I was remote for a couple of years from home, traveled around Asia for a year (while still remote), and got an office when I got back (7 years ago).

"Since I didn’t have one at all for years, I’m very conscious of all the lost time in transit each week, even though my commute is pretty short by local standards (~25’)."

It's more than just that. While I did enjoy having coworkers to socialize with, I realized it wasted lots of time during the day. I can get things done with virtually no interruptions and it's great. I regularly meet people through meetup groups in my area, so I still get to socialize. Just not at work (aside from Webex meetings/phone calls).