Home Offices

In the past several years we have seen an increase in the demand for home offices. Mobile technology has changed the way business is conducted allowing more flexibility for working at home. Steelcase Research reports that 45% of employed people do some work from home. This particularly effects homes in our lowcountry paradise because people are able to spend more time at their vacation home by working untethered from the corporate office. Steelcase Research predicts that this trend will continue because “Millennials are three times more likely to work off-site or while traveling, compared to other office workers.” There are generally four types of home offices and they need to be carefully designed to provide the necessary work and storage spaces.

The most basic home office is the space where you manage the home. A small desk built into the kitchen area often provides adequate space for paying and filing bills, keeping family members’ schedules, and posting invitations and
notices. This office needs space for a computer and printer, file drawers, a pencil drawer, a bulletin board and some bookshelves. Some advantages of the kitchen office are the easy access to view recipes and the ability to monitor homework while preparing dinner.

Many homeowners have an office that is a private retreat where leisure activities or hobbies are pursued. Traditionally these were heart pine paneled rooms with custom made bookshelves and a finely designed fireplace. Currently we are seeing his and her spaces with specialized cabinetry for the individual’s activities such as sewing, painting, and other crafts. In studio spaces you should pay close attention to natural lighting, the durability of the materials, the need for special equipment or sinks, and the elimination of odor produced by the activity.

The third type of office space is used by the remote worker from the corporate office. These offices usually do not need much storage because all the files are stored in virtual space. They do need to be in a quiet spot in the house far from the daily hustle and bustle. They often have separate phone and fax lines from the main house line.

The last type of home office is a home based business. Ideally you want your home business in a separate building or at least with a separate exterior entrance if you have any clients or employees coming to the office. Cabinetry and storage need to be designed for the particular nature of your business. Separate phone, fax and electric meters are common in home businesses. Home businesses are covered in Zoning Codes, so check with your local planning office if you are considering opening a home business.

Roofs

Cost and aesthetics may be your first thoughts when selecting your roof but there are many other factors to consider especially in our hot, humid, hurricane prone region. A larger initial investment may save you money over the long term through lower utility bills, lower insurance rates, better protection of your home and the life of the roof (more years until a replacement is needed).

The roof system is composed of structural elements, insulation and moisture barriers. A moderately sloped hip roof with simple lines is recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the best design to resist uplift for our hurricane prone area.

The roof rafters or trusses should be attached to the wall framing by hurricane clips as per code. The roof sheathing is typically tongue and groove plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) nailed to the rafters or trusses.

The best underlayment is a self adhering polymer modified bitumen sheet covering the entire roof deck instead of the standard building paper. The modified bitumen sheet underlayment provides an exceptional moisture barrier throughout construction and later in the event that the final roof covering is compromised. Insurance companies often will reduce your premium with a high performance underlayment.

When choosing your roof, consider the solar reflectance of the material for maximum energy savings. The higher the number (a decimal between 0 and 1) the better. Generally lighter roofs have a higher solar reflectance but there are new advances in paints that create “cool-roofs” in many colors for metals roofs. Look for an “Energy Star” qualified roof product.

The most typical roofing materials in the Lowcountry are asphalt shingle (both fiberglass and organic) and standing seam metal panels. We also see the occasional clay or concrete tile roof.

Asphalt shingles have the lowest initial cost of any roof and the shortest life. Organic reinforced shingles tend to degrade faster in warm climates so it is best to use fiberglass reinforced shingles here.

Tile roofs are very vulnerable to breakage from windborne debris and then become missiles themselves. It is imperative to have a high performance underlayment with a tile roof. Tile roofs also have a greater thermal mass and will radiate captured heat into the structure even when the sun has gone behind a cloud.

Metals roofs include steel, copper, terne and zinc. Zinc and copper have the longest life span. Terne is the traditional metal for on historic home and is fairly high maintenance requiring paint every seven years. Steel with a “cool roof” paint is the most common. High quality metal roofs installed correctly have resisted extremely high winds according to FEMA. Metal roofing is the most ecologically sound choice due to the energy efficiency with cool roof paints, its long life, durable finish, low thermal mass and its one hundred percent recyclability. Metal roofs also have the advantage of easily shedding leaves and pine straw debris.

Your new roof is only as good as the installation. Make sure you use a licensed roofing contractor. You can look up a contractor’s state license at https://verify.llronline.com/LicLookup The National Roofing Contractor’s Association has helpful publications http://www.nrca.net