Transform Your Detached Garage Into A Home Office With Help From An Electrician

With more and more people working from home, finding a quiet spot inside your home can be challenging, particularly for parents during the summer months when their children are not in school. Sometimes, homeowners who have a detached garage consider the possibility of transforming their garage into a work-at-home office space. It's actually a really good idea in most cases. Here are the basics of the electrical work that will be needed when transforming a detached garage into a home office.

1. Dig a trench. A trench for the electrical cabling will need to be dug between the house and the detached garage. The electrician you hire will tell you the best place for the trench, but you'll need to call 811 to determine if there are already utility lines where you need to dig so you don't accidentally damage those existing lines. 
2. Install wall studs. You'll need to install wall studs if the walls of the garage aren't already finished. This will give the electrician the ability to safely install the electrical wiring inside the garage instead of directly onto the exterior walls of the garage. 
3. Upgrade the home's electrical panel. Since the electricity for the new home office is coming from the home, the electrician may need to upgrade the home's electrical panel to include the new wiring that goes to the garage.
4. Install the electrical box & components. After the walls are framed, the electrician can then install the electrical wiring, outlets, lighting, and panel. To do this, the electrician will need to drill holes where appropriate in the wall studs. 
5. Install insulation. With the electrical components of the project installed, it's time to install insulation in between the wall studs of the exterior walls of the garage. 
6. Finish the walls with drywall. With the electrical components and insulation in place, the walls are ready to be finished with drywall. Of course, if you've never installed drywall before, it would be a good idea to hire a contractor to do this job for you. If you would like to take this on as a DIY project, don't forget to pay close attention to the locations of the electrical outlets and switches when you install the sheets of drywall. 
7. Fill the trench in. At the completion of the project, you'll need to fill the trench in. Place several inches of sand directly on top of the electrical cable and then a caution tape on top of the sand before filling the trench in with soil.

Contact a company like Royal Plus Electric, Inc for more information about transforming your detached garage into a home office.