Working from home is growingmore popular each and every year.Advancements in technology havemade it easier than ever before for the nation’s workers to login from theirhome environment.

While working from home has itsadvantages, one notable disadvantage concerns the furniture. A cubicle oroffice at an office building comes fully furnished at the employer’s expense,while a home office typically must befurnished entirely by the employee.Those about to furnish their homeoffice should consider the followingtips.

Don’t overdo itHome offices need not be as

crowded as the standard officebuilding office. In today’s computerage where most files are storedelectronically than in file cabinets, ahome office does not have to be filledwith numerous file cabinets, shelvingunits or tons of drawer space. Whenworking from home, especially whenworking from home only part-time,the office does not have to be fullystocked. The essentials will probablydo the trick.

Be flexible withchoice of desk

A desk for a home office can beeffective whether it’s a folding table or

How to EquipYour Home Office

an aesthetically appealing oak desk.Oftentimes, the individual will knowwhat he or she needs. For example, an architect will need a larger desk tospread out blueprints while a writermight be fine working on a smallerdesk because he or she does not needmuch more than a computer.

Be choosy with the chairEmployers often look for chairs that

discourage slouching and will keepworkers comfortable and productivethroughout the day. People workingfrom home should also be choosywhen finding a workday chair. Costshould not be a major consideration.Instead, comfort should takeprecedence or it could have adverseeffects on an individual’s health overthe course of time. Also, be sure thearms of the chair fit under the desk.

Install a secondphone line

It’s not ideal to rely on an existinghome phone line as the primarymeans of contact for work. Family orfriends might call and force workersto miss important work-related phone calls. Many employers provide aphone line connected to the actualoffice where the business is located.However, they do not often expectworkers to have a work-specific line at their home.

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A quick glance at the market capi-talization for the big home improve-ment chains reveals just how popularthe home improvement movementhas become. According to Yahoo!Finance, Home Depot remains theindustry leader with a market capitali-zation of $56.8 billion, with LowesCompanies in the neighborhood at$35.7 billion.

So what do those figures illustrate?Perhaps nothing more than peoplelove to work on their homes and thatthe home improvement industry isstill going strong in spite of an eco-nomic downturn and housing crisis.

But even the most ardent do-it-yourselfer likely finds it difficult tomake the time for home improve-ments. Commitments to work, familyand social life can make it hard to geteverything done around the house.However, the following projects areideal for the weekend warrior whowants to start and finish a project over the course of a few days.

Paint up a stormPainting can be the ideal weekend

project, one that truly gives homeown-ers a sense of accomplishment. Whendone correctly, painting can give aroom or rooms an entirely new feel,making a homeowner feel as if thehome he arrived home to on Fridaynight is not the same one he’s leavingon Monday morning.

When attempting to complete apainting project in one weekend, besure to choose rooms that only needpaint. In rooms with significant plas-ter work to be done, the project willlikely take longer than the weekend,as the plaster will need to be patchedbefore it dries and then get sanded(rooms with only minor plaster dam-age should be more weekend-friendly). Choose smaller rooms forweekend painting projects and reapthe rewards of a weekend well spent.

Replace vanity faucetsAnother easy project that can make

a dramatic visual difference is toreplace vanity faucets around thehome. Old vanity faucets can be an

DIY Jobs forWeekend Warriors

eyesore. But they can be easilyreplaced in a single weekend as longas there are no issues with the plumb-ing and the replacement parts are thesame size as existing parts.Homeowners who are aware of or sus-pect issues with plumbing shouldconsult a professional before replac-ing any faucets. Risking it and going it alone could result in disaster, one that takes more than a weekend to correct.

Tile till the heart is contentFor first-timers, tiling a floor or even

the bathroom walls may prove chal-lenging. But the hardest projects areoften the most rewarding as well.Even those who have never re-tiled abathroom wall or kitchen floor can get the job done in a weekend. However,make measurements during the weekand make sure all the materials,including appropriate tools, are pur-chased and ready to go before theweekend starts. Measuring and choos-ing tile is time consuming on its own,so all preliminary measuring and tilechoosing should be done in advanceof the weekend.

Replace the toiletFor homeowners with older toilets,

replacing the toilets might be the ideal weekend task. Replacing a toiletshould not take very long, and home-owners will notice their new toilet isnot only an upgrade in visual appeal,but an upgrade that’s attractive to thebottom line as well. Older toilets mayconsume anywhere from 3.5 to 7 gal-lons per flush, whereas newer toiletsgenerally consume between 1.5 to 3gallons per flush. That helps home-owners reduce their carbon footprintwhile also reducing their monthlywater bills.

Many do-it-yourselfers can handleinstalling a new toilet. However, those reticent to do so might want to hire aplumber instead. Plumbers mighteven take the old toilet off the prop-erty if allowed to do so.

Weekend warriors can finish ahome improvement project over theweekend with a little planning andtime management.