Mackenzie Crook's comedy/drama followup to Detectorists, Small Prophets, is proving to be a big hit (the Shedworking team has got to episode 4 at the moment) and as you probably know a lot of the action involves shedworking in what looks like a kind of garage-shed in the lead character's garden. Standing in front of his own charming inspiration above is Crook himself.
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It's a while since we've featured a straw-based garden office on Shedworking so we were delighted to come across this new project outlined on The Conversation and undertaken by Stuart Walker, Research Fellow in Sustainabilty Assessment at the University of Sheffield. It also uses cob construction so is particularly interesting for those looking for environmentally friendly building solutions.
Here's a snippet:
As sustainability assessment lead at Sheffield University’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, I wanted to make sure my garden office had the lowest possible embodied carbon (a term used to describe the amount of carbon contained, or “embodied” in the materials used to make a product), and low energy use once it was up and running.
That meant the office would need to be very well insulated to avoid using lots of energy to heat it, and made of materials with low carbon content. Due to its structure, straw is a fantastic insulating material.
Well worth a read and also the comments after the main piece which include more details.
Image courtesy of Stuart of him working on his straw bale office by Lorna Jackson.
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Coming to bookshops everywhere on May 5...
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This week's Finery - an Arctic Cabins special - is a visual reminder that while it's a bit grey and cold and drizzley outside, the sun will return.
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A nice garden room by Cosy Garden Rooms in an East London terraced house but especially notable since it had no side or rear access and consequently a number of other garden office suppliers had declined to have a go at the build. What Cosy did was to take out a window on the first floor, and then bring all the materials over the kitchen roof extension, taking care not to whack the roof lanterns in place. They then built the whole thing on site.
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Strongly recommended when shopping for a garden office is to try before you buy. Warwick Buildings has both an excellent online tour gizmo on its website so you can have a look at what's on offer from the comfort of your armchair, as well as an actual bricks and mortar show centre with 21 buildings to be enjoyed and details of construction materials and finishes.
The physical site on Nightingale Lane at Long Itchington in Warwickshire is by appointment during normal working hours (Saturday, mornings only), though drop-ins are also welcomed. Dogs on leads are also welcome. The outdoor buildings are also viewable outside these hours too when the site is shut.
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Items from Aldi's Work From Home Essentials range starting from 95p will be in stores from February 8.
Highlights of the range which targets shedworkers and other homeworkers include:
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