When Matt Birdsall “goes to work,” he opens the garage door and settles into a corner of a space he shares with his car.
The Medtronics engineer was sent home when the coronavirus pandemic began one year ago. For months he conducted business under a covered patio until winter began to loom. But he didn’t have any space in the house that was quiet where he could concentrate free from disruptions. So he set up in the quietest place he could find — his garage.
“I definitely need a place with no distractions,” from delivery people ringing the doorbell to dogs barking, he said.
Birdsall, like millions of people across the U.S., found himself forced to carve out work space on the fly in a home that wasn’t designed as an office. Some were lucky — they already had a designated room with a desk, shelves and a file cabinet. Others at least had a guest room, studio or…
