Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Shed poetry: You Do Not Need Another Self-Help Book

Shedworking's literary editor Sarah Salway has a new book out, You Do Not Need Another Self-Help Book, her first collection of poetry (which you can buy direct from the publishers here - £8.99 plus £1 postage). As you'd expect from a member of the Shedworking staff, the book is marvellous - Sarah is not only a lovely person, she's an excellent writer. Indeed, she has very kindly recorded one of her poems which features a shed exclusively for Shedworking and here it is, Happy, I think...

Happy, I Think by Sarah Salway (mp3)

Sarah is also the Canterbury Laureate and here she is outside the brand new shed at Canterbury Cathedral. "I don't think however anyone works there," she says, "or is going to give sermons inside. But it's a very fine shed, I think you would agree."
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ex-demo garden offices for sale

Warwick Buildings has two ex-demo offices on offer as they are currently re-furnishing their Show Site ready for the new season. Pictured above is a 12' x 8' garden office with Zebrano laminate floor, painted in a Farrow & Ball lichen green. Price new would be £7,000, now £4,625 plus delivery price (and includes assembly onto a prepared base and new felt tiles). The second office is 8' x 8' with full length glass in the gable end, front canopy with lights, oak effect laminate floor. Was £6,000, now down to £3,975 with assembly onto base and new felt tiles. More details here
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Monday, February 27, 2012

Garden office: before and after

Lynn Fotheringham from InsideOut Garden Buildings is one of the first garden office suppliers starting to use Pinterest. Here's an example from her boards, above, and here's what she said about it on Twitter

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The Shed silent movie


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Home office hotspots

According to a survey by Smart Growth Analytics, Surrey comes top of the list of homeworking and shedworking spaces of 174 areas in England and Wales. Smart worked out the figure by using the percentage of home offices as a proportion of all those in employment in the area. Apparently, Surrey has 27,000 home offices and almost 5% of those employed in the area work in them. The average is nearer 5,000.

The top 25 home office hotspots are dominated by the South East. Here are the next batch of placings
• Hampshire (South East, 2nd)
• Hertfordshire (East of England, 3rd)
• Kent (South East, 4th)
• Essex (East of England, 5th)
• Oxfordshire (South East, 6th)
• Buckinghamshire (South East, 7th)
• West Sussex (South East, 8th)
• Cambridgeshire (East of England,10th)
• Camden (London, 13th)
• Kensington and Chelsea (London, 16th)
• East Sussex (South East, 17th)
• Suffolk (East of England, 21st)
• Barnet (London, 22nd)
• Norfolk (East of England, 23rd)
• Westminster (London, 24th)

Jim Plunkett-Cole, Principal Analyst at Smart Growth Analytics, said: "The findings demonstrate the economic importance of home offices in regional economies across the Country. They begin to help us understand the increasingly important home-based economic functionality of the more rural and residential areas outside of London, and particularly the Home Counties and Shire Counties across England & Wales. They provide strong supportive evidence of a need for home office support across these areas in order to maximise their economic contribution. In particular, they demonstrate a need for higher speed broadband, ‘virtual’ business support services and networking."
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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Shedworking in the Financial Times


There's a big piece in the FT today by Jonathan Foyle - Shed Your Commute - to which we contributed lots of research and quotes. It's a great piece and well worth a look. Here's a snippet:
"Shedworkers contribute £6.1bn to the UK economy. This staggering estimate comes from a 2010 poll carried out by communications specialist Twelve Thirty Eight. It found that more than half of shed-based businesses in the UK (61.3 per cent) are run by sole traders, with 32.3 per cent employing between two and five workers. The average turnover of a shed-based business is £76,449, and the creative industries seem to thrive among the hydrangeas."
Pictured above is Jonathan's own garden office. Here's what he says about it:
"It’s built from salvage, a 12ft wide by 8ft deep and 8ft high confection of architectural bits and bobs: sash windows, recycled roof slates and a foppish Regency pediment, filled with books, much crockery, candles, oil paints, more salvage and an armchair. It’s a wonder I get any work done."
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Friday, February 24, 2012

Extending wifi to garden office


An interesting piece on Premitel looks at the thorny issue of using wifi in your garden office when there is a wireless router in the main home but the signal is not strong enough to reach the shedworking space. Essentially, they suggest HomePlug:
"In recent years HomePlug devices have increased the speed and range over which they operate so that they can support data intensive services such as video streaming and gaming. They can also operate over mains electrical systems that have more than a single phase. Homeplug will never be able to beat the speed or security of a direct cable connection or the convenience of a standard wireless connection. However, in home or office premises where there are wireless coverage black-spots and installing cabling would be too expensive HomePlug should be considered as a viable and cost-effective alternative."
The details are not too appallingly technical so it's well worth nipping along for more information if this is a problem you're facing.
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Multipurpose shedworking


One of the beauties of garden offices and wellbuilt garden buildings in general is that while they're perfect for working, they can also be used for other purposes too. Here's quite a large build from The Stable Company which is currently being used less for actual working and more as a relaxation area for children (it also has a washroom), and with a triple garage attached. The main area is 7.89m x 4.71m with the triple garage block, 9m wide x 5.50m and it's in Chorleywood, just down the road from Shedworking HQ.


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Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Beach Hut Caravan Company



Based in Salcombe, The Beach Hut Caravan Company aims to bring "a little 'beach hut' style and love of the sea and all things nautical, incorporated into a beautifully restored vintage caravan". They specifically describe their caravans as ideal for mobile offices or as a studio for artists or writers. They fully service, restore and re-spray these lovely old models in nautical colours and then convert the interior into a 'beach hut styled living space' which sleeps 2-4. Features include electrics, recycled pine flooring, new foam seating and upholstery, curtains and freshly painted white washed walls. As well as cooking facilities and being towable, naturally each one comes with new deck chairs.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Casa Miedi Larch Hut


A shedlike atmosphere for eating, sleeping, reading and light shedworking in an Umbrian pine forest by Arboreal Architecture. Lots more photos and working drawings at the Architects' Journal Buildings Library who have this to say about the build:
"The vertical Larch cladding on the exterior is rough-sawn to encourage lichen growth while the interior Larch surfaces are sanded smooth. The floor, walls and roof are insulated with sheep’s wool and the windows are double glazed. The interior spaces are formed from a series of cross-beams which provide stability to the structure and create integrated pieces of furniture – bed, bench, desk and shelf. Windows are located in each corner of the space creating surprising views and qualities of light."


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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Joe Steer: shedworker



London-based musician Joe Steer has recently set up a music studio in his garden office (see it in action in the video above) from Booths and there's an excellent look at how it was all put together on the new Homeowner Handbook site which offers first-hand advice for first-time buyers. Here's a snippet from their Q&A:
"I’m a music producer and songwriter and I need a studio in which to record my music. I have friends who spend many thousands of pounds a year renting studio space. Before I bought it, I’d been planning for a long time to invest in a garden studio – partly because I liked the idea of a 30 yard commute to work, and partly because it will hopefully add some value to my home."
The studio is 12ft x 8ft, relatively soundproofed, insulated and with full electrics as you'd expect.
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Monday, February 20, 2012

Special school shedworking


West Hill School is a special school in Surrey which supports 100 pupils aged 11 to 16 with complex learning difficulties who have a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN). The team from Oazis Garden Office and Studios is just starting work for then, supplying an outside learning environment for their community garden, complete with easy access deck, pergola to provide natural shade and a sedum roof.
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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Manifest Destiny!


Manifest Destiny! is a temporary rustic cabin occupying one of the last remaining unclaimed spaces of downtown San Francisco—above and between other properties. The cabin is affixed to the side of the Hotel des Arts, floating above the restaurant Le Central like an anomalous outgrowth of the contemporary streetscape. Using a 19th-century architectural style and vintage building materials, the structure is both homage to the romantic spirit of the Western Myth and a commentary on the arrogance of Westward expansion. The interior space of the tiny house can be seen day and night through the curtained windows, a lonely beacon in the city’s dense landscape, and an incongruous, haunting vision from below.
Mark Reigelman
PhotographsCesar Rubio.
Via dezeen
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Friday, February 17, 2012

Folk in a Box


You like music. You like shedlike atmospheres. You'll love Folk in a Box, a performance space where one performer can perform to an audience of one. There's a front door for the audience as it flock in and a back door for the performer to make its grand entrance. And there's a whisky bar. Designed by Cristina Monteiro, it's easy to assemble and take down and is on tour. Photographs by Sakiko Kohashi and David Knight.


Folk in a Box: The Making of! from David Knight on Vimeo.
Via dezeen
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David McCullough: shedworker


Author, historian, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, David McCullough is also very much a shedworker (although he calls his Pittsburgh shedlike atmosphere a 'writing studio' or 'the bookshop' rather than a shed). Inside, the unfinished walls are lined with around 1,000 books, mainly about John Adams about whom McCullough wrote a hugely successful biography. "I put it out here," he says, "so the kids didn't have to worry about making too much noise while I was writing."

There's a really nice interview with him in The Paris Review including a chat about his garden office. Here's a snippet:
“Nothing good was ever written in a large room,” David McCullough says, and so his own office has been reduced to a windowed shed in the backyard of his Martha’s Vineyard home. Known as “the bookshop,” the shed does not have a telephone or running water. Its primary contents are a Royal typewriter, a green banker’s lamp, and a desk, which McCullough keeps control over by “flushing out” the loose papers after each chapter is finished. The view from inside the bookshop is of a sagging barn surrounded by pasture. To keep from being startled, McCullough asks his family members to whistle as they approach the shed where he is writing.
And here he is in his studio in this lovely video (from about 8.40).


Thanks to Amy Rosenthal for the alert
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Finnish forestworking


Not technically a garden office but still a lovely example of microarchitecture, this is a lovely shedlike atmosphere in Finland where you can sleep and cook too, as well as do a little light shedworking. Designed by Verstas Architects (where there are lots of  lovely photos) who call it a "modern interpretation of the summer huts on the shores of Helsinki". Photographs by Andreas Meichsner.

Via dornob
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gardener's Hut



New from shepherds' hut specialists The Old Post Office Farm and inspired by the numerous UK potting sheds is this Gardener's Hut. David Chadderton from TOPOF says: "It's got lots of uses - it's not just for gardeners too - such as a covered hot-tub room with changing room." The page linked to above has a 3D preview of the hut which is now in production, giving prospective customers to the chance to view the hut from various angles. TOPOF claim that each Gardener’s Hut is built from 100% ethically sourced materials and can be built to your exact specification: the size of the glass area is completely changeable.
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How strong is your garden office floor?


Warwick Buildings have just launched a new range of home and garden buildings with a new integral base and floor system: made from tanalised joists using 150mm x 50mm timber they claim that the resulting framework is strong enough to support the weight of a car. Karen Tolley from Warwick explains: "With a normal life expectancy of 25 years plus, the pressure treated timbers sit just above the ground in a sheltered position while the 18mm flooring has insulation underneath to ensure an energy efficient building above. The uniquely designed adjustable feet mean that the Warwick Garden Offices can be sited on flat or uneven ground whilst allowing the building to be moved without leaving a permanent ‘footprint’."
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Tent shed - Shed tent

 Genius. Designed by Andy Cahill. From Field Candy.
Size: L 355cm(11'8") x W 170cm(5'7") x H 140cm(4'7")(sleeps two people comfortably).


Via Shedblog.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Bookshelf book published today


As many of you know, Shedworking has a satellite site, Bookshelf and we're very proud to announce that the book of the Bookshelf blog has now been published by Thames & Hudson (with German, Swedish, French, Italian and Japanese editions as well as English). You can buy it from your local independent bookshop or from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com or amazon.co.jp or amazon.de or amazon.it

It's already had a few kind reviews: Marie Claire said it "should see a resurgence in paperback appreciation" and Elle Decoration said it was "La folle passion du journaliste anglais Alex Johnson". The Booksheller said it was "full of furniture to covet and inspire" while The Times described it as "visual explorations of how we curate our own domestic Dewey systems"

Here's a sneak preview of some of the designs featured in the book...


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Monday, February 13, 2012

AirClad

Many of you have been asking about the garden pod building featured in Channel 4's Home of the Future (or the dedicated site here) and we're indebted to Colin Shelbourn for tracking down the maker/model, an AirClad from Inflate.

It's largely built using engineered plywood joists which carry an inflated membrane fixed to the frame using an aluminium extrusion. "The plywood joists have engineered spacers that once the cladding panels are inflated, are compressed with the whole structure being held together and cross braced by the inflatable panels," they say. "This basic building system makes for a water tight shelter." The whole thing can be taken down and moved easily or kept in place permanently. No foundations are required. Lots more technical details here.

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Shepherds' huts: the Pirates of the Caribbean connection



Here's Jonathan Holbrook, who has worked as a scenic artist on films including Pirates of the Caribbean and Danny, Champion of the World, talking about the Plankbridge shepherd's hut for Chelsea Flower Show this year.
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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Salvaged fence = garden office



"When San Francisco artist and builder Jay Nelson sees someone tearing down a redwood fence in his neighborhood he asks if he can take it home with him. With a stockpile of salvaged, old growth redwood fencing, he recently built a tiny studio for his friend, and neighbor, Lana to use as a home office. It's just under 100 square feet and that means it's small enough so that San Francisco doesn't require a permit."
faircompanies

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Elegant sheds: Architects' Journal Small Projects awards




There's a feast of marvellous microarchitecture featured in the Architects' Journal Small Project awards (click here for their digital issues featuring all the runners and riders or to the Guardian for a briefer look). So many smashing builds to choose from, but pictured above is one of our favourites, Elegant Shed 2 from William Tozer, the refurbishment of two existing sheds to become a garden studio and greenhouse. Here's what AJ says about it:
"Frameless window and door openings appear as voids through the brick enclosures, and the roof planes of timber and glass sit inside the external walls. Spatially, the sheds separate two zones of the garden, and loosely enclose a paved space between them. Windows positioned on one end of each building frame views across this patio, visually connecting the two building envelopes and the interiors that they enclose."
Do have a look at the digital issues, they're lovely.
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