brushes, ladders, and other essentials for renovating a room, you may also spend an extra $200 to over $2,000 for the proper equipment to build an office.
Cost to DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
While hiring pros, like interior designers, general contractors, or handypersons, to help build your home office can add 10% to 20% or more to the project cost, it’s important to have the experts handle some, if not all, of the work.
Working on electrical wiring or computer connectivity typically requires a licensed electrician or internet technician. If you plan to build a home addition, you’ll need to work with a general contractor to make sure the home’s foundation can support the weight of an extra room.
You can reduce labor costs by taking on some of the work, like painting a room or building a flat-pack desk, yourself.
Cost of Common Add-Ons When Building a Home Office
While you are building out your dream work environment, you may notice some other home improvements you can make along the way. Maybe you need to convert an attic space into an office or install better insulation in an existing room. Or you might want to invest in a home security system to keep your personal and professional assets secure.
Insulation costs: $1,050–$2,550
Attic conversion cost: $4,600–$16,400
Security system cost: $280–$1,150
Smart home automation costs: $200–$1,500
Baseboard installation cost: $720–$1,300
Crown molding installation cost: $600–$2,000
4 Ways to Save Money on a Home Office
Building a home office is simple to do on a budget. From thrifting furniture to adding a few touches to an existing spare room, here are four ways to save money on the cost to build a home office.
Choose Budget-Friendly Furnishings
While you can spend more money on customized or high-end furniture to impress clients, you can also build a professional office environment by using budget-friendly furnishings. You may be able to find bookshelves, desks, mirrors, and other furnishings for free or low cost in your neighborhood, at yard sales, on online marketplaces, or through friends and family.
If you are buying new furniture and looking to save, choose items made with budget-friendly materials like MDF and veneer rather than more expensive solid hardwood or metal furnishings.
DIY When Possible
You can save money on labor costs by DIYing some home office projects. From building a desk yourself to painting a room, there are many tasks that are easy, even for those without a lot of experience in home improvement. It’s best to leave more dangerous tasks, like rewiring a room or other electrical work or installing heavy windows and doors, to professionals.
Preserve the Existing Room
Some homeowners may choose to build a home addition to house a new office, but that can be expensive. If you have a spare bedroom or other unused room, you can save a lot of money by keeping it as-is with existing flooring, paint, windows, and doors. From there, you can pay for connectivity wiring and hardware, tech, and furnishings to keep costs low.
Save Receipts for Business Expenses
Be sure to check with your accountant about the potential for writing off some of your home office expenses for taxes. In addition to the direct expenses for desks, computer equipment, and other items for business purposes, you may be eligible for indirect business expenses, like utility bills. You can speak with a tax professional and visit the Internal Revenue Service’s website to learn more about business expenses.
