Qualified Remodeler blog posts by industry insiders offering their insights and opinions on the remodeling industry.
-
Work Spaces of QR: Graphics Cube Land
By April Van Etten - Friday May 17, 2013
Welcome to my day-time home. It's a bit gray, but luckily my kids’ happy faces and lovely fluorescent light fixtures brighten the space. The bottom of the picture shows what my ideal office would look like. Hey, we can dream, right? There are five things I need in order to function. My computer–you don’t want me illustrating the magazine myself. As my husband tells my kids, “Mommy is a computer artist, not a painter.” Nice. My headphones. I don’t know if I could function without them, it gets a little noisy here in cube land. I love having other designers close by but the headphones help me focus. I also feel the need to tap my foot while designing, which would seem odd without the headphones. Pictures of my... -
Work Spaces of QR: The Headquarters Office
By Kacey Larsen - Thursday May 16, 2013
Hi, my name is Kacey, and I work in a cubicle. When people think of cubicles, they often think of drab walls that seem to be getting smaller each day. Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I always envisioned offices with cubicles as being completely uncreative places. And I am here to tell you that isn’t actually the case. My cubicle isn’t huge and the walls might be drab, those parts are true, but I don’t feel bad about hanging things on them because of that. I spread out when I work, particularly when I’m writing, but the limited space keeps me from spreading out too much. The noise level can get a little high when everyone is working, making focus sometimes difficult. Headphones are a must-have for me, because putting one ear... -
Work Spaces of QR: The Home Office
By Laurie Banyay - Wednesday May 15, 2013
A couple months ago, I transitioned from working in an office environment with editorial director, Rob Heselbarth, and executive editor, Ken Betz, in Arlington Heights, Ill., to working out of a home office outside of Pittsburgh. Modern-day technology has made communication easy – emails, phone calls and remembering the one-hour time difference makes communicating a snap. I also invested in a large el-shaped desk and ergonomic office chair to keep comfortable. Between those and my company-supplied laptop, dual-monitor setup, telephone and printer, my home office is even more efficient than my Illinois cubicle was. Operable windows allow fresh air and daylight to infiltrate my office; I can’t remember the last time I had to turn on the... -
Work Spaces of QR: The Windowed Cube
By Kenneth W. Betz - Tuesday May 14, 2013
By an accident of geometry, my cubicle is a couple of feet larger than the others here in the Cygnus Arlington Heights office, a satellite office 90 some miles down the road from the company’s “nerve center” in the bucolic Wisconsin countryside. (Like Cuba, which is 90 miles off the coast of the U.S., I don’t go to Wisconsin often.) Also by accident, it is in a corner with windows on two walls. Windows of any sort are the exception to the rule when it comes to cubicles here in Arlington Heights. The view of Arlington Park Race Track grandstand also is not standard for a suburban Chicagoland office building. However, it is nevertheless a cubicle, lacking doors and walls, and open to distractions from surrounding office mates... -
Work Spaces of QR: The Office
By Rob Heselbarth - Monday May 13, 2013
I have an office with floor-to-ceiling walls and a door -- not a cubicle -- and I’m very grateful for it. However, I’m an extrovert and I enjoy talking with people, so keeping my door open is a necessity for me to function properly. Anyone walking past my door is fair game for a quick greeting or friendly harassment. My door is closed only when I’m hosting webinars or having personnel-related meetings or phone calls. My open door sometimes can be a challenge, too. An open door is inviting, so naturally people wander into my office throughout the day. This can interrupt my train of thought and distract me from the work at hand, but I’d rather be occasionally distracted than cut off from interaction with my colleagues. My...
