This tremendous design from Polhaus is a pleasing start to our 2026 Finery series on a Friday. The company offers a range of garden offices and similar shedlike buildings but this model (which also comes in kit form for self-assembly) caught the Shedworking staff's eye with its bronze tinted tempered glass, room for two to three people, and attractive shaping.
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A new exhibition featuring a wide variety of sheds opens today at The Turner House in Penarth, Wales.
'Sheds' runs until February 22 and features the work of photographer Jon Poutney and illustrator, designer, and professional spoon carver Lee John Philips (whom readers of Shedworking will remember from his The Shed Project in which he drew the entire contents of his grandparents' shed) who focus not only on the structures themselves but the contents inside and the stories these tell. Here's what Turner House says:
Together, their work transforms the humble shed into a lens for curiosity, creativity, and storytelling, inviting viewers to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary and to see these familiar spaces with fresh eyes.
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Interesting news reported by The Connexion, which has been producing French news in English for nearly 25 years, to update us on what is known as the French 'garden shed' tax.
This taxe d’aménagement levy is imposed on a per m² basis for a variety of property improvements including garden offices/buildings, and has happily fallen a smidgeon over 4% for 2026, the first drop for nearly a decade as against annual rises (most recently 1.76% in 2025, 3.4% in 2024, and 8% in 2023)
The reason for the decrease is a bit complicated but essentially it's because it's not linked to inflation rates, but is based on a special construction cost index which is currently in favourable homeowner territory.
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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) Council has announced plans to charge full second home Council Tax for beach huts at Mudeford Spit and Hengistbury Head. Although the council says that money raised from the changes will help support local services, this has naturally not gone down well with hut owners.
The council plans to change the classification of the huts that were historically subject to a 50% Council Tax discount.
The change recognises that the huts, which can sell for between £400,000 and £575,000, should be defined as holiday homes. This is where a home can be used for part of the year, is not a main residence, and is furnished.
So from April the huts will be classified as Class A second homes (with planning restrictions), in accordance with professional opinion and will be subject to full Council Tax. The Council Tax discount previously applied to these huts will be removed, and a standard 100% Council Tax charge will apply.
Council Tax has not yet been set for 2026/27 but based on 2025/26 charges for a band A property and removing the 50% discount, owners will see their bills increase to £1,503 per year, or just over £60 per month.
This change will generate an additional £211,000 for the council to support essential local services for residents, as well as additional funds raised through the precept for fire and police services. This decision replaces legacy arrangements inherited from former Bournemouth and Christchurch councils.
Just over 340 beach huts will be affected by this change, with 231 owned by non-residents of the BCP Council area. All huts are in the lowest Council Tax band A.
Cllr Mike Cox, Cabinet Member for Finance said: “BCP Council, like all local authorities across England, faces an unprecedented, ongoing financial crisis and the latest government settlement does not address this. As a result of this severe financial pressure, the council must use all levers at its disposal to raise funds to protect essential services important to our residents.
“Beach huts on Mudeford Spit often sell for between £400,000 and £575,000 - more than the £313,000 average price, according to the Office for National Statistics, of a home in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, yet historically, owners have been given discounts on Council Tax. And, while we welcome all those who want to enjoy our beautiful coastline, we must recognise that this brings extra demand for services such as beach cleaning and flood protection – the cost of which is mostly borne by our residents.
“This change delivers fairness and consistency for all owners of second homes in the area. We understand this change may be disappointing for some owners, but it is important to apply Council Tax policy consistently and fairly across the BCP area.”
Photo courtesy Ben Salter via Flickr CC BY 2.0
New research from the Chartered Management Institute indicates that while one in five UK managers have taken what they call a “workation” - working remotely from a location away from their usual home or office - strong support for this emerging trend of flexible working depends heavily on the presence of clear, well-managed organisational policies.
The research also highlights a striking difference in how workations are treated if organisations have invested time to create a clear policy. While 52% of workers whose organisations don’t prohibit “workations” believe their manager would be supportive of workations, and 38% say the same of their organisation, these figures rise dramatically among those employers that have formal policies. In those circumstances, 84% report managerial support and 86% organisational support, compared with just 48% and 29% respectively among those without a policy.
The data shows that workations are far more successful when supported by robust guidance. Among managers whose organisations have a formal policy, more than half (56%) say it includes prior manager approval. Other common safeguards include guidance on data protection and cybersecurity (45%) and prior HR approval (38%).
Many policies also set out restrictions on days (35%), devices (33%) and permitted locations (32%), as well as expectations around working hours (25%) and compliance with local tax and visa rules (24%).
When asked about potential gains from allowing workations, managers identified increased employee wellbeing and mental health (35%) and improved work-life balance (33%) as the top benefits of workations. However, concerns remain around organisational risks, with 29% citing potential data security or compliance issues.
Petra Wilton, Director of Policy and External Affairs at CMI, said: "If organisations want to make ‘workations’ work, they must put clear, transparent rules in place and actively manage them. Where strong guidance exists, managers are far more confident and supportive. As with any form of flexible working, it’s skilled management, not good intentions alone, that determines success."
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This can be a good time of year to take advantage of garden office and garden buildings supppliers' New Year offers and sales. Malvern Garden Buildings is offering 10% off any garden building plus free installation worth up to £2,650 throughout January (click link for more details).
You can also save up to 35% on Malvern's collection of Breeze Houses in the same January sale, with 25% off new circular Breeze Houses, 30% off new Oval Savannah and Oval Safari Breeze Houses, and 35% off new Oval Amanzi and Oval Cape Breeze Houses.
Meanwhile, Booths Garden Studios has extended its "old prices offer" to the end of February, so you can still take advantage of its old prices by having your studio installed by February 28. So for example, its 20' x 8' QCB4 has risen by £700, from £23,346 to £24,046.00, but you can still take advantage of that lower price if you are swift as they don't have many slots left.
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Interesting thoughts on this question from Christopher Hodge who runs Shackadelic in an interview with The Times ('How posh is your shed?'). Here's the snippet:
So what next in the evolution of the super hut? Hodge predicts the end of the black shack. Most current clients tend to opt for a black painted exterior, a look that Hodge says will soon look outdated. “For me, peak painting of the shed black was probably a couple of years ago. I’m trying to convince people to be a bit more colourful. I’ve been experimenting with old lime rendering techniques and tiles and Japanese carpentry, weaving bamboo, things like that. Currently I’m really into folk art and I’m working on folk stencils.”
Picture courtesy Shackadelic of a 7.7m x 3.4m guest house project with painted larch exterior cladding, corrugated onduline roof, with French doors and two skylights.
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