My family and I finally moved into our new old house on Sunday. We are slowly gaining the upper hand in the battle of the boxes. The kids have got some of their toys back and are finding their way around the place. I can find most things by looking in only about three cupboards. 

And my new office is almost finished. The last occupant of this place was a boat-builder, and he had a great workshop in the back yard (see pic). I would love to have kept it as-is, but a couple of days of trying to work in the house made it clear that I need a workspace outside the house. 

So I've partitioned off half the space, added a long landscape window, and a floor, and a built-in desk, and it should be comfortable enough to work in for a few months at least, maybe even years.

Even starting with some constraints, it was surprisingly hard to put my finger on exactly what would make my ideal workspace. Here are some of the things I decided I wanted, in no particular order:

• Some sort of view
• Natural light, ideally from a north-facing skylight
• A long desk with no cable clutter
• Plenty of space to tidy hard drives, printers, routers, etc.
• Plenty of space for books and papers
• Somewhere comfortable to sit and read
• Somewhere to work on non-computery stuff (like another desk)
• A wood-burning stove
• A kitchenette and a toilet

The skylight, stove, and sanitation will have to wait, but I think I got most of the rest checked. I'll post a follow-up when it's nearing completion.