Occupational Luxury for Your Home

Luxury is sometimes a four-letter word in today's economic climate, but some luxurious items aren't about conspicuous consumption at all. Many occupations lend themselves to or downright require ameliorative expenses and considerations. While many of these considerations occur at work, your home residence can present opportunities to take the edge off the work-related chaos and fatigue, the mental and physical stress. What follows are some of the most common work-related home improvements and their average cost quoted from HomeAdvisor, leading online resource connecting homeowners and home improvement contractors.

Hot Tubs and Whirlpools
Whether you have a physically-demanding construction or manufacturing job, the insidious back problems associated with desk jobs, or other occupation-related aches and pains, hot tubs and whirlpools can literally become job- and life-savers. Straightforward hot tubs cost as little as $2,067 to get up and running, although more elaborate models can run also well over $10,000. A hot tub/swim-in-place combination pool can provide both the soothing effects of water massage and an aerobic exercise that reduces the stress on your joints. A fairly simple basement remodel (est. $20,680), garage remodel (est. $10,221), or sunroom/patio enclosure (est. $18,353) will create year-round use for this exercise pool and hot tub, as well as possibilities for other recreational furnishings.

The Mental Game: Install a Pond or Waterfall
A back yard pond or waterfall can be elegant without being indulgent - a great description for any occupational luxury. Landscaping is too often a lost opportunity, a neglected area of the home. Expect to pay about $3,000 for either of these features with ponds slightly more expensive (est. $3,197) than waterfalls (est. $2,900). Of course, if you want to really do it up right, a combination of the two with a few bells and whistles might run upwards of $5,000.

Your work-related stress may have less to do with the physical demands of the job and more to do with the mental space the work occupies. Many home environments don't offer the break from this mental stress that they should. Needless to say, some problems are easier to fix than others, and a home improvement can be one of the surest ways to reduce your level of mental stress. Here's a rundown of some other common home improvements that help create a relaxing environment.

Build a Gazebo: $5,000-$15,000, average cost $10,667
Deck or Porch Addition: $2,000-$25,000, average cost $7,572
Custom-Built Furniture: $1,000-$10,000, average cost $5,500
Hire an Interior Decorator/Designer: average cost $4,315
Build a Brick or Stone Fireplace: $1,000-$8,000, average cost $3,142

Get a Head Start or Take off Early: Luxurious Technology
At the beginning of the recession, tech stocks fell hard with the presumption that consumers would cut back dramatically on their cell phone and electronics purchasing. Such predicts were seemingly overwrought as Americans determined that such devices were more of a way-of-life than a luxury, and tech stocks have quickly rebounded. Likewise, a home outfitted with the latest Wi-Fi and networking capabilities isn't a sign of wasteful living, especially if these capabilities serve a work-related purpose. The ability, for example, to check your email, instant message, or create video conferences during your morning cup of coffee or power breakfast can get the day off to a productive start. Some employees may even be able to negotiate shortened workweeks built on the agreement that increased home networking will enable you to get work done from home on Fridays and/or Mondays.

Luxurious Health: Home Saunas
If you have less need to massage fatigued muscles, maybe your miniature home spa should focus on a sauna. With models that will fit tight bathroom spaces, many homeowners don't realize the plausibility of installing a sauna for their home. From relaxing muscles to reducing blood pressure, increasing circulation and removing toxins from the body, saunas will improve your health—a universal occupational quality.

To this end, few people take full advantage of the number of opportunities their home can create to promote a healthy lifestyle. Sure, kitchen remodels can encourage healthier and more economical home dining, while everything from home exercise equipment to a Nintendo Wii can encourage a more active daily routine. Along with exercise equipment, extra motivation may lie in converting a spare room into a home gym. These rooms can have everything from separately zoned heating and cooling, a built-in stereo system for your favorite workout jams, and soundproofing for people who like their workouts to be truly private.

From ergonomics to economics, from quality of life to life expectancy, your home should be an avenue to a better life. Far from the decadence of the McMansion and the fall of the housing market are millions of working Americans who would measurably benefit from any number of these home improvements and the occupational luxury they afford.