Sunday, April 30, 2017

David Cameron: Shedworker


The former Prime Minister David Cameron has invested in a Red Sky Shepherds Hut to write his political memoirs. There is also a neat twist to the choice as they describe on their website:
When Paul Bennett of Red Sky Shepherds Huts answered the phone one day this January, it led to a conversation he would never forget.  The caller was David Cameron, recently stepped down from political life and calling from his Cotswold home. He wanted to buy a shepherd hut.  Little did they know that both men were already connected through one of life’s charming twists of fate.  The hut that Mr Cameron was about to buy was only made possible by his decision, some years earlier and while in power, to change the rules on pensions. He allowed people to cash their pension in at age 55 and use the money to do things like Paul did – start a shepherd hut business!
The bespoke build is a 16ft x 7ft classic shepherd hut shape with an arched roof, metal wheels and painted hardwood stable doors, plus a woodburning stove and a pullout double sofa bed. Mr Cameron told Red Sky that there is some competition for the hut's use - while he has marked it down as a garden office writing space, his children want to use it as a play space and alternative bedroom.

Photo: Graham Flack (more at Red Sky)

Friday, April 28, 2017

Shed Box of Delights: Muji Hut




We've covered Muji's move into the shedlike atmosphere market before on Shedworking and now it looks like it's going to happen in autumn this year, but sadly in Japan only initially. Their new hut (information here with nice relaxing moody music to boot) would make a great garden office at a bijou 9m2, with aporch and high roof, and large window at the entrance (originally made to be a sliding door).

All the wood is from Japan with burned hardwood cladding, a nod to the traditional art of Japanese shipbuilding wherein builders burn cedar wood to increase its strength and add an oil stain finish. The inner wall surfaces are left untreated. The foundation is reinforced concrete with raft foundation (damp-proof sheeting and no under-floor ventilation). --------------------------------------------------------
Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

She-shed makeover (video)


A marvellous garden office makeover video by Jenny Kakoudakis with step-by-step descriptions at her Seasons in Colour site. Here's what she says:
This is a place where you can get really creative (so many sheds are used as artist studios), play or simply relax. It could be your reading nook, a yoga studio, it can even be a guest room (mine definitely fits a single bed nicely and it comes with electricity supply so you can have an electric heater in it). Whatever you want it to be, you are only limited by your imagination.
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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional buildings.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

New Linea garden rooms range from Garden Affairs



Garden Affairs has released a new design of garden offices and rooms, Linea, a contemporary range focused on dealing with space constraints, especially in city gardens, in Scandinavian style.

"We are genuinely buzzing about Linea" says Richard Squire, Managing Director of Garden Affairs, "We know from long experience that clients want spacious garden rooms but often want to place them close to a boundary wall or fence".


They are built in durable larch with flat roofs under 2.5m height to comply with planning guidelines even when placed right next to a boundary. And cleverly, rain drainage is incorporated within the walls of the building so there is no need for overhanging eaves/gutters.

"Linea is unashamedly modern," says Richard, "with a clean Scandinavian feel. The larch exterior is available in either grooved horizontal or vertical cladding and even with a striking flash of aluminium. A warm tongue & groove timber lining gives the building a sleek interior finish. Timber buildings should be healthy places to work and play."

There are various sizes, shapes, and colours of Linea models, all with double-glazed windows, excellent insulation and options including eco-friendly sedum roofs.

You can see the new Linea range at Garden Affairs’ display centre in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. ----------------------------------------------------
Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UK's premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Multi-functional training facility garden office



An interesting build by Garden Spaces for Chelmsford Counselling Federation providing additional space for their work in the form of a large training and counselling room for individuals and families. Garden Spaces fitted in the tailormade garden office in the garden at the back of the main office building. Measuring 5.6m by 5.1m, features inclued a balustraded ramp access, bi-fold doors, integral blinds, and a Fujitsu climate control condenser unit.
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Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Monday, April 24, 2017

Small garden office in Saltaire



When the Shedworking staff meet people at parties, we are often told that 'We'd love a garden office but our garden is too small for one'. While sometimes this is undoubtedly true, it is amazing what you can squeeze into a small space without being too cramped. A perfect example is pictured above from The Stable Company, one of their  Eco garden room designs in use as a garden office, specifically bespoked to fit into a bijou corner area. It's 1.84m x 1.36 deep internally, and 2.13m wide x 1.65m externally and also features an eco-friendly sedum roof plus birch plywood interior. --------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Shed Box of Delights: Cork study


A marvellous unique garden office by Surman Weston for a co-shedworking musician and seamstress couple in London. The whold thing is clad in eco-friendly cork which is not only waterproof but also keeps everything cosy and soundproofed. As the architects say: "The natural earthy quality of the thick cork combined with wild flower roof also helps nestle the building into its organic green surroundings." The interior is lined with birch plywood which has also been used to make the furniture while a clever large sliding door opens onto the garden.

Via Treehugger

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Beach Huts by Karen Averby


A nice addition to any shedworker's bookshelf, Beach Huts by architectural historian Karen Averby is a short history from Amberley Publishing about everybody's favourite seaside shedlike atmosphere. Here's what the publishers say about it:
The humble and colourful beach hut can be seen up and down Britain’s coastline. Now something of an architectural icon, the beach hut seems as though it has been around forever although it is an invention of the twentieth century. From the eighteenth century the beach changed from a place for fishermen and smugglers to a fashionable place where the wealthy could recover from illness. In the nineteenth century the coming of the railways and the introduction of holidays for workers made the coast increasingly popular. A growing demand for entertainment and accommodation led to the birth of the seaside resort and, with it, the development of the seaside that we know and love today.
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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional buildings.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Garden office with a view

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UK's premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Mobitecture




Another book for the Shedworker's Bookshelf, Mobitecture by Rebecca Roke (you may know her as the author of Nanotecture, also published by Phaidon) contains plenty of mobile/movable shedlike structures such as The Mailroom in the USA pictured above Here's what the publishers say about the book:
Celebrate mobile architecture in all its forms with this visual ode to life on the move. Ranging from quirky to sensible and from rustic to deluxe, featured projects include houseboats, huts, and tricked-out caravans, alongside disaster shelters, wearable structures, and futuristic prototypes. This compactly designed package features more than 250 colour photographs and a smart, engaging layout that will appeal to anyone who appreciates the power of good design.
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Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Shedworking : Et si on travaillait mieux au fond du jardin ?


An interesting piece about Shedworking and garden offices in France (and all in French) including quotes from me in GA Smart Building. Here is a snippet of me in action:
"La révolution industrielle a transformé l’organisation du travail. Aujourd’hui, la majorité d’entre nous est contrainte de se déplacer tous les jours pour se rendre dans des « bureaux-usines » avant de rentrer chez so. Le shedworking est selon moi un retour à une tradition du travail à la maison et des industries familiales qui existaient auparavant... Cela permet d’avoir un espace à soi et d’éviter que la famille et les animaux n’envahissent votre lieu de travail. Psychologiquement, cela instaure une vraie distinction entre la vie professionnelle et personnelle et c’est bien plus amusant de choisir à quoi ressemblera son bureau et d’être libre de s’y rendre habillé comme on le souhaite. Le bureau de jardin est une sorte de sanctuaire qui libère des pressions de la vie moderne!"
Image: Ecospace France ----------------------------------------------------
Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UK's premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Joolz: Interior garden office


A remarkable interior shedworking environment at Amsterdam-based pushchair specialists Joolz by Space Encounters inside an old machine factory. Part of the major renovation works included the introduction of three large garden spaces inside the offices which are populated by trees, plants, birds and fish. They not only improve the general feel of the space, but really put the 'garden' into 'garden office'.



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Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Monday, April 10, 2017

How to turn your shed into a workshop


If you're thinking of turning your shed into a workshop, Waltons has just produced a useful practical guide to help you get started. Here's what they say:
Having a dedicated workshop at home is the dream of many a hobbyist and professional alike, and with this guide you can make it a reality. A garden shed is the ideal place for a workshop. With a solid base, damp-proofing, power and heating, the garden shed can be transformed into a safe, warm and dry workshop fit for any metalworker, carpenter, mechanic or tinkerer.
You can download it here. --------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.

Friday, April 07, 2017

Shed Box of Delights: Rooftop garden office

Also worth taking a look at this article about urban office garden design on 20six which mention's Facebook's cracking rooftop office space in their Seattle building.

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

Garden office in mid-air: Létající černý dům


If shedworking on terra firma is a bit tame for you, take a leaf out of Czech architects H3T's book and go for a garden office suspended in mid-air. It's called Létající černý dům or Flying Black House and is set up under the arch of on old railway bridge. Inside, there's a stove and a sleeping loft. As H3T put it: "It attracts attention, invites you to visit and raises questions."


Photos: BoysPlayNice


Via Cabin Porn on the Twitter ----------------------------------------------------
Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UK's premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Collaborative shedworking

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Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Monday, April 03, 2017

Shedworkers avoid getting permission for building work, claims new survey


Around 15% of homeowners are unsure if they got the correct permissions for their garden offices and other home improvements, according to a new study by Co-op Insurance. Of these, nearly a third said they risked it because they knew they’d get away with it, while a further fifth didn’t let their insurers know about the changes. A quarter said getting permissions would only slow the work down.

Of the UK homeowners unsure if they got the correct consent for their building work which included garden offices, extensions, conservatories, loft conversions and garages, 14% said it simply didn't cross their minds and a similar figuresaid they didn’t bother as they thought it would cost them money.

Just over 40% of homeowners are planning on future building work says the report which also reveals that women are more likely than men to get the relevant consent for their buildings work.
Caroline Hunter, Head of Home Insurance for Co-op Insurance said: “It’s really important that homeowners get the correct permissions and let their insurers know when extensive building work is taking place. That way, if anything was to go wrong with the property, either while the building work is ongoing or once it’s completed, it will be covered by their insurer.” --------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.