Ask Slashdot: How Should I Furnish (And Secure) My Work-From-Home Office?

"If someone gave you a big chunk of change to build a small one- or two-room office, what would you do?" asks long-time Slashdot reader darkpixel2k, as he plans to build a small office out in his backyard. My plan is to trench CAT6 from our ISP fiber DMARC over to the ~12x20 building, wire the structure up for network and power, and furnish it with a small rack, UPS, switch, router, a desk, whiteboard walls, a wireless access point, and an air conditioner for the summer heat... While I have the "big picture" idea in my head, I don't really have a grasp of the fine details that would make it a comfortable work environment... Should I put down carpet and one of those plastic mats for chairs? A friend suggested I wire up speakers so I don't have to listen to my terrible laptop speakers, and a large flat-screen TV so I can display dashboards and statistics.

Lastly, physical security is somewhat of an issue. While everything is insured, downtime of a few days or weeks due to meth heads would be a huge impact to the company and also on my paycheck. I was talking with the local company that builds small office-like structures, sheds, and barns, and they said they can "double up" the 2x4s to strengthen the walls and make a stronger door, but I need to supply my own lock. Should I use some off-the-shelf lock from a big-box hardware store? Should I install a digital lock?
There's more details in the original submission -- but it's also a lot of fun to speculate about what you'd do with a big chunk of change to build your own work-from-home office. So leave your best answers for darkpixel2k in the comments. How should he furnish (and secure) his work-from-home office?

Comments

My setup...

[Frosty Piss]

I suggest a table and chair, and a bookcase. Situate the table and chair such that you can gaze out a window.

Easy - buyt a container.

[BarbaraHudson]

Just buy a container and convert it. Steel floor, walls, roof, doors. Paint it distinctive colors, (maybe a rainbow) and should someone try to swipe it, it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Re:Easy - buyt a container.

[swb]

It's kind of more complicated than that, isn't it?

A bare steel container is like an oven in the summer and freezing in the winter. And dark without windows.

You would need to frame it inside, insulate it, come up with some kind of HVAC solution, maybe cut some kind of windows into it for natural lighting, not to mention safely wiring it and grounding it properly, both for conventional power and against lightning (and maybe even for general safety if its near overhead power lines) and making sure the roof didn't leak.

And pretty much anywhere, but especially in a cold climate, you want it on some kind of footings to get it above ground level. Maybe in Arizona you could get away with it on raised slab only, but I'd want it some level above the ground to keep out water at a minimum and in a cold climate to not leach away my heat into the ground. Plus footings would get the whole thing level which would be helpful.

Containers are kind of an interesting building unit, but they still require much of the same interior construction as stick built. I'd bet stick building a single room outside building would be less hassle than converting a shipping container, unless your idea of a shipping container is the same as a third world refugee.

Shipping containers really get interesting if you want to do unusual multi-level buildings where their structural attributes outweigh their complications. I keep waiting for a post-apocalyptic movie to feature a shipping container fortress or walled city.

Laptop?

[techno-vampire]

If you're setting up a full-sized home office in its own building, why are you limiting yourself to a laptop? Set yourself up with a proper desktop computer with a nice, big monitor, good speakers and as much RAM and disk space as you want. If you need to take things into your company's offices, you can always either use a flash drive or transfer what you need to your laptop, but if you're going to this much expense, there's no reason to pinch pennies here. And, while I'm thinking of it, put in a good floor safe; not just for added security, but to protect your records in case of fire or flood.

Start with an 8' tall throne

[rsilvergun]

made of skulls. I recommend lava and/or pools of sharks or piranha (whichever's in season). For security nothing beats savage panthers, but you can use tigers in a pinch. You'll probably want to invest in a pool of acid and winch/pulley system to lower intruders into. There's a pretty good guide over here.

Keep precious things in the house

[nicolaiplum]

Bear in mind that a smaller outdoor structure will not be as secure as a larger dwelling (and property insurance may not cover anything valuable in it, you should check). You will also need to keep it heated in winter, if you are anywhere it gets cold, or the equipment will suffer (from condensation, if nothing else).

I would not recommend working next to a rack of gear, it's noisy. There's a reason we have machine rooms and offices and they're not the same space.

So, what I suggest doing is to install insulation, heating, cooling, network cable, power, etc, as you have described. Then install whatever seating, desking, etc, that you might like. Then install basic networking gear (that you aren't going to be too upset with losing in case of a burglary). Then install a suitable display screen (when a 27" 4K display costs ~$600, perhaps you could cope with losing one to a burglary - depends how well off or how well insured you are, and what your local crime rate is). Use a laptop to compute with and take it indoors when you're not using it. Leave the rack of compute gear inside too, in a room you are not in most of the time. Don't leave any data storage out there, put that in your house also.

Obscure the windows in this outhouse while you are not using it; blinds, curtains, or shutters (locked or interior, so the burglar can't just open them and take a peek). Do not be seen loading the outhouse up with gear either, or someone may make a mental note and come back later, when you are out.

It sounds cool, but bear security in mind.

Re:Dig down first

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought Hilary lost the election.

Re:Dig down first

[PolygamousRanchKid]

A few minor additions . . .

Instead of Scotts EZ Seed, plant your lawn with Punji sticks, dipped in concentrated Cone Snail toxin. Buy a sturdy wood chipper to get rid of any Meth Head corpses. A coyote or a stray dog gnawing on the leg of a human corpse is bound to attract attention, and you don't want any of that. You can, however, use the refuse from the wood chipper to make Soylent Meth Head Green Dog Food. Don't worry, your dog won't get Meth Mouth from a Meth Head doggie treat.

Instead of rock salt or bird-shot loads that you use for plinking the neighborhood kids on your lawn, use a hybrid load of buckshot and potassium chloride, in rock crystalline form, to dispatch the Meth Heads with steel-soled boots who make it through the Punji stick fields. The potassium chloride causes immediate cardiac arrest, so if the cops show up before you wood chipperize the Meth Head, you can just say that the shotgun blast startled the Meth Head, causing a heart attack. "He must have taken too much meth, huh?"

If you've ever visited the home of a Meth Head, you'll notice that it is packed to the rafters with useless junk. Meth Heads don't sleep at night and wander around stealing stuff that they can hawk for Meth Cash, but they also end up with a lot strange stuff. So you might encounter a Meth Head wearing SWAT team body armor, that he picked up off a sleeping cop. In that case, as your last line of defense, you should keep a Heckler & Koch MP7 handy. Note the MP7, and not the MP5. The MP7 will stop just about anything, including the SWAT team BearCat, if the Meth Head has stolen that, as well.

Enjoy the tranquility of feeling safe in your office!

Here

[fyngyrz]

1) The best chair you can find for desk work

2) A nice desk, with a surface that breathes; you don't want glass or something else that will make you sweat when you make solid contact with it.

3) Nice monitors: Don't be drawn in by the resolution; what you want is something easy to read so you don't get eyestrain. Use the TV standards: Looking straight on at any monitor, the size/ distance should allow you to see the whole thing.

4) A *great* keyboard, if you will be typing.

5) a fast, quality computer. You won't regret it.

6) Depending on how distractable you are and who else is around, and at what distances, you might want to consider soundproofing. This provides both privacy and prevents others from being irritated with your own noises.

7) Consider pets. They're awesome stress relievers, and good to hang out with on breaks.

8) take breaks.

Re:how... what...

[unixisc]

I know that finding good people is tough, but is the submitter serious about hiring meth-heads?