Are you ready to build your dream digital art studio at home? A digital art studio at home can help you to generate income, find peace in your home, and fuel your creativity. Of course, there are a few things you will need to get done to make your digital art studio at home a stand-out space. We have compiled some ideas for you that can help in making your vision a reality.
What Does Your Budget Look Like?
It is important to set your budget for your digital art studio at home before you take any other step. If you have it on your budget, you can opt for connecting with a contractor that specializes in home additions. If you do not, there are other options available. All the options that will work largely depend on how much you can afford to spend.
If your budget allows, a home addition would be a great way to create a personalized digital art studio at home without taking away from the space you have in your home. However, it is not the only way you can create a great studio space.
Of course, if you can take the home addition route or think you can, you do need to consider other costs you may have to deal with. For example, if there are trees in the space where the addition will go you will need to get in touch with an arborist who can decide what trees can be trimmed appropriately and which trees will have to be removed. The costs can start to add up.
If adding a new section to your home is not in your budget, don’t worry, there are a lot of ways you can make use of the space you already have to create an amazing digital art studio at home.
Your Basement Can Be the Perfect Spot
You may be looking around thinking, there is no way I can fit a digital art studio at home in this house. The fact is if you are like most people, you have space that you do not utilize that can be transformed into a digital art studio at home. A good example is a basement. Most people use their basements for storage, but do not fully appreciate the possibilities of what a basement can be.
Basement remodeling is a very popular way to add a ton of square footage to any home. When you think about the size of a basement and all the possibilities that the space can represent with just a little work, it can help create the vision.
Basement finishers are contractors that know what it takes to transform a basement from a dark dank storage facility to a beautiful digital art studio at home. They can make repairs, waterproof the basement, and turn that space into anything that you want.
Do You Have an Attic?
We move from the lowest level in the home to the uppermost area in the home when we look for space in the attic. Is your attic unfinished? A remodeling contractor can do wonderful things with an attic space. The attic is another area that does not really get the attention that it deserves. It is usually full of cobwebs and used for storage, but it does not have to be.
Attic spaces are typically the length and the width of the house, making them ample spaces to designate as a digital art studio at home. The beauty of using an attic space to create your studio is that most times it is a completely blank canvas with just the bare bones. That means you can truly build a completely custom space for your studio.
You can design a custom closet in the attic to stow away all your supplies. Choose your lighting, your flooring, and more. This is a project that can really give you the custom space that you are dreaming about. Unlike the basement where you may need to include masonry services in the project, the attic rarely needs repairs, it just needs finishing.
What About a Shed?
Before you wrinkle your nose at the idea of hiding your digital art studio at home in a shed, you really need to look at some of the options that are out there. Today you can find “sheds” that are more tiny homes than sheds. You can easily have heat and cooling systems installed, run electricity, and even have a bathroom installed with a little bathroom remodeling plan.
A shed can be a great place to create a studio at home that is not exactly in the home. It can become a refuge of peace and creativity that keeps you close to home without taking up any space footprint. There is a wide range of styles to choose from that can complement the design of your home. All you will need is someone to install it (or you could DIY), maybe hire locksmith services to keep the studio secure, an electrician to run the electricity to the building, and a space to put it in your backyard.
A shed is more affordable than a home addition, yet it serves the same purpose. It gives you additional space. The beauty of using a shed as your digital art office at home is that if you should change your mind in the future, you can easily convert the shed into a different type of space like guest quarters.
How to Keep Costs Down
How can you get the digital art studio at home that you want without breaking the budget? There are a few ways that you can cut the fat from your project that will help to make the project more affordable. If your budget is tight, these next tips will help you to keep costs down.
Do some of the work yourself. Depending on the size of the project, you may be able to shave off some costs by doing part of the work yourself. For example, if you have decided on using your basement to create your studio space, but your basement is prone to flooding during heavy rain, waterproof your basement as a DIY project. You can find all the materials that you need to waterproof your basement at your local home improvement store. You can also find tutorials online that will help you complete the project.
Another example of doing your part of the project is managing any demolition work on your own. If walls need to be ripped out or other things need to be removed, putting in some sweat equity can really pay off. Of course, you always want to check with the contractor that you are working with first to see how much savings your DIY input will gain.
Another way to save on creating your digital art studio at home is to consider carefully the materials that you are going to use. You may have visions of oak hardwood flooring dancing in your head, but luxury vinyl plank flooring made to look like oak hardwood is going to be far more affordable, easier to maintain, and cheaper to install.
Typically, there are great affordable substitutions for a wide range of materials that will provide the same aesthetic that you are going for without the high dollar price tag. Shop your materials carefully.
If you are going to be working with a contractor, then the contractor will likely be able to get the best pricing, but, in some cases, if you do the leg work you may be able to find a better deal. Speak with the contractor to ask how they would feel about installing materials that you choose and pay for separately. This can help you save money on the project.
Shop for sales and look for discounts. You can find great discounts on materials that have been discontinued. The downside of those great deals is if you need to repair the flooring down the road, you will not be able to find an identical match for repairs. However, the savings can be tremendous. You can find great deals on lighting, flooring, and other materials if the item is getting ready to be discontinued.
Compare All Your Contractor Options
The buyer’s regret is a real thing. It typically occurs when we make fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants decisions. Before you make any decisions about which contractor you will use, what materials you will use, and even where your digital art studio at home will be located in your home, take a deep breath, and sleep on it.
Costs can vary so greatly between contractors and materials, that it is essential that you do a little comparison shopping before you pull the trigger. If you want a great at-home digital art studio you should not break the bank to do it. Comparing your options carefully is the best way to ensure you get the studio that you want and that will add value to your lifestyle.
You do not want to have to worry about how you will be paying off all the purchases you made for your studio. It will make the studio a bittersweet place to be that you will not fully enjoy. DIY what you can safely do, then hire a contractor that has a good rating, offers fair pricing, and brings a lot of value to the table.
Ideally, find a contractor that specializes in the area that you are trying to transform into your studio. For example, if you are going to use your basement for your studio, choose a contractor that specializes in remodeling basements. If you are going to add on space, choose a contractor that specializes in additions.
Get at least three price quotes to compare. Consider things like experience, warranty period, and any added value services. This will help you to find the best value. Keep in mind that the lowest price does not always mean that you are getting the best value.
Decorating Your Digital Art Studio on a Budget
You used a lot of money to have your digital art studio at home constructed, which left only a little bit of money to decorate the space. How can you decorate your digital art studio at home on a shoestring budget? Shop at your home. That’s right. Look around your home to find things you can repurpose in your studio. All that storage that you cleared out of the basement or attic to create your studio likely has some pieces in it that you can reuse for your studio.
Ask family members if they have any household décor goods that they want to get rid of. You will be doing them a favor by taking it off their hands. Scour thrift shops to find lamps, desks, chairs, and décor for the studio. You will be amazed at what people get rid of.
There are plenty of ways to find décor for your digital art studio. You may have to get creative to make it your own, but that is a fun part of the process. Why spend more than you need to? Your studio should bring you joy, not large credit card bills.
Get Started Today
If you are a digital artist and are longing for a place to create and find peace, a digital art studio at home is an ideal location. Don’t put it off any longer. A lot of people put off doing what they love because they are afraid to take the first step. Rarely will you regret creating a space where you can do your art in peace. Take the first step today to creating your digital art studio at home.
The post The Ultimate Guide to Building a Digital Art Studio at Home appeared first on Digital Arts Magazine.