How Much Does It Cost to Build a Home Office? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $2,000 - $22,000
Building a new home office costs around $15,000, but the price can vary between $2,000 and $22,000 depending on the size, materials, and labor.
The cost to build a home office is around $15,000, but the price varies widely depending on if you are adding on a room to your home, which can cost over $22,000, versus converting an existing room into an office with minor floor, paint, and electrical upgrades for as low as $2,000. Converting an unused spare room in your home to a home office can make your space more functional and add value to the house.
- Average
- $15,000
- Low end
- $1,500
- high end
- $27,500
Cost to Build a Home Office by Size
Building a home office into the existing layout of your house costs around $50 to $200 per square foot for remodeling. If you’ll only spend a few hours a week working in the office, you might opt for a smaller office to save money. If you plan to meet with clients or spend a lot of time in your home office, you may want to invest more money in a larger office space. Building an addition onto your home to add a home office will cost between $80 and $200 per square foot.
| Office Size | Remodeling Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 8x8 feet | $3,200–$12,800 |
| 9x9 feet | $4,050–$16,200 |
| 10x10 feet | $5,000–$20,000 |
| 12x12 feet | $7,200–$28,800 |
| 15x15 feet | $11,250–$45,000 |
Cost of a General Contractor to Build a Home Office
The average cost of hiring a general contractor to perform your home office renovation or addition construction varies widely between $250 and $58,000, depending on the scope of the work. On average, homeowners spend roughly $4,000 to hire a contractor to perform renovations in an existing space.
Your general contractor will perform all of the tasks necessary to make your space work-ready, hire the subcontractors as necessary, obtain permits and handle the inspections, manage the project schedule, and deal with any unforeseen issues as they happen.
Additional Pros to Consider Hiring
Depending on the scope of your home office remodel or addition build, you'll likely need the services of one or more of the following specialists.
Interior designer cost: $50–$200 per hour
Electrician cost: $160–$535
Internet technician cost: $185–$675
Handy person cost: $180–$690
Painter cost: $300–$2,800
Flooring specialist: $1,530–$4,855
Cost to Build a Home Office by Location
Because of widely varying needs between homeowners, regardless of where they live, who add office spaces to their homes, putting a precise dollar figure on prices by location is challenging. However, a good rule of thumb is that those living in locations that have a high overall cost of living, such as in major metro areas, pay more for the services than those who live in rural areas or places with lower costs of living. Expect to pay a percentage more or less than the national average for remodeling your home to include an office, depending on the cost of living in your area.
| State | Variation from National Average Cost |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | -7% |
| New York | +8% |
| California | +13% |
| Wisconsin | -5% |
| Nevada | +6% |
Additional Home Office Building Costs
Your home office addition cost is impacted by numerous factors, including the materials you incorporate into the design. Material costs for an office space vary widely between roughly $1,245 and $25,300, while individual items can range from as little as $20 to over $5,000 each. Installing doors, windows, and soundproofing are bigger ticket items that will cost more per item than things like a coat of paint or swapping a light fixture.
| Project | Cost |
|---|---|
| Lighting | $20–$1,000 |
| Flooring | $150–$5,000 |
| Painting | $150–$2,000 |
| Windows | $75–$1,500 each |
| Doors | $50–$500 each |
| Soundproofing | $200–$1,500 |
| Built-in Shelves and Cabinets | $150–$3,000 |
Lighting
Light fixtures cost about $20 to $1,000 each. If you are converting a bedroom into an office, you may only need an inexpensive desk lamp or sconce above the desk. Otherwise, you may consider dimmable, recessed lighting or chic new light fixtures for a stylish office space that you’ll look forward to working in each day. You can hire a local electrician to help install new wiring for lighting, if necessary.
Flooring
Flooring costs vary from $150 for simple concrete floors in an 8-foot-by-8-foot room to over $5,000 for rare hardwood floors in a 225-square-foot room. Floor materials cost around $2 to $22 per square foot. For most offices, wood or carpet flooring are popular choices.
Painting
Painting a room costs $150 to $2,000 for materials, or about $15 to $40 per gallon. When the kids fly the nest or you convert an old entertainment den into an office, you may want to repaint the walls to a soothing or neutral tone that won’t distract you from the tasks at hand. You can save money by DIY-ing your paint job, or you can hire a local interior painter to help with the task, though it’ll cost a bit more.
Windows
Windows cost about $75 to over $1,500 each, depending on the type of window and what it is made from. A small, single-pane aluminum window will cost about $75, while a larger, energy-efficient fiberglass window with double- or triple-paned glass may cost over $1,500 each.
Doors
Adding interior doors costs $50 to $500 each. Doors are essential to any home office, so you can shut out distractions while you take calls or write up memos. You may save money here if you are converting an existing room that already has a door.
Soundproofing
The materials cost to soundproof a room is about $200 to $1,500. For full soundproofing, you’ll typically spend over $1,000 on insulation, acoustic wall tiles, soundproof drywall, soundproof windows and curtains, and more. You can also improve soundproofing on a budget by adding just curtains or one wall of acoustic panels starting around $200.
Built-In Shelves and Cabinets
Storage built-ins cost $150 to $3,000 in materials. The taller or wider the built-ins, the more they will cost. You can also choose to save money by building storage from medium-density fiberboard (MDF), or splurge on high-end materials like hardwood or metal.
Utilities
Ongoing operational costs include internet and electricity bills, which will cost an additional $10 to $500 per month after adding a home office. The cost for internet will depend on your provider and the plan you sign up for, but most home offices will need high-speed internet. Utility costs will depend on how much time you spend in the office each week.
Homeowners Insurance
Anytime you update, upgrade, or remodel your home, including the addition of office space, you can potentially increase the value of your home. The uptick in value can impact the needs and cost of your homeowners insurance. The cost of homeowners insurance generally hovers between $900 and $1,800 annually, with an average of $1,500. It's essential to discuss the matter with your insurer to maintain adequate protection for your home and budget.
HVAC
If you build a home addition to become your office or convert a previously underutilized space, like a spare bedroom or attic, into an office, you may need HVAC upgrades to make it a comfortable place to work. Installing a new HVAC system costs $5,000 to $12,500.
Building a Home Office Yourself vs. Hiring a Pro
While some tasks involved with home office remodeling can be appropriate for doing it yourself, most homeowners choose to hire professionals for the work. Painting, drywall repair, trim work, and setting up your office equipment work as DIY projects if you have the proper tools and experience.
Hiring a local home remodeling contractor or individual professionals to handle the project comes with additional costs, equalling between 20% and 50% of the price of the job. However, keeping costs low using DIY methods has drawbacks, including the potential for missed steps and not having the latest information to maximize your office's usefulness. General contractors and other pros will manage the project from start to finish and make sure you get the best value for your budget.
Home Office Renovations vs. Additions
One of the primary decisions you may need to make when adding a home office to your living space is whether to convert an existing room, remodel more than one room, or put an addition on the home to accommodate your needs.
The cost of converting a single room to an office is the least costly alternative, at less than $100 per square foot. However, your options for repurposing the space are limited to the size and shape of the room. Remodeling more than one room in the home to combine them into a single office space will cost between $50 and $200 per square foot but provides numerous options regarding the size and functionality of the new area. The most expensive option, building an addition, can cost up to $300 per square foot in some situations but offers a nearly endless list of possibilities for home office functionality and appearance.
4 Ways to Save Money on a Home Office
Building a home office is simple to do on a budget. From thrifting furniture to adding a few touches to an existing spare room, here are four ways to save money on the cost of building a home office.
Choose budget-friendly furniture and decor for your new office space.
Painting, installing trim work, or doing the post-construction cleanup yourself can reduce the project's cost by hundreds of dollars.
Convert an existing room to a home office instead of installing an addition. Once complete, you may even save enough to buy higher-priced luxury furniture or decor.
Converting part of your house to a home office can have tax implications that can save you money in the form of deductions. Speak with your tax professional to discuss these opportunities before adding an office to your home.
Does a Home Office Increase Home Value?
Adding a home office can increase your home's value and its selling appeal. However, it's not among the best projects for returns on investment. That said, many buyers seek out homes with a home office as part of their floor plans. For most office conversions, you can expect an ROI of 10% to 20%, with home office additions being worth up to 50%, though the costs of an addition far exceed that of a conversion.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The average size of a home office starts at around 70 square feet for those who just need a place to put a desk, filing cabinet, and perhaps some shelving units to keep important documents. For those with storage needs or office furniture for guests, an average size is more like 150 square feet or the size of a large bedroom.
One way to potentially reduce the overall cost of adding a home office or converting an existing space to one is to take advantage of tax breaks for operating a business out of your home. While having a tax professional help determine what kind of deductions your home office renovation qualifies for, as a general rule, the tax breaks can be significant, reaching up to 100% of the project's cost in some cases.
It’s best to talk with a tax professional about business expenses, deductions, and whether your home office is tax deductible. Many home office expenses and purchases made for your business can be used for deductions while filing taxes. Be sure to save your receipts and document your purchases, and bring these papers with you to the meeting with your tax professional.