If you’ll be working in a room that you share with others, discuss when you’ll be using it as an office and when you’ll be there for other purposes. “Sometimes a good home office requires solutions that are negotiated rather than constructed,” says home-office designer Neal Zimmerman. “Not everything can be solved by dry wall.”

¢ Lighting should be ample, but make sure there isn’t glare on your computer screen.

¢ You may need to add electrical outlets or use a power strip to plug in office equipment and chargers for portable devices such as cell phones, laptops and digital cameras.

¢ Using a combined copier, printer and fax machine saves space and money.

¢ Make sure you have good cellular reception if you’ll be using cell phones and other wireless devices.

¢ To limit distraction, only sign onto instant messaging services when necessary. Instruct friends and family to send all personal e-mail to a single address and only check that address at limited intervals throughout the day.

¢ Home office space is deductible on your income tax return only if it is used frequently and is exclusively for business. “The exclusive part is the tricky part,” says small-business tax expert Keith Hall. “It needs to be dedicated to the office work. It shouldn’t have a bed in it, and it shouldn’t have a TV that the kids hook their Nintendo up to.”