It’s not just a garden office! How our modular builds can support entrepreneurs, home businesses and side hustles.
At E-spaces Design and Create Ltd (e-spaces) we are able to customise each and every build to meet the needs of our customers. Increasingly we are taking on more requests to create spaces from our traditional garden office range, e-Den family to develop a separate, comfortable space that can be used to generate additional income. Using highly energy efficient designs, you do not have to heat your entire home whilst working!
With almost 7 sq m of space, the e-Den Plus is an ideal home business ‘pod’. Easily accommodating all the furniture you need and with straightforward plug and play electrics and water connections on request.
1. Hairdressers and beauticians
If you already have the skill set to work as a hairdresser or beautician, why not do this from home? Easily keep clients and home life separate by working in a garden modular building. The best part? Save on rent and rates, commuting costs and energy costs. Book appointments around times that fit best for you and your lifestyle!
2. Dog grooming
With a huge increase in dog ownership within the last ten years – 33% of UK households are now dog owners (Braemar Finance). It is a perfect time to offer everything from dog walking, obedience lessons and dog grooming. The sticking point for most individuals wanting to generate an income from dog grooming is the initial cost of kitting out your space. Garage conversions can cost £30k upwards. Using an office pod model that’s customised with wipe clean walls and floors is far more cost effective.
3. Massage and therapy
Another example of how easily you can provide a professional service through an original office pod design. It is not easy having clients in a busy home, regardless of how quiet you try to make it! With a massage table inside a modular garden building you have the perfect quiet and relaxing space. Well insulted and heated, it can be used all year round.
4. Commercial or working kitchen
From a hygiene perspective, having a separate commercial or working kitchen from your domestic kitchen makes perfect sense. The e-Dine offered by e-spaces provides just that. Produce all of your baked items, prep food for functions or cook direct to customers. For those forward thinking entrepreneurs, purchase the model with the rolling chassis and you can literally drive to a local fair or festival and sell directly from your kitchen. This really maximises your income opportunities!
5. Soap and candle making
Having a kitchen set-up for making these products is a significant advantage. Again, the e-Dine concept can be of great use here. There is significant market growth around the world for organic soap with factors such as sustainable environment and a move from parabens and sulphates in synthetic soaps.
6. Online and on-demand work (virtual assistant or planner)
The kitchen table has its uses, but it does not generate an air of professionalism. Having a quiet, clean and distinct office space is ideal when carrying out additional online and on-demand work. Carrying out online meetings in your ‘office space’ makes an excellent impression and will undoubtedly generate more demand for your work.
7. Twitch streaming and YouTube
With a high quality WiFi link or hardwired internet cable, it is very easy to create a recording studio that allows you to generate high quality content that can be shared across Twitch or YouTube. Having a studio that is well insulated and used high quality materials provides comfort but also keeps external sound sources to a minimum. Create a great atmosphere with colour changing LED strip lights for as little as £6.90 at Amazon and add a professional gaming microphone for £44.99 at Currys.
8. Tutoring, counselling or mentoring
By the very nature of these roles, it is important to have a private space where none of the typical family interruptions may take place! With much of this work taking over Zoom or Skype, having a distinct office away from the home is an obvious and easy solution.
9. Dropshipping
Only requiring office space and some storage space, dropshipping is proving to be an effective side hustle for many. It is most effective if you focus in on a niche area that you have some interest in or appreciate particular elements of quality. Just be sure to do your research well!
10. Art studio or pottery shed
For most craft hobbyists, having a studio or shed is an absolute must. With a real rise in ethically made and handmade goods, platforms like Etsy have proven the ever increasing demand for personalised and even quirky goods. With over 40 million active buyers on Etsy, selling hand crafted goods continues to generate income and demand is increasing!
11. Print on demand shop
If you enjoy producing designs to put on t-shirts or bags for example, this is an easy way of generating income. Quite simply you only produce something when a sale has come through your platform. This means you are not left holding stock that you are unable to sell. With opportunities to sell worldwide and easy design tools, this is a great way of making money around your normal routine.
12. Manage social media accounts
There are those people that have a real knack of navigating and producing great material on social media and as such, find themselves in real demand. Setting up your own social media account office simply requires a little time and space. Generate a professional impression by running those accounts from your own office pod.
13. Photography studio
Easily combine film photography and digital photography within your own studio. You can easily establish a quality studio including setting up for photo shoots. Having a separate studio develops a professional image and reputation yet makes it easy to remove and replace equipment as and when needed. With a wide range of photography services still in demand and basic packages starting at £100 this can be a profitable side income.
14. Music studio
Having a distinct music studio is an excellent idea. Firstly, it provides you with the opportunity to develop your own interests and record your own tracks that may or may not be profitable in that sense. Secondly, you can record tracks for others (starting at £50 an hour that can be good income in itself) or simply rent out your studio for others to use.
15. Editing and proofreading
Having someone edit and proofread work has been a stable source of additional income for years and will continue to be so. If you are intending to have a quiet place to read and reflect on the work that is in front of you, the ability to do so in a garden office is perfect. You can start small with websites such as Fiverr, Upwork and Guru. When establishing yourself with a number of these websites you will soon find that your income increases to match your skills.
16. Appointment scheduling
For many of the above suggestions, having the ability to schedule appointments makes the process much more efficient and allows you to block out time when you are not available for bookings. There are many examples out there at the moment, some are paid subscriptions and others are free in the first instance. Check out sites such as Zoho, Calendly or Appointlet to see how these can simplify your business bookings.
Financing
In purchasing an e-Den Plus, you may not want to invest the £8,500 upfront. Why not consider the finance package instead? The option of paying their illustrative example monthly does allow you to easily calculate your fixed costs over a given period.
Is it worth it?
If you feel you can generate an additional £200 a month, you could have already covered the finance costs of your own business space and the utilities for it. At the very least, you have the capital costs invested in your office pod which you can always sell on if you decide that a business is no longer for you! The reality is that the additional 20 to 40 hours a month you can invest in your business or side hustle will not only cover the costs of your business but generate a substantial income without the heavy costs of traditional rent and utilities. So what are you waiting for?