Looking to work from home for much longer? If you don’t see yourself going back to the office in the next year or so, it might be time you start thinking about creating a more permanent home office. And before you start worrying about all the money you need to spend to set up an office at home, know that most of what you will need, you probably already have.

In this post, we’ll share some ideas to help you start setting up your home office without shelling out a lot of bucks.

Here’s how to build your home office on a budget

From furniture to office tools, there are resources available for you that won’t leave a dent on your pocket. Check out some practical tips below.

Find the right space for you

Before you think about going for a home extension to build an office space, or renting a space for your office, consider the space you already have at home. Is there an area in your house that doesn’t see much use? Even a small space will do, as long as you can fit a desk and a chair, perhaps a filing cabinet to hold your office supplies.

Here are some tips when looking for a home office space:

• Find a space that does not see a lot of activity to help you get focused, undisturbed hours.
• As much as possible, find a space with natural lighting—perhaps with a big window that will let sunshine in.
• Find a space that you can love, which means a space that you see yourself spending hours in and one that you can decorate and personalize.

Repurpose items for your home office

You don’t need to buy a new storage cabinet for all your files—you can probably find a seldom-used cabinet in your home that you can use in your home office. Or, do you have storage boxes for your supplies, or perhaps mason jars to hold pens and trinkets? All of these you can use, and they can work the same way new and costly equipment will.

If you have an existing desk or chair, check if you can use that, too, so long as it can give you proper support—which brings us to the next point.

Go for quality

While it’s advisable to repurpose certain items for your home office, there are other items where repurposing will not work. These include the main components of your home office, such as the chair and the desk.

A stool or your regular lounge or dining chair won’t work for your home office because they don’t offer the support that your body needs. If you are looking at spending hours on your chair every single day, you will need a proper office chair that can support your back, shoulder and neck, head, and your arms.

For your office desk, check whether the one you have at home is tall or short enough for you and comfortable to use for long hours of computer work. Most desks are generic in height. If the one you have at home is not right, you will need to get the right office desk.

And when you do, make sure that you go for top quality. These are office furniture that you don’t want to skimp on, and they pay off in the long run.

Go for dual-purpose equipment

When making any purchase for your home office, whether that’s a furniture or simple office supplies, go for multiple functions—this means not only monetary savings but also space saving for you.

For instance, an exercise ball in your home office can serve as an extra chair for when you’re relaxing, as well as a fitness equipment if you need to squeeze in some fitness time to your workday. An ottoman will work as additional storage and additional space for you. With this in mind, you know you get more value from whatever you add to your home office.

Scout for free tools

When you work from home, expect to spend a considerable chunk of your time coordinating and aligning with the people you work with when it comes to projects and deadlines.

Communication tools and project management tools are crucial for this, but the good news is that you don’t need to spend for them. If your organization already has online tools for you and your colleagues, then that’s awesome. If you need to add more for your own use, the good news is that there are several free tools available for you—for scheduling, for tracking and monitoring, for video conferencing, and more! You only have to search the internet to find them.

Ready to build your home office? We hope the tips above are useful and will help you get started to build your work from home space. Good luck!