The Melwood garden office that paid for itself 

The WFH movement  

More and more companies are seeing the benefits of their employees working from home.

Gaining a work-life balance boosts wellbeing and, in turn, productivity. And business owners are seeing the cost savings when it comes to leasing office space and associated overheads.  

Paul has embraced the many benefits of operating his business from home, which has been made possible by installing a stylish Melwood Mod as a dedicated garden office.  

From the big smoke to the garden  

It was 2021 when immigration lawyer, Paul, switched from paying expensive city rent for just 25m2 of co-shared space to purchasing his own at-home office.

Regularly passing by one of our Sydney Display Centres on his daily travels, Greenspan’s range of garden buildings had already caught his eye.

Tiring of the commute and the cost of his tiny share of the city-based office, Paul headed online to investigate further. There he found further inspiration.

“The visual displays on your website are very good….I was certainly going back to it several times for ideas,” he confirms.  

Getting the garden office look 

Paul made an appointment to meet with one of our Design Solutioneers at the Display Centre and he was immediately convinced. “I was impressed by the quality and variety of designs,” he tells us.

The Design Solutioneer helped Paul tailor the design and personalise the finishing touches to suit his needs.

“The designer was very helpful, especially when second thoughts were put to him. Nothing was an issue,” Paul recalled.

He opted for a Mod 18 design, upgrading to cedar cladding on two sides, and Colorbond® cladding to the remaining two. With no need for the decking that comes as standard with this design, he omitted this. Saving costs here, he chose to upgrade to aluminium doors and added a sliding window.

With these doors and windows in “Black” and Colorbond® roofing in “Nightsky” the finished look has a modern edge and a smart ‘office feel’.

An office that saves money  

Now, three years on, Paul uses his garden office daily to run his business and it has paid for itself three times over!

After just 12 months of avoiding rental payments, the Melwood essentially paid for itself.

“The commercial rent I was paying for a Sydney office in a year, covered the cost of the Cabana,” Paul shared. 

And as a permanent feature in his back garden, it will serve as Paul’s office for years to come.   

Enhanced lifestyle  

In addition to cost savings, the garden office has significantly improved Paul’s lifestyle.

Being in a tightly packed Lower North Shore suburb, Paul’s house benefits from having extra space for recreation too. And with no lengthy commute through Sydney traffic, he has much more time for leisure! 

When the door shuts on work for the day, it’s an additional place to watch TV or listen to music. Plus, as a keen guitarist and jazz musician, Paul has somewhere to play his instruments without disturbing the rest of the household. “The soundproofing is excellent,” says Paul, noting this inherent quality of cedar cladding. 

The addition of his Melwood garden room has also inspired Paul to spend much more time in the garden. Previously, too time-poor and uninterested in his bland backyard, he admits it was a neglected area. Now it boasts a stylish garden office, Paul has the motivation to keep the rest of the garden looking just as smart.

Added property value

Besides paying for itself in just 12 short months, Paul’s Melwood garden office has actually made him money!

“It unquestionably has added value to the property. And the main reason for that is the quality of the structure,” he says.

Initially intended to slash ongoing business expenses, the resale value-add wasn’t necessarily front of mind when he first purchased his new home office. But it’s definitely an additional bonus and an “equally important aspect in retrospect,” Paul admits.

The timber construction will last for decades, and the smart design increases aesthetic appeal. The multipurpose use for work, entertainment, and hobbies also makes it a major selling point.  

Recommended by satisfied customers  

Paul says he “really can’t fault the Melwood experience,” and was very happy with the process of designing and installing his Mod 18.

Like so many of our clients, he agrees that the end-to-end process was smooth and professional, describing the installer as excellent, patient and attentive to detail.  

For professionals looking to upgrade their work-from-home setup, Paul’s Melwood is proof that the investment pays dividends.

In only 12 months, he recouped the initial outlay by eliminating expensive rental payments. And the addition of a garden room from which to work and play is now making him money and enhancing his lifestyle.  

It really is a win-win! 

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Paul’s Melwood is a Mod 18 customised to measure 5m x 3.2m.

It features a cedar cladding upgrade to two sides with a Colorbond® cladding upgrade in “Cottage Green” to the remaining two. Paul further personalised his design by omitting the standard deck, adding aluminium doors and windows in “Black”, and selecting Colorbond® roofing in “Nightsky”. 

All measurements are approximate. 

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