Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

打造后院办公室：建造过程与成本拆解

I wrote up my experience building a backyard office because I wish I had come across more articles like this when planning my build. I hope this post helps you on your journey: 我写下自己建造后院办公室的经历，是因为我希望在规划建造时能看到更多类似的文章。希望这篇文章能为你的计划提供帮助：

I have worked remotely for most of my career and always dreamed of having my own backyard office. A place on my property but completely separate from my home. Until this year, that idea seemed too unnecessary… then our baby grew into a toddler. We have a small house in Portland. We love it, and it works for us, but it became clear that it could use more space. My wife and I briefly considered buying a new home but decided to stay. But for us to stay, I needed a better working environment. Our space is small. The bedrooms and living room are very close together. It gets loud with our toddler at home with my wife during the day, and listening to one half of a Zoom call wasn’t music to my partner’s ears. I had tried coworking spaces but didn’t love the vibe or the idea of spending hours in a phone booth. I don’t see myself returning to a local office in Portland, so we decided to invest in a backyard office. It was way cheaper than buying a new home. 我的职业生涯大部分时间都在远程办公，一直梦想拥有自己的后院办公室——一个位于我房产范围内，但与住宅完全隔开的空间。直到今年，这个想法似乎还显得多余……直到我们的宝宝长成了蹒跚学步的幼儿。我们在波特兰有一栋小房子。我们很喜欢它，它也适合我们，但很明显，我们需要更多的空间。我和妻子曾短暂考虑过换房，但最终决定留下。但为了留下来，我需要一个更好的工作环境。我们的空间很小，卧室和客厅离得很近。白天妻子带着孩子在家，家里很吵，而且听着我 Zoom 通话的另一半声音，对我的伴侣来说实在是一种干扰。我尝试过联合办公空间，但并不喜欢那里的氛围，也不想在电话亭里待上几个小时。我不打算回到波特兰的办公室上班，所以我们决定投资建造一个后院办公室。这比买新房便宜多了。

I looked into many options. My budget’s two most viable paths were an Autonomous.ai prefab office Pod or building an office by utilizing a shed frame. The Autonomous pods are gorgeous and come prewired with electricity. You just plug them into an outlet in your house. But I wanted proper heating and air conditioning. I had spent hot summers working with a portable AC unit blasting in the background, and it just wasn’t for me. Their base starts at $16.5k; adding $5k shipping, paying someone to assemble it (I didn’t have time to DIY), and adding a mini-split HVAC system, and we were getting closer to $30k. It was not bad, but it was more than I wanted to spend, not knowing how long we plan on staying in our house. 我研究了许多方案。在我的预算范围内，最可行的两条路径是购买 Autonomous.ai 的预制办公室舱，或者利用棚屋框架自己建造。Autonomous 的舱体非常漂亮，且预装了电力系统，只需插入家里的插座即可使用。但我需要合适的冷暖空调。我曾经历过在炎热的夏天伴随着便携式空调的轰鸣声工作，那实在不适合我。他们的起售价为 1.65 万美元；加上 5000 美元的运费、组装人工费（我没时间自己动手），以及加装分体式空调系统，总价接近 3 万美元。这不算太贵，但考虑到我们不确定会在现在的房子住多久，这超出了我的预算。

Deciding against an Autonomous Pod left me with the shed conversion option. This was appealing for a couple of reasons. Cost. I thought I could do it for ~$15k-$20k. Lighting. If I went this route, I would have much more control over the layout and lighting, which is very appealing for Portland winters. 放弃 Autonomous 舱后，我选择了改造棚屋的方案。这个方案有几个吸引我的原因：成本。我认为我可以用 1.5 万到 2 万美元搞定。采光。如果走这条路，我对布局和采光会有更大的控制权，这对波特兰的冬天来说非常有吸引力。

Planning, hiring contractors, and the build

规划、聘请承包商与建造

I decided on using Tuff Shed for the main frame. I was able to design and configure my structure using their online designer. They also have a local showroom in town, so I walked through some models to get an idea of what I wanted. I originally wanted their studio shed model, but after seeing it in person, I decided against it. The great thing about their online design tool is it lets you build a quote on the spot for exactly how much it will cost. The windows Tuff Shed offers weren’t as large as I wanted, so I worked with their team to rough out larger openings for windows that I purchased separately. 我决定使用 Tuff Shed 作为主体框架。我通过他们的在线设计工具设计并配置了我的结构。他们在城里有实体展厅，所以我去参观了一些样板房，以确定我想要的效果。我最初想要他们的工作室棚屋模型，但亲眼看过后，我放弃了。他们的在线设计工具最棒的地方在于，你可以当场生成报价，清楚地知道确切成本。Tuff Shed 提供的窗户没有我想要的那么大，所以我与他们的团队合作，预留了更大的窗户开口，以便我单独购买窗户安装。

I read online about people wishing they had gone bigger with their shed or office. I went with a smaller size 8 feet by 10 feet, it is cozy and sure I do wish it was bigger, but we also have a small backyard, and I really didn’t want to sacrifice more space in the yard than I had to. I measured off an 8 by 10-foot space in one of the rooms in our house and hung some blankets to get an idea of how the space would feel, and I decided 8’ by 10’ would work. 我在网上看到有人后悔当初把棚屋或办公室建小了。我选择了 8 英尺乘 10 英尺的小尺寸，虽然空间很温馨，我也确实希望它能更大一点，但我们的后院很小，我真的不想牺牲过多的院子空间。我在家里测量了一个 8x10 英尺的区域，并挂上毯子来感受空间感，最终决定 8x10 英尺是可行的。

I went with the Premier Pro Tall Ranch shed. This allowed me to have tall ceilings, making the small space feel bigger. I settled on a fully lit windowed door, added a small skylight, and roughed out 2 large windows (6 by 4 feet and 4 by 4 feet). I added a ridge vent and house wrap. 我选择了 Premier Pro Tall Ranch 型号的棚屋。这让我的天花板更高，使小空间显得更宽敞。我选定了一扇带窗的门以增加采光，加装了一个小天窗，并预留了两个大窗户（6x4 英尺和 4x4 英尺）的开口。我还加装了屋脊通风口和房屋防潮层。

Once I had the frame configured, I went to order it but realized I needed to have a foundation ready before they could schedule the build. I wanted a concrete pad, and they require 3 weeks for the concrete to dry before they will install. So, I hired a concrete contractor. 框架配置好后，我准备下单，但意识到在他们安排施工前，我必须先准备好地基。我想要一个混凝土底座，而他们要求混凝土必须干燥 3 周后才能安装。于是，我聘请了一位混凝土承包商。

The shed installation went smoothly. Tuff Shed prefabricates the sheds per order in a local warehouse, so installation of my shed only took about 5 hours. I had an issue; one of the rough openings of the windows was too small, but they quickly sent someone to expand and reframe the area for me. 棚屋的安装过程很顺利。Tuff Shed 根据订单在当地仓库预制棚屋，所以我的棚屋安装只用了大约 5 小时。期间出了个小问题：其中一个窗户的预留开口太小了，但他们很快派人来帮我扩建并重新加固了该区域。

I ordered the windows separately from Home Depot, and to save a little money, I decided to install them myself with one of my friends. Hanging windows seems intimidating, but after some research and YouTube videos, I realized the process was quite simple if you take time and adequately prep the weatherproof window. This saved me about $700. 我从 Home Depot 单独订购了窗户，为了省钱，我决定和朋友一起安装。安装窗户看起来很吓人，但经过一番研究和观看 YouTube 视频后，我意识到只要花点时间并做好窗户的防风雨准备，过程其实很简单。这为我节省了约 700 美元。

Electrical

电力系统

Once the windows were installed, it was time to run electricity. Our main electrical panel was redone a couple of years ago when we bought and renovated our home, so we have plenty of space to run more power out of our existing panel. I hired an electrician who ran 60 amps out to the shed. They dug a trench to run the power legally, wired up the shed with 4 outlets, LED lights, and a disconnect for a mini-split HVAC unit, and handled all the permitting. 窗户安装好后，就该铺设电力线路了。几年前我们买房装修时重做了主配电盘，所以我们有足够的空间从现有配电盘引出更多电力。我聘请了一位电工，他为棚屋铺设了 60 安培的线路。他们挖了沟槽以合法地铺设电力，为棚屋安装了 4 个插座、LED 灯，以及一个用于分体式空调的断路器，并处理了所有的许可手续。

Once the electrical passed permit inspection, I filled in the trench halfway (apparently, you don’t want a larger power supply and ethernet line running too closely together) and ran a ground-rated Ethernet cable out to the office. Fast internet was a must. 电力通过许可检查后，我将沟槽填了一半（显然，你不希望大功率电源线和以太网线靠得太近），并铺设了一根地埋级以太网线到办公室。高速互联网是必须的。

Note: In Portland, I didn’t need a permit for the building because it was under the size threshold, but I did need an electrical permit. Check your local jurisdictions. 注：在波特兰，由于建筑面积未达到阈值，我不需要申请建筑许可，但我确实需要申请电气许可。请务必查询你当地的法规。

Insulation, drywall, flooring and trim

隔热、干墙、地板与装饰

I was planning on insulating the office myself and hiring a drywall contractor to do the drywall, install the flooring, and trim myself, but I realized I have a toddler and limited free time. I don’t have time for this. So, I found a contractor to do all of that for me. 我原本计划自己做隔热层，聘请干墙承包商做干墙，然后自己安装地板和装饰线条，但我意识到我还要照顾幼儿，空闲时间有限。我没时间做这些。所以，我找了一位承包商帮我完成了所有工作。

I installed soffit vents myself to allow airflow from the roof to prevent moisture buildup and had my contractor install rafter vents. 我自己安装了檐口通风口，以促进屋顶空气流通，防止湿气积聚，并让承包商安装了椽子通风口。

I went with a Smartcore Luxury Vinyl plank flooring and a Smartcore premium foam flooring underlayment. I am definitely happy with both. 我选择了 Smartcore 豪华乙烯基板材地板和 Smartcore 高级泡沫地板垫层。我对这两者都非常满意。