Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Nigel Oseland: shedworker

Hertfordshire-based Nigel Oseland is a workplace strategist, change manager, environmental psychologist and author whose Workplace Unlimited business helps people to "redefine their workstyle to create space-efficient and cost-effective workplaces that enhance business performance". He's also a shedworker (his garden office is pictured above) with whom we shared a beer at the most recent St Albans An Afternoon in the Pub meetup.

Nigel has written a nice piece about working in his garden office on his blog which is well worth a read (the other posts are fascinating) and here's a snippet:
"The distance from the house means I have fewer interruptions. The wife and children never bother me down there. I am not a fan of architectural determinism but I am a believer in Baker’s behaviour settings. Barker proposed that our experiences and expectations of a space determine how we behave in that space as much as the physical attributes of it. My family respect that the shed is my primary place of work and treat it as they would treat the office of any organisation I worked for. My main visitors these days are the occasional cat and other distractions come from the occasional squirrel running across the roof, the pitter-patter of rain and a friendly robin prospecting for worms – all welcome."
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Monday, January 30, 2012

Help to build the Friend Ship


We're big fans of crowdfunded projects here at Shedworking and here's a particularly worthy shedshaped one, the Friend Ship. The man behind the idea is Gary Clarke who runs a business building small camping trailers. "I want to see an end to the neglect of people suited to practical skills," he says. "I want to see a local community brought together to create assets and income." And this is his plan - to raise crowdsourced funding to build a wooden, low-tech, canal cruiser, built by unskilled labour trained on the job by experts, which would then offer cheap cruises on inland waterways throughout the week. Here's what Gary says:
"The primary objective is to build a social enterprise employing and sharing predominately, manual skills. Secondary benefits are an environmentally friendly product that encourages social interaction and physical exercise. Local volunteers will form a cooperative to build and develop the design for sale and into a fleet of vessels for hire. Initially all revenues will be reinvested into the business with a dividend paid to distribute profits to those involved."
For more details and to donate to the project, click here and also follow them on Twitter. Pictured below is something similar in Germany.

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Famous writer's shed


The latest 3rdSpace project by Sawhorse Ltd is a writing studio and workshop completed this week for a famous UK author (we're respecting their wish for privacy and not naming them but you'll certainly have read their work) and was installed in three days on site.

Interestingly, the building sits within an open, Grade II listed barn to create an enclosed work environment. Ben Jardine from Sawhorse Ltd says: "When we went to survey the space we were amazed to find how well suited the existing barn was to one of our modular buildings - a standard two Bay model (2.4m x 3.6m) fitted perfectly inside with just enough room to spare for manoeuvring the wall panels into place." For this project, the company provided a full service, from liaising with local authorities and gaining planning approval, through to the final on-site installation.



It also a showcase two new 3rdSpace features, a double-door module which offers an unimpeded opening size of two metres in width, and external sliding louvre panels for sun shading constructed from aluminium and cedar. "It was a real pleasure completing this project," says Ben, knowing that one of its end uses was to be used for furniture-making and woodworking. Although the interior is modern and light, it is extremely useful for our customer to have the exposed structure and power points, and Birch ply walls that can be drilled straight into for hanging tools up."

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Ruth Moser: shedworker


Somerset-based textile designer Ruth Moser has recently joined the growing ranks of UK shedworkers and is now working from a bespoke Garden Affairs studio which features a lavatory and two carports as well as a workshop area. It's an L-shaped shedworking space built with our old friends SIPS and Western Red Cedar with lovely views over the Bath valley (and nice floor to ceiling windows to allow Ruth to enjoy them). The whole of the 100sq m roof is a sedum green roof with an irrigation system.


There's lots more detail, and photos, about the build at the Garden Affairs site as well as an interview with Ruth. Here's a snippet:
"It has been my dream for many years to have my own professional studio and I have saved for many years to make this dream come true. Basically I wanted a place of my own and as my creative work requires solitude, the studio in the garden is an ideal place for me to work. From a financial perspective it also made more sense, as it is an investment that will enhance our property as a whole and add value to it. Also, with rent you get no return on your money and there is always the risk of the rental agreement being terminated for one reason or another. I wanted something permanent. From a more romantic perspective, I have always loved the idea of having my own “den”. I have fond childhood memories of spending many happy hours in my grandfathers shed or in the tree house he built for me."
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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Shed love


A nice gallery of shed photos at the Telegraph ('Shed love: a selection of images of readers' sheds and sheds of the famous') featuring readers' sheds and a few well known garden offices too. Pictured above is Alex Holland's shed, 750ft above sea level in the Cambrian mountains, a clinker built boat made a century ago featuring wattle and daub walls and windows from a 1940s caravan.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Coatshed


Because coats need sheds too. Here's what designers Outofstock say about their charmingly simple creation, ideal for shedworkers. "Inspired by the garden shed, this coat rack is designed to welcome people into the room or space it is placed in. Its relaxed slanted position and illumination from its roof brings a welcoming presence, telling newcomers it is ready to take their coat."

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Glampod (video)


The elliptical Glampod from Gaukroger and Partners is an interesting shedlike environment, built of timber and apparently falling within the guidelines of 'caravan' for planning permission purposes making siting it that much easier. It stands on Douglas Fir stilts and measures 7m x 3.8m - options include kitchens and balconies as it is intended for microliving and glamping as much as shedworking. There's lots more detail in this excellent video:


Glam Pod - Sunday Times from Sandi l Thompson on Vimeo.

The company produces a series of similar buildings including designs specifically targeting the garden office market. Click here for brief details of their 6.5m x 4.5m model and latest concepts such as the Kithaus Pod below.
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David Hockney: early shed life

With a big new show at the Royal Academy and various new books about his life and work soaring up the bestseller list, David Hockney is much in demand. But not so well known is the part that sheds played in his early life. Here is Jackie Wullschlager writing in the FT: "He won a grammar school scholarship, a place at Bradford College of Art, then moved in 1959 to the Royal College of Art. Initially shy and broke in London – he lived in a garden shed with no water, taking baths in a sink in the college studio – he was quickly noticed as a draughtsman of genius.”
Thanks to Victoria Summerley for the alert.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Shoebox Dwelling


Design journalist Natalia Repolovsky describes her interesting and useful blog Shoebox Dwelling as "about simplicity, space-saving, efficiency and beauty of human thought behind the objects". Though not aimed specifically at the garden office market, it's well worth a long browse for all shedworkers and other homeworkers, particularly if you're after ideas about storage and bookshelves. "I have witnessed a lot of luxury and grandeur," she says, "but my true interest has always been in finding comfort, style and dignity in small spaces. This is what I knew best from living in big cities like Moscow and, later, New York. I am in infinite awe of designers who study ordinary human lives and use their skill and imagination to create better experiences. I believe that when we embrace our living space, no matter how big or small, and make it our own – we will not just dwell, but thrive!" You can follow her on Twitter too.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Cabins: multiple mini garden offices



A marvellous design from Atelier Ichiku called The Cabins, these four mini sheds were built for a Japanese writer so that he could work in one (which features a desk and shelf), use another as a lavatory, the third as a prayer room and the final one as storage. Each cabin is 90cm wide with a porthole window but they each have various depths, as Architectural Review recounts (using lots more photos too).

Monday, January 23, 2012

Garden office in a shepherd's hut (video)



There could hardly be a better advertisement for working at home in a shepherd's hut than this lovely video from Plankbridge.
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Riverdale Stone: stone shedworking


Bedfordshire-based Riverdale Stone specialise in a wide range of both contempory and traditional stonework which includes garden offices, claiming that not only do their shedlike atmospheres need no exterior maintenance, they actually improve with age. Options include lavatory, shower, kitchen area and mezzanine sleeping area. All stone is sourced from within the UK and if you move house they even offer a stone-by-stone dismantling and rebuilding service. More information on the spec here including their special foundation system and freestanding dry stone walls.


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Friday, January 20, 2012

Why charities should be shedworking

The marvellous Mary's Meals won the Garden Office category in the 2011 Shed of the Year competition and according to Helen Simmons at Third Sector, more charities should consider following their lead. Simmons's argument is that shedworking, and homeworking in general, "might save on more than tea bags". Here's a snippet:
"I have heard of a number of charities moving in the past six months towards operating in a 'virtual office', leapfrogging the hot desk concept and moving straight to comprehensive home working. By leaving only the very core processing functions in a small rented space, or by outsourcing them altogether, they are looking at the possibility of everyone else working permanently from home in the future - and thereby slashing one of their high fixed costs."
She points out that it might not suit all charities but that it's an option well worth considering. And we agree.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Men's Sheds: why they're taking off in the UK


The Men's Sheds movement is definitely taking off in the UK and so it seems fitting that Uncle Wilco at Shedblog should bag the first major interview with AGE UK about their role in helping to get the shedwagon rolling. Here's a snippet:
"What were your main concerns that got Age UK involved with Men sheds?

When you visit a day centre or a lunch club, you can see that often women outnumber men by about five to one. Men do not seem to want to engage with groups that, for many people, provide valuable social contact and activities.

On top of that, we know from research that men are reluctant to access healthcare or take up benefits and support that they are entitled to. So when we learned about the success of Men’s Sheds in Australia we set out to find funding to try some ideas ourselves to meet the specific needs of lonely and socially isolated older men. Age UK then began to pilot Men in Sheds in 2009."
The whole interview is well worth a read.
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First ever shepherd's hut to feature at Chelsea Flower Show 2012


Shepherd's hut specialists Plankbridge appear to have pulled off a first - they claim their scaled-down hut which will appear in the Artisan Garden at Chelsea this year designed by Gold Medal-winners Adam and Jon from Woolcott and Smith will be the show's first ever shepherd's hut. The hut is being designed and built as we speak... The garden will feature "a tranquil wildflower garden, inspired by the beautiful Dorset countryside immortalised by Thomas Hardy in his novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’." The shepherd's hut will be placed on the banks of a stream in a water meadow.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Autospace: A garden office for your car...


From ecospace comes Autospace, a rather smart shedlike atmosphere to showcase your car onto which you can then add a garden office. It comes with optional floor-to-ceiling glazing, security blinds, ambient lighting and electric roller shutters and doors. Amira Idris-Town, partner of Ecospace, says: “Certain cars become an iconic benchmark in automotive design, and we wanted to create a more appropriate solution where your car can be kept, enjoyed and admired. Whatever you drive, from a rare classic to the latest supercar, you need somewhere to keep your pride and joy safely and have convenient access it." Prices start from around £18,000 + VAT for a fully installed single bay AutoSpace measuring 6m x 3.4m x 2.8m, and includes natural materials and insulation as standard - the one illustrated costs £45,000 + VAT including premium birchwood interior, full height glazing, insulation and temperature control, workstation and storage systems, and electronic roller shutters.

While it's impressive, it's harder to see how it fits in with the eco credentials of ecospace though they do point out that the structure uses sustainable wood and cedar cladding from renewable, certified sources and is manufactured in the UK (and that it is designed to maximise energy efficiency with high insulation values through thick multi-layered floor, walls and roof).
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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.

Go to work in a Hobbit hole


Here's a rather attractive shedlike atmosphere with a twist. Based in Maine, Wooden Wonders supplies bespoke garden offices (and indeed chicken coops) with a Hobbit hole feel. Shedworkers will be most interested in the cottage model, similar to their shed design but with a finished interior and insulation option. They come in 10' and 12' front width sizes with a 3' wide back door. Wooden Wonders are also on Facebook .




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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, January 17, 2012

The future of the garden office industry

Richard Grace who runs Aarco, one of the longest established garden buildings businesses in the UK, has been ruminating on the future of the garden office and garden studio business on his blog. Here's a snippet:
"Probably driven by the continued doldrums in the building market overall the competition here remains fierce. This of course drives costs down and benefits clients, it keeps us all on our toes and maintains high quality service. Unfortunately the combined effect of increasing competition and cost pressures stresses some companies to breaking point and recently we have seen some competitors fail to make it through."
Well worth a look, especially if you are a supplier.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Cabin Porn

We're not big fans here at Shedworking of this recent-ish flurry of sites which focus on one subject (such as books) and then add 'porn' at the end for no real reason, but we'll make an exception for Cabin Porn which describes itself as "Inspiration for your quiet place somewhere" and is run by the people at Beaver Brook (itself an attractive Tumblr). You can even submit your own suggestions. Pictured above is the fabulous The Best Hut (The Tree Bach) by Jono Williams and friends in New Zealand, built out of recycled materials and featuring solar panels as well as, nice touch this, a remote-controlled drawbridge. Both sites are well worth a browse.
Thanks to Lloyd Alter for the alert.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012

A Shed of One's Own

It's definitely the season for shed-related books. The latest out is Marcus Berkmann's A Shed Of One's Own: Midlife Without the Crisis published by Little, Brown. To be honest, it's not really about sheds though there is a strong shedlike philosophy running through it. Here's a snippet:
"If I had a garden, I would have a shed. Note that a shed doesn't have to be an actual shed. It can be a virtual shed: a room, an office, a corner of a room. Or it can be an internal shed..."
He goes on to talk about "directed idleness" which is also one of our favourite topics...

Friday, January 13, 2012

Greenhouses: Hartley Botanic


We often tend to overlook that lots of people who go to work in the garden actually work in the garden itself and that greenhouses are very much shedlike environments housing many thousands of shedworkers around the world. So we're starting a regularly irregular column looking at precisely these icons of microarchitecture, beginning today with one of the oldest players in the market, Hartley Botanic which was establised over 70 years ago who indeed say on their web site that: "Greenhouses and glasshouses are the artist's studio of the garden."

Their range covers four main models Clearspan, Kew, Landscape or Victorian Glasshouses (pictured top is The Grange with an attractive high, four-sided pyramid roof) as well as a bespoke service. We also rather like the simple yet elegant Cottage 6 greenhouse below.


There's also a nice section on accessories and in general it's an easy website to find your way around. Well worth a browse.
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Dunster House, the leading UK company for Log Cabins and Garden Offices sponsors Fridays posts