New home office setup nearly complete

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 04/04/2020 at 23:24 • Filed to: None

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One of our goals this weekend is to clear out the junk in our home office so I could move from the dining table to a more secluded location. The state extended our stay-at-home order and our office leader told us to expect to work from home through the end of the month.

I discovered that I’m missing a cable for the third monitor and I need to get a proper lift for the keyboard and mouse. I also need to do some cable management and get something on the walls so I don’t go crazy in the beigeness.

F or those who don’t recognize the table, it’s an architectural drafting table complete with adjustable top and mat. My mom picked it up cheap from the oil and gas firm she worked at and we’ve had it in storage for years, long enough to have lost all of the hardware I needed to reassemble it. We were storing it in pieces - two ends, front and back rails, the bottom rail, the drawer slide, and the top. I was thankful that I had a stash of 2" machine screws and a drill/driver so I wouldn’t have to screw them in by hand. Here’s the quick re build sequence:

This is my return to a standing desk. It’s a bit low, thus the need for a keyboard stand. I have a bar stool for those times when I need to take a break from standing.

Since we got started on it , now my wife is talking about removing the storage cabinets and adding a sleeper sofa. I inherited a nice smart TV which I also took some time to set up this afternoon. Adding the sofa will turn this into an office/game room/guest room, which will make it much better for when my in-laws come to visit.

I did hook up my old XBox 360, but if I can convince my wife to swap the smart TV for the dumb one in the living room, I can get the XBONE in here for some proper console gaming!

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 00:21

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Okay, first of all, I hate to break it to you buddy, but the sleeper sofa will be for you. They got use to you being gone.  ;p

Second, I could do an entire post of the things that I have used for desks in my life. Some of them were better than actual desks.

Third, I am still in the dining room, and will be for the foreseeable future. We talked a couple years back about turning our back patio into a room addition (its an extension of the house slab) like friends of ours did. It would be a real benefit right now, but it’s no longer financially sound to use that money in our current climate. :(

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 04/05/2020 at 00:31

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:D

I guess I’d better pick a good one if I’m going to be sleeping on it!

My “desk” when I first went to Houston was a couple of cardboard boxes stacked on a conference room table shared with four people most times, 6 people some times.

My “new” home office is the size of a small bedroom, but since it doesn’t have an exterior window, it can’t be called a bedroom. The desk setup is in the space that would usually house a closet.

Sorry to hear that you’re stuck at the dining table. With our open floor plan, it was really hindering the family with me at the table. The people I need to collaborate with are now available by phone only, so I spend half my day on conference calls and my family has to tiptoe around to keep from interrupting.

Maybe you can get a cone of silence.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 00:48

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Those crates are a standing desk by definition.

The biggest thing is when I’m doing Zoom meetings. My daughter made a warning sign for the doors. She doesn’t want to wander on screen.

My wife is sleeping on a blow up bed now since her back surgery. It’s her only chance at sleep. If you get a sofa  a bed, get the four inch mattress upgrade, but then put an air mattress on top of it. Or, abandon the sofa bed and just keep a good air bed in the closet. Or, buy a day bed. But if you profess to love anyone who stays with you, don’t subject them to a naked sofa bed mattress.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 04/05/2020 at 01:06

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I’ve dealt with a few sofa beds in my time. My father-in-law would rather sleep on the couch or the floor than the sleeper sofa we used to have. I can’t blame him.

My favorite was a futon I used to have. It was great to sleep on. Then again, I prefer a firmer mattress than most people I know.

We have a couple of air mattresses, but my wife insists on getting a new  sleeper. Maybe it’s her way of getting rid of guests as quickly as possible.

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 07:04

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That’s a pretty nice set-up !

Mine is also a standing “desk”. Which is really a crappy piece of plywood on top of an old door. I’m going to have to fix this up a bit now that I’m spending a sizable portion of my life down here, and will be at least until the end of the month.

Yesterday I pushed the laptop aside, and spent the day building Lego with my girls. As evidence that the apple didn't fall too far from the tree ... They both decided they wanted to build garages with a small office in them.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher 04/05/2020 at 07:17

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Nice! We spent a little time with the kids yesterday. It was a matter of coaxing them from their rooms with the promise of food.

I hope to coax my son out again today with the promise of a little gaming on the big screen. 

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 07:23

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My kids are still at the age where we have the opposite problem.  Sometimes we have to make them go play in there room, so my wife and I can have a cup of coffee in relative peace.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher 04/05/2020 at 08:03

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I remember those days. My daughter used to ask so many questions that my wife would tell her, “it’s after 5:00, it’s time for daddy to answer all your questions.”

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 09:14

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Ha!  That’s a good one!

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/05/2020 at 14:08

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John Pinette said that futons are at least honest. They have FU right in the name. But for those who like firm, they work surprisingly well.

A good couch is truly better than any sofa bed.