Finding ways to enhance work/life balance is top of mind for many city-dwelling professionals. Lower property prices, access to the great outdoors and an increase in remote workdays are luring homebuyers outside the city limits. Converting a cottage into a remote office will take some creative knowhow, but nowadays, anything is possible.

Image Alt Text

Space Case

Even if you’re not thinking of taking the leap and permanently relocating to the lake, having a functioning remote office makes sense. It means you can potentially extend your long weekends, or negotiate some “work from home” weeks (at the cottage). So, look for a property that offers enough rooms to dedicate one to an office, or has a separate, fully wired outbuilding.

Image Alt Text

Room With a View

If you’re taking all this time to set up a remote office at the cottage, you may as well make it special. Choose a room with windows looking out at the natural beauty you come up to the cottage to enjoy. In between conference calls and answering emails, you can look up and bathe in the lake, forest or mountain views.

Image Alt Text

Sound Garden

Being able to shut out noise is also going to be crucial in choosing the right spot for a remote office. There will be days when you have to leave the merriment and general frivolity to finish a report or call a client. Having a quiet, sound-proofed room — or even a separate structure removed from the main cottage — will help you focus on your work.

Image Alt Text

Transportation

A golden rule for buying a recreational property is to ensure it’s no more than three hours from a city. When it comes to also turning it into a remote office, that distance shifts even closer. Aim for a two-hour-or-less commute from the cottage to the downtown core of the city where your work is based. If you need to get there quickly for a meeting or to pick up supplies, your recreational location won’t impact your work.

Image Alt Text

Connect More

All of these elements work together to help create a great remote office, but none are more important than having reliable Wi-Fi. Do your research into local Internet providers and their services, and ensure they can provide you with top speed and coverage. Also, prepare for power outages now so that you’re not caught on deadline with no signal. Look into gas generators to power your electronics and a battery-powered satellite Wi-Fi receiver to get your work where it needs to be.

As our work worlds moves away from the traditional 9-5, so too does our perception of workplace. With ever-advancing technologies, so much more can be done from anywhere in the world — including a lakeside cottage or mountaintop cabin! Setting up a remote office at a recreational property gives you options when it comes to where — and how — you work. With this in mind, are you ready to take the plunge and find the work/life balance for yourself?

More to Explore

Leasing Commercial Space

What Independent Business Owners Need to Know Before Leasing a Commercial Space

March 16, 2024

What It Means to Be House Poor – and How to Avoid It

What It Means to Be House Poor – and How to Avoid It

March 15, 2024

People Negotiating Retail Space Lease

Renegotiating Your Retail Space Lease: When, Why And How to Approach Your Landlord

March 14, 2024

Canadian housing market_Cornwall

How Does the Canadian Housing Market Compare to the U.S. Right Now?

March 12, 2024

Saskatoon real estate

A Look at Saskatoon Real Estate

March 11, 2024

What is a Foreclosure?

March 9, 2024

Vacant Land for Sale in Canada

The Ultimate Guide to Buying Land for Sale in Canada

March 7, 2024

Will the Bank of Canada Cut Interest Rates This Year

Interest Rate Announcement: “Too Early to Loosen Restrictive Policy”

March 6, 2024

Hotel investment

Is Hotel Investment a Smart Move?

March 6, 2024

Find the
Right Agent

Sign up
For Our Newsletter

Hidden

Next Steps: Sync an Email Add-On

To get the most out of your form, we suggest that you sync this form with an email add-on. To learn more about your email add-on options, visit the following page (https://www.gravityforms.com/the-8-best-email-plugins-for-wordpress-in-2020/). Important: Delete this tip before you publish the form.
Untitled(Required)

*RE/MAX, LLC, 5075 S. Syracuse St., Denver CO, 80237; RE/MAX Western Canada and RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic, 639 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2B7, 905-542-2400