Demand for home offi ces soars

“We cannot say enough about their pride in workmanship and attention to detail. They were very involved in every aspect of our build and we always felt they treated our project as if it were their own. We commend Johnson & Lee for their work ethic and quality of service. We would definitely work with them again.” - Brandon & Paula Payne, Oak Ridge

Johnson & Lee completed this custom-built home in Oak Ridge at the end of 2019.

Mike Lee (336) 362.4462 Rick Lee (336) 362.4461

Casey Johnson (336) 706.1887 Commie Johnson (336) 706.2658 www.JohnsonandLeeLLC.com

Photo courtesy of Ray Bullins Construction Co. Ray Bullins, owner of Ray Bullins Construction Co., likes to break up the space in his home offi ces by adding built-ins and areas that can be used for conversation and reading.

by ANNETTE JOYCE

The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have changed nearly every aspect of our lives, including the function of our homes. When corporate offi ces shut down and stay-at-home orders went into eff ect, growing numbers of people found themselves bringing their work – all of it – home.

While an estimated 55 percent of homes are equipped with home offi ces, that still leaves a huge number of people lacking dedicated space for working at home. Consequently, they’ve sought refuge in extra bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchen tables or on the living room sofa – places that aren’t exactly conducive to conducting business.

As businesses and employees consider making this shift to working from home permanent, real estate professionals quoted in Realtor Magazine say the trend will likely lead to home offi ces becoming “…a hot amenity for the long term.”

To fi nd out how our local market is aff ected by this trend, we reached out to several builders and Realtors based in northwestern Guilford County and here’s what they had to say …

When we caught up with Ray Bullins, owner of Ray Bullins Construction Co., ironically, he was leaving a meeting with a couple who wanted to add a home offi ce to some unfi nished attic space in their home.

“In the last 10 years, a home offi ce has typically been a place to pay the bills or keep up with the family budget,” said Bullins. “Now, most families have at least one person working from home. Once a luxury item, a home offi ce has become a necessity.”

Moving forward, Bullins said all the company’s spec homes will have at least one dedicated home offi ce. In fact, as a participant in Greensboro Builders continued onpage 28

23+ years in Real Estate 10+ years in related sales