What Would You Do With 500 Extra Hours a Year?

It is like 7:15 on a wet Tuesday morning, somewhere in South Yorkshire. You are in your kitchen sipping coffee, while your children are in PJs. You are gratefully thinking, “I’m glad I’m not on that 6:40 from Sheffield to Leeds.”

By 7:30, you have sat at your desk in your garden office, warm and quiet, with no traffic and no issues. There is no £2,800 season ticket, and you don’t rush home or miss bedtimes. Above all, you can boast of possessing an extra 500 hours a year to do what you want.

This is not some fancy and unrealistic dream; it is so real, and thousands of professionals in the UK are making it happen. They have proven that working from home is the way forward and have drawn a pattern for how it can be done.

The Calculation That Changes Everything
Let’s get real here by first admitting that the commute to work is a killer. The Office for National Statistics says the average UK commute is 59 minutes round-trip. But if we are to be sincere, an individual in Yorkshire, the North West, or outer London is probably looking at two hours a day. That is like 480-500 hours (20 days) a year, which is more than the annual leave of most citizens in the country.

Interestingly, COVID revealed to us then what life is like without that commute. We all agreed that it’s a game-changer. Mornings are nicer, you’ve got energy for the family, and you can actually get some work done.

Hence, now that some firms are saying “back to the office”, the question on everyone’s mind is, “How do I keep this freedom?”

The True Cost of the British Commute
Time
Your commute is going to cost you in no small measure. We are talking 240 hours a year for a 30-minute each-way commute, 280 hours for the average 59-minute journey, and a whopping 480- 500+ hours for a two-hour each-way slog. That is pretty much, isn’t it?

Financial Costs
On the financial front, commuting to work costs you between £2,000 and £15,000 a year. That is really a chunk of change, enough for a family holiday or even a deposit on something that is pretty life-changing.

Health
Unfortunately, commuting to work is not only about time and money; it also takes a toll on your health. Long commutes are associated with higher blood pressure and other nasty health issues like obesity. It is an unpleasant experience to keep losing sleep, missing out on family time, and wearing down.

The Independent says workers who commute to work are 40% more likely to get depression than their work-from-home counterparts. This is not just about being tired, but about losing life, bit by bit. You are missing the school plays, the bedtime stories, and the kickabouts in the park. Then your weekends become recovery time, not living time. It’s time to grab back your life!

The COVID Revelation: Life without the Commute
Lockdown was a right old mess, but it had its perks. You got a proper morning routine, no rushing around, and no sprinting for the 7:10. You saw the kids before and after school, cooked decent meals, had a spot of lunch, and even got a walk in.

After work, you were home, with no stress or hassle. You had energy left for the things you enjoy, no more collapsing on the sofa at the end of the day.

During the COVID time, you got more projects completed with no distractions and realised the commute was time wasted.

The Infrastructure That Makes It Sustainable
The kitchen table is not going to cut it. If you want to make remote work stick, you need a proper setup, something that will convince your boss and yourself that it’s sustainable. That is where garden offices come in, and this is not some dodgy old sheds. Modern garden offers are proper, insulated, heated, and powered workspaces, built for British weather and Zoom calls.

Permission
Coming as a game-changer for UK remote workers, garden offices qualify under permitted development rights, so you don’t need planning permission, especially if they are less than 2.5 metres high and do not take more than half of your garden space.

Comfort
You’ve got double glazing and electric heating that make your office comfortable all year round. The commute is a breeze. With only a 30-second stroll across the grass, you are in your home office.

Installation
Installation is quick, as it only takes days or weeks, depending on your model. For example, while a compact preassembled garden can take three to five days to install, a larger bespoke garden room can take weeks to complete. Regardless, you don’t need to wait for a long time to start using your garden office.

The Financial Case: Transport Savings Alone Pay for It
As a case study, consider a Sheffield to Leeds commuter. Oscar shells out £2,800 a year on a season ticket, as well as another £1,200 on necessities like coffees and lunches. This amounts to £4,000 down the drain annually.

Now imagine if Oscar invests in a £15,000 garden office, which pays for itself in less than four years. This is like having a money-spinner for many years.

Look at William, a small entrepreneur who would drive to work in Greater Manchester. Williams spent £2,000 on petrol, £1,500 on parking, and £1,000 on wear and tear. Guess what? £4,500 a year is gone on commuting.

William later decided to ditch work commutes for a garden office and started saving. Interestingly, he was able to cover the cost of his home office within 4 years from the savings made from commuting.

Money is not the only ultimate. Interestingly, garden offices also help with other savings: wearing jeans instead of suits, cooking at home instead of grabbing takeaways, and having fewer stress-related sick days.

Plus, estate agents have reported that adding a garden office to a property helps increase the property’s value. Hence, don’t look at this as a cost, but as an investment.

Making It Real: From Commuter to Garden Office Worker
Grab your bank statements and have a look at the ONS commuting dataset. Calculate how much time and money you are wasting on that commute. Write it down, and let the reality sink in.

Next, take a look at your garden. Chances are that you will find it so easy to set up a garden office. Check the Planning Portal to confirm you are good to go with permitted development. Continue by designing your ideal garden office.

Main image by Deny Smith