Is a shepherd's hut a fixture or a fitting?

An interesting, an important question, which is explained in a useful post by Farrer & Co in a blog post 'Advice on fixtures and fittings when purchasing a country house with a shepherd’s hut'.

Long story short, a buyer and a seller disagree (politely) about the status of a shepherd's hut (not the one pictured above) located in the grounds of a property on which a sale has been agreed. Here's how Farrer & Co clearly explain the issue:

This prompted a discussion between the parties as to whether the hut was a fixture (and therefore deemed part of the property) or a fitting or chattel (and therefore removable). The seller argued that, because the hut was on wheels, it was a fitting and not included in the sale by default. This was frustrating for our clients as there had been no suggestion prior to this point that the hut (which was being used as a functioning office space) would be excluded from the sale – they thought it was included in the agreed purchase price.

Happily, the two parties do come to an agreement. For more details about how, do click the link above.

Pic courtesy umbrellahead56 CC

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Vote here, vote now!

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Chartreuse: summer 2025's shed colour

According to Malvern Garden Buildings, chartreuse is the colour of the season, seen above on its Hopton summerhouse model at the recent RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival where it was used by natural deodorant brand AKT London to launch their latest fragrance, Hay Fever. For those of you with an interest in these things, the hex code is #DFFF00.

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Plankbridge vacancy for a hut maker

 Dorset-based shepherd's hut specialist Plankbridge is looking for a hut maker. Here's what they say:

"This is a skilled position responsible for the construction and finishing of huts using various materials and techniques. This role requires a strong understanding of carpentry and joinery, as well as the ability to work with both hand and power tools. The successful candidate will be involved in all aspects of hut construction, from initial design to final finishing touches, ensuring that each structure is built to high standards of quality and safety."

More details at https://lnkd.in/ekHapRgB or email production@plankbridge.com

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Torbay beach huts to be unavailable for 2026 season

Torbay Council has announced that new development works will mean beach huts at Preston Sands will be in hibernation for the whole of next year.

The council said that it had confirmed the appointment of Knights Brown as its developer for the Paignton and Preston Promenade scheme to carry out the construction of the coastal flood defences and public space improvements. This is on track to commence in Septemberand will be carried out in three separate phases from 22 September 2025 to 10 May 2027.

Development at Preston will be carried out in a single phase from 30 September 2025 to 4 December 2026.

At Preston Sands, development includes the area where beach huts are sited and Preston Sands beach hut users have been advised that huts will need to be removed at least one week before 30 September 2025. Following removal, no beach huts will be available for the 2026 season.

"We understand that this will be disappointing to beach hut users," said a spokesperson, "and have not made the decision lightly. We appreciate beach hut users’ understanding as we make the essential improvements to the seafront.

"We are aware that construction of a scheme of this size will take time and is likely to include some disruption. Our intention is to minimise the impact on local tourism, businesses and people who regularly use the seafront areas. This will be achieved by keeping sections of the seafronts accessible as development progresses."

Image of Torbay beach huts courtesy Tony Hisgett CC 

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Remote Pods

The Shedworking team have been enjoying a long browse through the website of Anglesey-based Remote Pods. As well as the aesthetically pleasing rounded-roof design and craneability of the fibreglass buildings, we were particularly interested to discover that they are the results of decades of experience in the boat building industry.

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Friday Finery: Ebba Brahes' 'Lusthus'

This week's Finery belonged to Swedish ironworks mogul Ebba Brahe (1596–1674) who came quite close to becoming queen (she had a doomed relationship with the young Prince Gustav Adolf). This is her 'lusthus' or summerhouse on an islet at the Bockhammar ironworks in Skinnskatteberg. It stands today in exactly the same delightful spot it was built in 1636, making it arguably the country's oldest pavilion.

Image CC courtesy Steve Henriksson

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Artist's studio: before and after

We've not had a good 'before and after' post for a while on Shedworking, so here's a fine example from Cosy Garden Rooms in Cambridge. It comes in at 3.5m x 2.1m and turned a disused corner of the garden into a fully equipped creative space. Features include sliding doors, wall-mounted infrared heater, a tall side window, and a 1m rectangular roof lantern for additional light. Outside, it has Hardie® Plank maintenance-free composite cladding in a two-tone scheme, Monetary Taupe and Anthracite, topped with a lovely eco-friendly sedum roof.

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Architect's garden office

A very smart garden studio build for an architect by Okopod. Featured in Channel 4’s Extraordinary Extensions series, it's the company's Hip Pod model, approximately 24m2, and features Cedar 'barcode' profile cladding, a concealed entrance door, and an impressive roof light in the high ceiling.

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Garden office and music room

An example here of Green Retreat's Basebox model for a customer who wanted a 3.5m x 2.44m office room which could also double as extra space for leisure and hobbies. Here's what the client says about it:

“It’s a space where I can take time for myself. The great thing about having a garden room is that it’s really helped me manage my workload, hobbies and home life in a healthy way. As someone who works from home, it’s hard to switch off sometimes, and my garden room certainly helps me with that. Before, I used to work around the house, either on the sofa or dining room table. It wasn’t conducive to a productive working day. Now I just pop down the garden and work from there!"

He also uses it work on songs which he plays with his band. "Having a garden room has really facilitated my creative process because while I primarily use it as an office space, it doubles up as a practise room to jam in.”

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Friday Finery: Hermitage Hut

This week's Finery is a celebration of Plankbridge's 25 years, the fresh off the production line Hermitage Hut. It's off-grid, with solar panels and a living sedum roof, and clad in waney-edge Western red ceda. Features include a fold-down oak desk, wood-burning stove, a 4ft 6in handmade box bed, and a feature wall lined with Organoid Stone Pine Forest flax fleece that apparentl releases the scent of herbs, moss and pine and ferns. The Hermitage Hut measures 14ft x 7ft 5in.

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Hawker's Hut (video)

We've covered the Rev. Robert Stephen Hawker's hut before on Shedworking, the spot where Victorian priest and poet spent much of his time in Cornwall, writing many of his poems in the hut which he built in 1844 on the clifftop overlooking the Atlantic Ocean using driftwood. Here's a nice little video from the National Trust which shows us briefly around inside.

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Shed of the Year 2025 shortlist announced

The shortlist for Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2025 has been announced which means it's time for the public voting to begin.

This year’s competition attracted 84 entries, and now 22 sheds have made it through to compete for the coveted title of Cuprinol Shed of the Year and the prize of £1,000 in cash, a one-of-a-kind nature’s getaway experience, and £250 worth of Cuprinol products.

“19 years in, and I’m still constantly amazed at how much passion and imagination people pour into their sheds," said Andrew Wilcox, founder and Head Judge of the competition. "Behind many of them lie powerful stories, sheds that connect generations, bring families together, and serve as hubs for communities. These aren’t just garden buildings; they’re meaningful spaces full of history, purpose, and connection."

Voting is up and running now at readersheds.co.uk and ends on July 31. The nominated builds are:

    •    The Beach Hut At The Bottom Of The Garden

    •    Nanna’s Cabin & Bampa’s Shed

    •    Redondo Trading

    •    Cast Away

    •    Cosy Cabin 

    •    Bird Song

    •    Colourful Cuban Cabin

    •    The potting shed

    •    The Plotting Shed

    •    The Gnome's Rest 

    •    The Bombardier Arms

    •    Cushty’s

    •    The Ticking Tappet

    •    The Melon Shed 

    •    The Homeshed

    •    Grottoloo

    •    Far Meadow Cabin

    •    The Garden Room

    •    The Old Stable Potting Shed

    •    The Tiny Workshop

    •    SHEDstudios

    •    Pottery Shed



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Swedenborg’s Lusthus

One for the shed bookshelf at home, Swedenborg's Lusthus published by London-based Swedenborg House is a fascinating selection of essays about the 18th century Stockholm back garden summerhouse (the 'lust' bit is not what you might think) in which Swedish philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg wrote his most famous works. It features more than 100 colour illustrations pieces from the likes of Iain Sinclair on the links between writing and place, plus a foreword by shedworker Deborah Levy who writes: “To write in a summerhouse is to serenely contemplate one’s own fear of losing the life we have planned and to be humbled by the spider architects spinning the perfect composition of their silken webs in every corner.”

Happily, you can still visit the summerhouse today. Lots more information about it and links to even more at New Church History.

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Friday Finery: Ornate Garden Pods

It's RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival again this weekend and if you pop along you'll be able to have an up close and personal gander at the marvellous range of Ornate Garden pods - and their new arch - pictured above. 

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Garden offices with houses for sale

A nice little photo-based roundup at The Guardian of homes for sale around the country. Pictured above, on with Savills for £600,000 is the above in Ketton, near Stamford, which comes with a Grade II listed house from the mid 19th entury.

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The Brass Shed

The Brass Shed is the tremendous interactive site of brass musician, composer, and arrange Sam Ewens which features ambient brass covers, videos, photos and other examples of his work including his instrumental solo project Night Auras. Well worth a nose around.

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Wittgenstein's hut

We have touched briefly before on the remote Norwegian log cabin above Lake Eidsvatnet Lake in Sogn in which philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein did some of his finest thinking overlooking the fjord but realised we are guilty on not keeping readers properly up to date on its existence.

Long story short, for many years it was left to degenerate and in a state of some disrepair, but in 2019 it was finally rebuilt/restored after being carefully taken down, windows, roof tiles, timber, and all (and for a while rebuilt on an entirely different site in the nearby village).

His philosopher friend Bertrand Russell commented on Wittgenstein's extended time in the cabin: “I said it would be dark, and he said he hated daylight. I said it would be lonely, and he said he prostituted his mind talking to intelligent people. I said he was mad, and he said God preserve him from sanity. (God certainly will.)” Wittgenstein wrote back: “I am sitting here in a little place inside a beautiful fjord and thinking about the beastly theory of types"

Wittgenstein also wrote in a letter to the English philosopher G E Moore in October 1936:  “I can’t imagine that I could have worked anywhere as I do here. It’s the quiet and, perhaps, the wonderful landscapes; I mean, its quiet seriousness.”

The hut is open to visitors though it's literally a bit of a trek to get to it.

CC image courtesy Olaf Meister

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Friday Finery: Ben Fogle's writer's hut

This week's entry is an interior, broadcaster, writer, and keen shed enthusiast Ben Fogle inside his hut as posted on his instagram page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ben Fogle (@benfogle)

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Study indicates that working from home can significantly boost productivity

A new study by researchers at King’s College London suggests that remote work has the potential to significantly boost productivity and bring underrepresented groups into the workforce. It found productivity increased by 10.5 per cent after the switch to remote work. 

Co-authored by Dr Cevat Giray Aksoy of King’s College London, the study examined the long-term impacts of flexible work arrangements through a case study of Tempo BPO, a multinational business process outsourcing firm with 3,500 employees.

The firm transitioned to fully remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and has maintained this model since. The study found that, following this transition, productivity increased by 10.5 per cent, driven largely by shorter call durations as employees benefited from quieter home environments. Service quality also improved with shorter calls and hold times.

Remote work also transformed the firm’s workforce composition. The share of female employees rose from 50 per cent to 76 per cent, with significant increases in married women and workers from rural areas, groups traditionally underrepresented in Turkey’s labour market where Tempo is based. Additionally, the firm attracted more educated and experienced employees without raising wages, as remote work expanded its talent pool.

The study also showed that employees who began with in-person training before switching to remote work showed higher long-term productivity and lower attrition rates than those who started remotely. The finding suggests that initial face-to-face induction processes foster stronger workplace connections and better performance.

“This case is a striking example of how remote work can be a win-win for firms and workers, even in low-wage service-sector settings,” said Dr Aksoy, lead economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development who co-authored the study with Nicholas Bloom and Steven J. Davis (Stanford University), Victoria Marino (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), and Cem Ozguzel (Paris School of Economics). “It broadened the hiring pool, improved productivity, and did so without raising costs.”

Image courtesy Warwick Buildings

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Recent developments at SMART Modular Buildings

Regular readers will be familiar with Suffolk-based SMART Modular Buildings (previously SMART Garden Offices, founded 2001) which designs and supplies modular garden rooms, studios, offices, and residential-grade living spaces.

SMART has recently overhauled its offering:

* composite cladding is now available on popular models such its The Belle and The Evolve

* flush finishes have been introduced for a modern architectural look

* there is improved thermal insulation across ranges, lowering U-values and improving year-round efficiency

* the range now includes larger and more flexible size formats, removing the previous limitations of fixed sizes

“We’ve removed the old constraints of our in-house factory model," explained CEO Matt Moss, "and reimagined our approach to bring the very best of British modular innovation directly to our customers.”

Coming soon is a new online configurator tool which will allow customers to custom-build their building in real time, and adjust sizes, finishes, and upgrade packages so that overall it will offer instant visual feedback and pricing.

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Indoor sheds: Kabin 1

We've not looked at indoor sheds for a while so here's something to consider if you're looking for that garden office working atmosphere but not an actual garden office. It's called Kabin 1 and comes from Kabin Space. There are three models, one pretty titchy one, one designed for two, and this one pictured above, all aimed at "reducing surrounding noises and visual distractions...An empowering environment for your most meaningful work".

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