Last chance to vote for UK Men's Shed Awards 2024

Postponed from June because of all the political shenanigans, the annual UK Men's Shed Awards 2024 (sponsored by TiteFix) will now take place on November 19 (International Men's Day), but you still have time to take part as there's been an extension on the timings.

This means that nominations for Shed of the Year are reopened until midnight of October 1. More details about it here.

The five categories for 2024 are:

• Shed Community Project of the Year

• Shed Volunteer of the Year


• Shed Health and Wellbeing Impact of the Year


• Shed Partnership of the Year


• Shed of the Year

-------------------------------------------------

 

 

Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.

Friday Finery: The Workroom

One of the most relaxing garden office photos the Shedworking staff have ever seen, this is The Workroom model from Bristol-based Little Garden Rooms whose entire website is similarly comfortable.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Garden office music room

Music rooms seem to be growing in popularity as garden office buildings. Here's an impressive recent build from Garden Spaces measuring 4m x 3.5m with an internal height of 2.1m. Since it is to be used by a keen drummer, acoustic performance was key to prevent annoying neighbours. So to maximise the acoustic performance, they included a special external porch entry system incorporating an internal acoustic door to give best performance. The build also has surface mounted sockets and switches to maximise the acoustic performance, and strip lights to maximise acoustic performance.

Other features include:

• Platinum Acoustic enhancement package for all walls, floor and ceiling
• Internal acoustic door
• Acoustic vent
• External uPVC 900mm wide single door with acoustic glazing
• 1250mm long screw pile foundation with adjuster plates due to tree roots in the vicinity and which future proofs the project from potential soil movement
• Thermowood external cladding to two sides
• Laminate flooring - Smoked Oak

------------------------------------------------------

 Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and   

 studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional

 buildings.

 
 
 

 

Banjo Beale's boffice (bothy office)

The Shedworking staff are huge fans of Banjo Beale's BBC television series Designing the Hebrides which is back for a second marvellous series at the moment. And we were particularly delighted to discover in the latest episode (ice cream caravan and honesty boxes) to discover he is a shedworker too. Actually he's a bothyworker although he decribes his garden office - pictured above - as a 'boffice', a new term for us, portmanteauing bothy + office where he does all his "scheming and dreaming".

Banjo has already worked on a bothy in the first series as you can see below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Garden office art studio

A nice build from Smart Modular Buildings using its Evolve 8.0m x 3.7m model for Gina Long MBE, a former charity sector leader and keen artist. Fed up of painting in a cramped greenhouse turned into a studio lacking natural light, she chose something more suitable and bespoke which has floor-to-ceiling windows and a far better layout to fit in her worktable, paint storage, easels, canvases, and tripods for photography. Here's what she says about it:

“Having recently retired from a highly demanding role in the charity sector, I was in desperate need of a space where I could unwind and reconnect with my passion for art. This new studio has been life-changing. It has become a place where I can fully immerse myself in my art, free from distractions. The peace and solitude it offers have brought immense joy and fulfillment into my life. I finally have a space that is truly mine, where I can nurture my creativity and find peace.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.

Cube garden room

An interesting location for this recent garden office build from Modern Garden Rooms. It's a 6.5 x 5 cube garden room in charcoal composite, placed on top of an existing garage and supported by a concrete slab. It is being used as a reading room for the customer’s father.

-------------------------------------------------

 

Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.

 

Friday Finery: The Hideout

This week's Friday Finery is a lovely interior of Red Sky Shepherd's Huts' model The Hideout which is a great size for a garden office and comes with solid oak or painted single stable door and windows, corrugated metal or painted featheredge cladding, cast iron wheels, and a towable chassis.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

 

Presenteeism still a risk, says organisational expert who first coined the term

Another example of how the tide may be turning against 'traditional' office working practices comes in today's Guardian. Sir Cary Cooper, the professor of organisational psychology and health at the University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School who first came up with the term 'presenteeism' in the mid-1990s describes employers avoiding hybrid working patterns in favour of 'five full days in the office' patterns as "dinosaurs of our age".

It follows last week's post about the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, ridiculing the “culture of presenteeism" and championing working from home

Cooper particularly highlighted Amazon's and various banks' recent decision to demand a full return to office-based work. Here's a snippet:

“If you value and trust people to get on with their job, and give them autonomy – and flexible work is one of those – they’ll work better, you’ll retain them, and they will be less likely to have a stress-related illness. If you micromanage, you won’t get productivity gains, and you won’t attract the next generation.”

Picture courtesy Modern Garden Rooms 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Ranch style: the next shed trend?

An interesting article on the Malvern Garden Buildings website looks at the growing trend for Western-style ranch-like interiors and general decoration. As Malvern puts it:

"Inspired by vast landscapes, vintage Americana, and the untamed spirit of the Wild West, this trend invites you to bring a touch of frontier life into your own space. From rustic cabins to modern prairie homes, Western-style décor offers old-world charm infused with warmth, cosiness, and comfort."

Pictured above is its Woodland Lodge model with exposed wood, Onduline corrugated roof iron, wraparound porch, bracket wall lights, and picture windows. You can read the rest of the article here. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.

Tour of Team GB's Gold-winning Paralympic Archer Nathan Macqueen's BBQ Cabin (video)

Nathan Macqueen won a Gold medal at the recent Paris Paralympics with teammate Jodie Grinham in the team compound category. Below, he takes us on a video tour of his wheelchair-friendly BBQ Cabin from Artic Cabins.

-------------------------------------------------

 

Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.

Friday Finery: a simple desk

It's not always the showiest details that make something fine. Here's a beautifully simple desk from a Cedar Living build which makes for a breath of fresh air for a client who wanted a writing room for her work as a television scriptwriter and author with a New Zealand 'bach' atmosphere.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

 

Legal & General survey shows continued demand for garden offices

Interesting figures reported in Property Reporter from Legal & General Surveying Services analysis indicates that Google searches for "garden offices" are very healthy indeed, and above pre-covid lockdown levels.

They report that between August 2023 and August 2024 there were 397,200 searches with "garden rooms" at 726,000 and "summer house" at 1,086,000. Malcolm Webb of Legal and General Surveying Services is quoted as saying: 

“Garden offices and outhouses don’t just attract different types of buyers - they add value to homes in a number of ways. The addition of a garden office provides both sellers and buyers with a significant edge in standing out in a competitive market."

Lockdown searches for "garden offices" hit a high of 726,000 between April 2020 and April 2021, with a gentle downturn over the next 24 months.

Photo courtesy Booths Garden Studios

------------------------------------------------------

 Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and   

 studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional

 buildings.

 

Business Secretary backs working from home

An interesting interview in the Daily Telegraph reveals that the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, is a very keen supporter of working from home. This is quite a change from the noises coming out of the Tory governments of the last decade or so, often ridiculing working from home.

Reynolds weighed in against what he called a “culture of presenteeism", made the point that working from home gave British business a wider pool of talent to choose from, and championed working from home in his own government department. 

It follows recent research from Zoom which, unsurprisingly but still importantly, indicated that hybrid workong is becoming the preferred working style worldwide, with more than 80% of employees saying that they feel more productive in hybrid/remote environments than in-office/on-site settings as well as more connected to their teams/manager.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Men's Shed of the Year Awards and Diageo alcohol campaign

Our various Men's Sheds organisations are as busy, busy, busy as ever. In Scotland, there's not much time left to vote in the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2024 Awards which "recognise, reward and promote the contribution Men’s Sheds make and the huge life-changing impact that they are having on the people of Scotland and in our communities". Winners announced October 4 and you can still vote here until September 15.

Meanwhile, Diageo has begun an 18-month pilot project with the UK Men’s Sheds Association, to co-develop a programme of activity to encourage alcohol moderation. Managing director of Diageo Great Britain Nuno Teles, said: “By partnering together we aim to expand their impactful work by improving men’s wellbeing and raising awareness about alcohol moderation. Together, we want to empower individuals and create more connected communities. Having visited the Men’s Shed in Camden, I have seen the positive impact these spaces have in nurturing a sense of purpose and belonging within the community. It was a joy to meet the Shedders and discuss how we can collaborate to drive meaningful progress.”

Chief executive officer of UK Men’s Sheds, Charlie Bethel commented: “This programme will deliver a positive impact on Shedders, and I hope, the wider population, to provide a greater understanding of our relationship with alcohol and develop more positive social habits; particularly as we age."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.

Arctic Cabins into the finals of Family Business Awards

Congratulations to Arctic Cabins who have been shortlisted in the Family Business Awards which features a series of categories for businesses in the Midlands such as Sustainability, Property & Construction Excellence, Digital & Tech Innovation, Service Excellence, Young Director and Employer of the Year, as well as overall Family Business of the Year.

“The standard of entries has been exceptionally high this year and we are so pleased that so many family businesses have taken the time to showcase their achievements," said Charlotte Perkins, Group Managing Director of The Wilson Organisation which runs the awards. 

Nottingham-based Arctic Cabins are named as finalists in the Property & Construction Excellence section and the finalists' celebration event will be held on May 16 next year. If you'd like to vote, go to the awards page here for details.

-------------------------------------------------

 

Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.

 

Friday Finery: Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro (video)

No apologies for returning to the winner of this year's Shed of the Year competition, Wayne Dauber's 'Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro' which was announced earlier this week. As an additional treat to the tremendous image above, here's a short video below of its design and construction.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Goodbye to the Ladybird shed

Shedworking was a bit sad to hear from Helen Day who runs the remarkable website devoted to Ladybird books and their contributors Ladybird Fly Away Home that she is also moving to a new home and leaving her shed behind her.

We interviewed her on this site nearly a decade ago when we found out that she kept her collection in a secondhand shed bought from a local garden centre, co-incidentally just up the road from Shedworking HQ. She has written a nice farewell on her site which is well worth reading and where you'll find lots of marvellous photos, but here's a snippet:

My bookshed soon became my haven. Picture me with a big box of books to sort out, a steaming cup of tea and my music on shuffle. That was my happy place – where time stood still. And can you imagine what a blessing it was over lockdown?... But mostly it was a place where I was alone with my tea and my music and my head and my books. In wet weather it was a treat to put on the heater and the lights, make the tea and head down the path towards the orange glow from the window, for an hour or two of book therapy.

------------------------------------------------------

 Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and   

 studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional

 buildings.

Shed of the Year 2024 won by ‘Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro’

Wayne Dawber, an artist and school art technician from Crewe, has been crowned champion in this year’s Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition. His shed ‘Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro’ beat 160 other entrants to claim top spot after being voted king of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category by the general public, and selected as the winner by a judging panel.

This year’s victor built his winning shed by combining unusual and disregarded materials, such as corrugated metal from a torn-down stable roof, and windows from a recently demolished chapel. Most striking, however, is the colourful hand-painted vintage signs he has decorated the shed’s interior and exterior with, using paint to perfect a style he likes to call “industrial, ghost town chic".
 
Many of the mural paintings are from or inspired by 1950s magazine adverts, with the indoor walls embellished with old product labels and matchbox graphics. These vibrant paintings, alongside the weathered effect Wayne has given to the metal was done to bring texture and a sense of age to the shed, stylishly capturing the essence of mid-century design.
 
Wayne describes how the shed’s concept evolved to become the winner it is today: “The plan for the shed has always been for it to be a little hideaway for my wife and me. We love spending time in nature and watching the world go by from our garden. This shed gave us the perfect space to do that.
 
“As I began constructing the shed, I started to get a bit carried away. The finished product brings together everything I love to work with, from the rusty metal to the old wood, it’s feels very special to give all these old materials a new lease of life with a touch of paint, while still encapsulating that old-fashioned feel.”
   
Wayne is the first Cuprinol Shed of the Year winner to receive an overnight nature getaway as part of his prize, allowing him to indulge in his love of nature while being at the very heart of it. This is alongside £1,000 in cash, and £250 worth of Cuprinol product.
 
Founder and Head Judge of the competition, Andrew Wilcox, said: “As we near the 20th anniversary of the competition, it's astonishing to see the incredible new heights our entrants have been reaching year-on-year. At the peak of and just after the pandemic, we saw the revival of the pub shed and people getting inventive with their outdoor workspaces. This year, we’ve seen a real trend of pushing what’s possible with upcycling and getting bold with structures."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

Children's garden playroom: Children need sheds too

Back in the day we used to run a regularly irregular slot called Children Need Sheds Too. We felt it was time to bring it back and so here is a fine example, a 5m x 4m composite-clad garden playroom designed and built by Cosy Garden Rooms for Amy and Garreth in Manchester. Or to be more exact, for their two children (though they have squeezed in a sauna for use by the grown-ups).

"We have two children and live in a three-storey townhouse," said Amy. "so there's not enough downstairs living space. We needed somewhere for the children to play and store all their toys. We didn’t want them taking over the house, but we also didn’t want them to feel like they couldn’t play and arrange their toys as they wanted.

"It works perfectly for our family as a playroom. The house is tidy, we don’t have to worry about toys being everywhere. My son Harry puts his trophies and artwork in the room, basically anything he wants to show off, he proudly displays in here, it’s his room."

The plan is that the room will adjust to the family’s needs, transforming from a playroom to perhaps a teenage den, a study space, or a gym as their children grow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.

H.E. Bates: shedworkers

Writer H.E. Bates, perhaps best known today as the author of The Darling Buds of May, was also a shedworker, writing mostly in the mornings from fairly early until lunchtime. A keen gardener, according to the official H.E. Bates website:

He would plan a novel in his mind as he worked in the garden all summer, setting it down on paper during the autumn and winter. He wrote in longhand in his summerhouse, weather permitting, believing the fragrance of flowers stimulated his creative powers.

He had the summerhouse built in 1937 (you can see a picture of it here). 

-------------------------------------------------

 

Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.