The work-at-home artist has a particularly challenging job when looking for new digs. You have to think about all the things everyone else has to worry about – how soon after the purchase the furnace will self-destruct, when was the roof put on, what is that funny-smelling green stuff in the basement, and how much is it going to cost to replace the half-rotten 40-year-old dark-brown cork paneling in the family room. And you have to think about all the things people worry about when they are buying a business: Is it convenient for clients, is there enough space, where will people park, is high-speed internet available, what if you have to expand?
Imagining how space could be reallocated or improved is the creative part, but there is also a practical element. Building costs are sky-rocketing, and no one likes dealing with contractors who don’t show up for months on end. It pays to get it right the first time.
- Think about your needs in two separate packages: Home and family versus business and clients. How many people will be working at home? One person working at home creates a completely different situation than two creatives sharing a workspace (When you are sharing space 24 – 7 — you need a LOT of space). If you’ve got a family on top of that, you should be looking for a property that has clearly delineated work and family areas – preferably separated by walls and doors.
- Look at different configurations: In rural areas, houses often have outbuildings that can be turned into studio space. A garage (or the second floor of a garage) can be a recording studio, rehearsal space, writing room, photo lab, or artist’s studio. But don’t make assumptions: If you’re serious about a property, get a contractor to give you an estimate of what it’s going to take to turn that old cowshed into a state-of-the-art video lab.
- In rural areas, look for properties zoned mixed residential-commercial, especially if you plan to sell your creations, or if walk-in and client traffic will be large parts of your business. Rural areas have a long tradition of living in the back and selling or working out the front.
- In suburban areas, you may be looking at garage space, or attics and basements. Split levels often have separate entrances for the lower level, which keeps business and family separate. Rambling houses to which new rooms and wings have been added on over the years can also be suitable for a separate-feeling workspace. An ideal set-up might include a waiting room (if you teach), a separate entrance, and a separate powder room.
- In urban areas, lofts are one ideal situation, at least for solo artists, but in many cities, the cost of lofts has spiralled out of the price range of your typical self-supporting artist. Another issue: They also don’t always work well with families, although creative people come up with creative solutions: I know one couple, both artists, who shared a loft, and whose three-year-old had his own “room” in a large freestanding mountaineering tent pitched in a corner of the living room. Small apartment buildings, two-flats, or brownstones with ”carriage houses” in the back are another option. In more standard apartments, you may have to settle for less space — or consider renting and sharing separate work space with other artists.
- If your work involves paints, chemicals, and fumes, make sure there is adequate ventilation in the space where you plan to work.
- Is noise going to be an issue? Power tools or music can disturb the neighbors. And neighbors can disturb you. How much will sound-proofing cost?
- Parking: If your business involves frequent visitors, there has to be a place for them to put their cars. (Or, if you’re in an urban area, and parking is tight, you need to be near a reasonable public transportation conduit.)
- In rural areas: Will your home-office-studio be accessible year-round? That picturesque country road that looks so colorful and pretty in September might be the last on the county’s plow schedule come January. (If , that is, it gets plowed at all. )
- Zoning is a biggie: Check with the town office and READ THE BY-LAWS yourself (AND run them by your lawyer) before you make an offer. By-laws can determine (among other things) which businesses are forbidden, which are allowed, which are allowed in what parts of town, which types of businesses need certain amounts of parking, how many clients or students you are allowed to see each week, which hours you can work, and a raft of other issues — most of which you can’t even begin to anticipate.
- Choose wisely: Unique, funky, one-of-a-kind homes are great for artists; If you plan on staying put for a number of years, your home can be as idiosyncratic as you like. But resale value is also important: A house that makes a perfect music studio and pottery shop might not work for the vast majority of buyers who come in with standard-issue families and needs.
- Be realistic about your work habits and needs: Over the long haul, most people find they need some space separation between work life and home life, or else they goof off when they should be working, and work when they should be with their families. Make sure your space matches your work style.
- Take a non-artist with you when you’ve narrowed down your list. You need someone to point out that a hole in the roof is not a skylight, and that the flooded areas in front of the house is neither a lake nor a skating rink .
Also see: http://createworklive.com/2008/12/10/home-sweet-home-buying-a-house/
