This startup is creating smart rentable backyard tiny offices starting at $362 monthly - see how it works

Brittany ChangJan 29, 2021, 01:01 IST

The Nooka Ones.Nooka

Nooka Spaces is building backyard home office units that can be rented through a subscription plan.
The renters can then "re-rent" the office units to local users on the Nooka marketplace app.
Monthly subscription fees range between about $362 to $725 depending on the Nooka model.

If you're tired of working from your home office, Nooka Spaces may have the solution for you: the startup is currently building offices in a box that can be rented through a subscription plan.

There's no better time to introduce a new backyard office unit to the market. Generally speaking, it looks like remote work is here to stay until the coronavirus pandemic is under control. And according to a survey by IPX1031, a Fidelity National Financial subsidiary, 54% of its 2,006 American respondents said they would buy a tiny office.

As a result, companies have started pivoting their product lines to cash in on the remote work boom. For example, Estonia-based tiny home and living space maker Ööd recently created a $19,900 backyard office that will soon be available for purchase on Amazon. Similarly, Modern Shed deviated from its backyard shed product line to unveil a $129,000 tiny home on wheels with an optional office layout that includes seating areas, desks, and a bathroom.

Now, newcomer Nooka has arrived to the prefab backyard office market, but with a twist. Instead of selling units that can be purchased in full, Nooka is creating smart backyard offices that are available through a subscription service. And similar to Airbnb users, Nooka renters can "re-rent" these office units out to other people in their community for a some side income.

Keep scrolling to see how it works:

The Nooka backyard office units are now available for preorder.

The early sketches of a Nooka build. Nooka

The company will begin shipping out its office pods in March with the goal of delivering its first 50 units by April.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Despite this recent introduction date, the team has been working on its "offices in a box" since before COVID-19 spread across the globe.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Most backyard office makers recently started capitalizing on the COVID-19-induced uptick in remote work.

The Nooka Two. Nooka

Nooka, however, identified the growing work from home trend over a year ago, and decided to create a product to best address this then-niche need.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Each Nooka monthly subscription comes with the office unit and all of the amenities that a typical office would otherwise provide, such as WiFi, a height-adjustable desk, and a chair.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Each Nooka monthly subscription comes with the office unit and all of the amenities that a typical office would otherwise provide, such as WiFi, a height-adjustable desk, and a chair.

The monthly subscription payment ranges from about $362 to $725 depending on the Nooka model. This doesn't include the roughly $1,210 set up fee.

A Nooka build. Nooka

According to the company, providing a backyard office membership plan solves several issues that rentable office spaces have.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Private offices can be costly, but open concept coworking spaces don't provide much privacy or safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Nooka's tiny office pods - or "proximity office spaces" as it calls it - solve these issues by creating a "plug and play" space with all the same amenities as a typical work space.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Nooka's tiny office pods - or "proximity office spaces" as it calls it - solve these issues by creating a "plug and play" space with all the same amenities as a typical work space.

"We consider Nooka a new category of coworking space where we share the same principles of flexibility and productive space, but our community is distributed across a network rather than under one roof," Leanne Beesley, Nooka Space co founder and CEO, told Insider in an email interview.

A Nooka build. Nooka

"We consider Nooka a new category of coworking space where we share the same principles of flexibility and productive space, but our community is distributed across a network rather than under one roof," Leanne Beesley, Nooka Space co founder and CEO, told Insider in an email interview.

When a Nooka unit isn't in use, it can be "re-rented" out through the Nooka app, which operates like the Airbnb platform.

The Nooka app. Nooka

This allows the original Nooka renter to make some side income, although Nooka will take a 20% cut of the "re-renting" income.

The Nooka app. Nooka

However, two Nooka models, specifically the "Yellow" ones, are exempt from this re-renting program.

A Nooka build. Nooka

"We've seen from Airbnb that people are willing to open up their unused home spaces to strangers as an additional income stream," Beesley wrote. "It made sense to build that layer into our business model to allow people to rent out their Nooka when they're not using it themselves."

A Nooka build. Nooka

"We've seen from Airbnb that people are willing to open up their unused home spaces to strangers as an additional income stream," Beesley wrote. "It made sense to build that layer into our business model to allow people to rent out their Nooka when they're not using it themselves."

There are several Nooka models, but all of them come insulated with a whiteboard, a wardrobe, a smart lock and lights, and temperature control, along with the aforementioned amenities.

A Nooka build. Nooka

There are several Nooka models, but all of them come insulated with a whiteboard, a wardrobe, a smart lock and lights, and temperature control, along with the aforementioned amenities.

Several builds also come with different types of sensors - from air quality to energy monitoring - and window walls - fixed or bi-fold - depending on the model.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The Nookas are available in two sizes: One and Two.

The Nooka One. Nooka

They also come in different exterior colors: yellow, orange, or blue.

The Nooka Twos. Nooka

The colors also further differentiate the three different model types.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The Nooka One is good for "solo creators" that want a quiet workspace, while the Nooka Two is marketed towards people who want to fit two people into one space, according to its makers.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Source: Nooka

The Nooka One is good for "solo creators" that want a quiet workspace, while the Nooka Two is marketed towards people who want to fit two people into one space, according to its makers.

Let's start with the Nooka One. The Nooka One Yellow sits at almost 97 square-feet.

The Nooka One. Nooka

The Nooka One Orange is then about 129 square feet, while the Nooka One Blue is the largest at almost 162 square-feet.

The Nooka Ones. Nooka

The Nooka Ones all come with one desk and chair, but the unit can fit up to two workstations.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The Nooka One Yellow starts at about $362.

The early sketches of a Nooka build. Nooka

The Nooka One Orange and Blue are more expensive at about $422 and $543, respectively.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Now, let's move on to their larger siblings, the Nooka Twos.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The Nooka Two Yellow sits at almost 162 square-feet, while the Nooka Two Orange and Blue are both 194 square-feet.

The Nooka Two. Nooka

The Orange and Blue both come with two desks and chairs, while the Yellow only provides one of each.

The Nooka Two. Nooka

Monthly payments for the Nooka Twos range between about $483 to $725.

The Nooka Two. Nooka

Aspects like the door's lock, heating, and lighting can be controlled through the Nooka app, making the offices "smart."

The Nooka app. Nooka

According to Beesley, COVID-19 pushed the company to make more of its amenities "smart."

The Nooka app. Nooka

This includes the air conditioning unit, which was initially designed to be remotely operated instead of controlled through the Nooka app.

The interior of the Nooka Two. Nooka

The team also decided to implement UV-C lights to help disinfect the tiny space.

A Nooka build. Nooka

Despite these complex features, setting up a Nooka unit is a breeze.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The offices are pre-built in Nooka's Romania-based manufacturing facility, and the units are delivered in whole with a freight truck.

A Nooka build. Nooka

When the office arrives at its final destination, the company's two-person team can set the space up in two hours.

A Nooka build. Nooka

According to Beesley, Nooka will "change the way people work," similar to how Uber and Airbnb changed the public transportation and hospitality industry, respectively.

A Nooka build. Nooka

According to Beesley, Nooka will "change the way people work," similar to how Uber and Airbnb changed the public transportation and hospitality industry, respectively.

"The bigger vision is that eventually, everyone will live within a 5-minute walk of a Nooka," Beesley wrote.

A Nooka build. Nooka

The company has started receiving interest from private buyers, various companies, and a city council.

A Nooka build. Nooka

As of now, Nooka's units are only available for EU residents, but the company plans to extend its services into the US in 2022.

The Nooka Two. Nooka

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This startup is creating smart rentable backyard tiny offices starting at $362 monthly - see how it works

The Nooka backyard office units are now available for preorder.

The company will begin shipping out its office pods in March with the goal of delivering its first 50 units by April.

Despite this recent introduction date, the team has been working on its "offices in a box" since before COVID-19 spread across the globe.

Most backyard office makers recently started capitalizing on the COVID-19-induced uptick in remote work.

Nooka, however, identified the growing work from home trend over a year ago, and decided to create a product to best address this then-niche need.

Each Nooka monthly subscription comes with the office unit and all of the amenities that a typical office would otherwise provide, such as WiFi, a height-adjustable desk, and a chair.

The monthly subscription payment ranges from about $362 to $725 depending on the Nooka model. This doesn't include the roughly $1,210 set up fee.

According to the company, providing a backyard office membership plan solves several issues that rentable office spaces have.

Private offices can be costly, but open concept coworking spaces don't provide much privacy or safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nooka's tiny office pods - or "proximity office spaces" as it calls it - solve these issues by creating a "plug and play" space with all the same amenities as a typical work space.

"We consider Nooka a new category of coworking space where we share the same principles of flexibility and productive space, but our community is distributed across a network rather than under one roof," Leanne Beesley, Nooka Space co founder and CEO, told Insider in an email interview.

When a Nooka unit isn't in use, it can be "re-rented" out through the Nooka app, which operates like the Airbnb platform.

This allows the original Nooka renter to make some side income, although Nooka will take a 20% cut of the "re-renting" income.

However, two Nooka models, specifically the "Yellow" ones, are exempt from this re-renting program.

"We've seen from Airbnb that people are willing to open up their unused home spaces to strangers as an additional income stream," Beesley wrote. "It made sense to build that layer into our business model to allow people to rent out their Nooka when they're not using it themselves."

There are several Nooka models, but all of them come insulated with a whiteboard, a wardrobe, a smart lock and lights, and temperature control, along with the aforementioned amenities.

Several builds also come with different types of sensors - from air quality to energy monitoring - and window walls - fixed or bi-fold - depending on the model.

The Nookas are available in two sizes: One and Two.

They also come in different exterior colors: yellow, orange, or blue.

The colors also further differentiate the three different model types.

The Nooka One is good for "solo creators" that want a quiet workspace, while the Nooka Two is marketed towards people who want to fit two people into one space, according to its makers.

Let's start with the Nooka One. The Nooka One Yellow sits at almost 97 square-feet.

The Nooka One Orange is then about 129 square feet, while the Nooka One Blue is the largest at almost 162 square-feet.

The Nooka Ones all come with one desk and chair, but the unit can fit up to two workstations.

The Nooka One Yellow starts at about $362.

The Nooka One Orange and Blue are more expensive at about $422 and $543, respectively.

Now, let's move on to their larger siblings, the Nooka Twos.

The Nooka Two Yellow sits at almost 162 square-feet, while the Nooka Two Orange and Blue are both 194 square-feet.

The Orange and Blue both come with two desks and chairs, while the Yellow only provides one of each.

Monthly payments for the Nooka Twos range between about $483 to $725.

Aspects like the door's lock, heating, and lighting can be controlled through the Nooka app, making the offices "smart."

According to Beesley, COVID-19 pushed the company to make more of its amenities "smart."

This includes the air conditioning unit, which was initially designed to be remotely operated instead of controlled through the Nooka app.

The team also decided to implement UV-C lights to help disinfect the tiny space.

Despite these complex features, setting up a Nooka unit is a breeze.

The offices are pre-built in Nooka's Romania-based manufacturing facility, and the units are delivered in whole with a freight truck.

When the office arrives at its final destination, the company's two-person team can set the space up in two hours.

According to Beesley, Nooka will "change the way people work," similar to how Uber and Airbnb changed the public transportation and hospitality industry, respectively.

"The bigger vision is that eventually, everyone will live within a 5-minute walk of a Nooka," Beesley wrote.

The company has started receiving interest from private buyers, various companies, and a city council.

As of now, Nooka's units are only available for EU residents, but the company plans to extend its services into the US in 2022.