Scammers targeting beach hut buyers

People desperate to own a beach hut along Kent’s 14 miles of coastline are being targeted by scammers, according to Canterbury City Council.

The con artists are listing beach huts in Tankerton that they do not own on auction websites like eBay and selling them for thousands of pounds, much cheaper than the going rate. The criminals are breaking the locks on huts and inviting unsuspecting victims to visit them while claiming they are unable to be there to show them round.

Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Inclusion and Coastal Towns, Cllr Chris Cornell, said: “The golden rule is if something sounds too good to be true, it generally is. As soon as we learned of people selling beach huts in Tankerton they do not own, we informed the beach hut owners and advised them to contact Kent Police and Report Fraud.

"We also notified the beach hut associations, so they could spread the word to their members. We would always advise beach hut owners to be vigilant for the potential for fraudulent activity such as this and to report any concerns they have to the police as swiftly as possible. Our Foreshore team is happy to provide advice on whether a hut sale is genuine if people contact us.

“While hut owners are permitted to sell privately and via whatever method they choose, our advice to prospective buyers is to only purchase huts through agents or the beach hut associations. Sadly, the main victim in scams of this type will always be the unsuspecting purchaser.”

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George Bernard Shaw's writing hut Easter egg trail

There's an excellent Easter Trail at Shaw's Corner over the next few days featuring the great man's iconic writing hut. Visitors are encouraged to look for images of eggs around the grounds from today until Monday (April 6) from 10am until 12.30pm (last slot midday). It's  £3.50 per trail which includes an Easter trail sheet, bunny ears, and dairy or vegan and Free From* chocolate egg.

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK 

The Composer's Cabin: Chelsea Flower Show 2026

 

We're starting our annual look at the best shedlike atmospheres at RHS Chelsea Flower Show with The Composer’s Cabin designed by Martha Krempel and sponsored by London St Pancras Highspeed. 

It's one of the Houseplant Studios sponsored by Malvern Garden Buildings and aims to celebrate peatlands, wild boulder-studded moorlands, horticulture and music as well as garden offices. The cabin is set in a landscape inspired by West Cornwall and features subtropical planting that flourishes in the area. Here's what the RHS says about it:

Inside the cabin, whose quiet charm recalls a 17th century cottage, visitors encounter a Steinway baby grand piano surrounded by lush planting. An immersive soundscape evokes the unique acoustics of peat bogs, bringing this fragile habitat to life. On the roof are transplanted sections of peatland bog, with delicate sphagnum mosses and Eriophorum angustifolium (cotton grass). The result is a retreat where creativity is not imposed upon nature but composed in quiet dialogue with it.

The peatland planting will be returned to its natural habitat and a version of The Composer’s Cabin will be relocated to London St Pancras Station for a pop-up experience in June.

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Cottage N.1

Cottage N. 1 is an intriguing build from De Castelli that scooped a Wallpaper* Design Award in 2012. Designed by Filippo Pisan, they describe it as "a revisitation of the classic garden shed" with a corten steel structure and natural spruce cladding. "The result," they say, "is a multifunctional space that can be transformed into a beachside hut, mini garage for two-wheeled modes of transport, a nook for meditative getaways, or a micro-workshop for DIY projects."

Features include lights that come on when you open the door, and an internal 'ventilation system' made up of  raised wooden slatted floor and small perforations in the walls.

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Friday Finery: Chile shed

One of my oldest schoolfriends, Kevin Towl (I watched my first world cup football final at his house in Telford in 1978), now lives and works in Chile, and he has been kind enough to send Shedworking some photos of his latest project (a 'casita' translates as 'little house' but it's very much a shedlike atmosphere as you can see). Here's what he says about it:

After a few ups and downs my 'casita' is almost ready. Switching from one builder to another didn't help the process and I seem to have ended up with a child's drawing of an Irish pub. Anyway, the book shelves go in soon and I am looking for the perfect desk.

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New beach huts in Hove up for grabs

Local residents have the rare opportunity to own one of 11 new beach huts which are being installed on Hove seafront this week situated between Hove Lagoon and the beach, with the popular Hove Beach Park directly behind.

Ten of the new huts are being built in the gaps on the promenade above Hove Lagoon Watersports. The 11th hut will fill a gap nearby, following the removal of an abandoned derelict hut.

Brighton and Hove City Council say that residents interested in buying a hut are invited to an open viewing day on March 31 between 12 noon and 3pm. Further viewing days can be arranged if needed.

The 10 huts will go on sale to Brighton & Hove residents for offers over £25,000. The 11th hut, which is in a more established location, has been priced at offers over £30,000. Money raised from the sale of the huts will be used to fund further seafront maintenance.

Councillor Birgit Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, said: “Our famous seafront beach huts rarely come onto the market, so we are thrilled to be offering residents the chance to own one of 11 brand new huts."

Offers can be made in writing by April 7 and sent to Seafront.lettings@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Bidders are asked to state their first and second preferences.

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Shed of the Year returns with a new sponsor

Entries for Shed of the Year 2026 are now open, sponsored this year by shed specialists Tiger.

This year marks the competition's 20th anniversary and will feature new categories as well as category sponsors, another first. These are:

• Eco haven (sponsored by British Garden Centres)
• Workshop/studio (sponsored by Horsforth Brewery)
• Most colourful shed (sponsored by Protek)
• Pub/entertainment (sponsored by Horsforth Brewery)
• Community shed (sponsored by St Gemma’s Hospice, Tiger’s chosen charity of the year)
• Cabin/summerhouse
• Budget champion
• Garden sanctuary (sponsored by British Garden Centres)
• Unexpected/unique (sponsored by Protek)
• Simple but effective

There are also two additional judged categories, Tiger in the Wild (the best Tiger shed entered into the competition) and regional winners from across the UK. The overall winner will be crowned in July.

A spokesman for Tiger said: "As the new lead sponsor, Tiger is proud to support a competition that so perfectly embodies the philosophy that an individual’s shed is their personal haven. A shared passion for garden buildings and their transformative impact on people's lives forms the foundation of this partnership. By stepping up to sponsor this anniversary, Tiger is helping to ensure the future of a competition that has brought joy and inspiration to thousands over the past two decades."
 
"What makes this partnership feel so right is that Tiger is a genuine shed manufacturer," added Andrew Wilcox who runs readersheds.co.uk and established the competition. "They don’t just ‘get’ sheds; they live and breathe the craft, the passion, and the culture that we all love. They care about our community and want it to thrive, not just for the branding. Plus, with their incredible network of showsites across the UK, we’re going to be able to reach even more local shed-heads than ever before.

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Work from home to beat oil crisis, says International Energy Agency

 

The International Energy Agency has released a new report 'Sheltering From Oil Shocks: Measures to reduce impacts on households and businesse' which "details 10 demand-side options open to households, businesses and governments to shelter themselves from today’s oil shock and relieve the strains on affordability".

The IEA admits that it's hard to generalise and that different countries have different energy needs but nevertheless number one on its list is 'Work from home where possible'. The report's authors point out that commuting accounts for between 5% and 30% of car activity across regions. Here are their thoughts:

As not all jobs are suitable for working from home, at the national level, three additional remote working days, for those whose jobs allow for it, could reduce oil consumption from cars by 2%-6%. If an average individual driver shifts from no teleworking to three remote days in a five-day workweek, their personal car oil consumption could be reduced by up to 20%.  

It also points out that Governments can encourage businesses to allow their employees to work from home, and can mandate public officials to work from home, where possible, and close public buildings on certain days. Their examples make interesting reading:

Policy examples: In response to the 2026 crisis in the Middle East, several countries have announced measures to encourage working from home. For example, the Philippines and Pakistan have mandated 4-day workweeks for government workers, while Sri Lanka has closed public offices on Wednesdays, and Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam are all actively promoting remote work. Many European governments also encouraged working from home in response to the energy crisis in 2022-23, including through the joint IEA-EU Playing my Part Campaign. For example, France incentivised public officials working from home in 2022, and encouraged private companies to follow this example.

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Friday Finery: David Hockney's barn

This week's finery focuses on a detail from David Hockney's work 'Autour de la maison, été' (2019) which is coming up for auction at the end of this month at Christie's London. 

The full thing is a monumental 12m long printed on a single sheet of paper, and shows Hockney's home and garden in Normandy at the height of summer, but the key elements are obviously the shelike buildings. Hockney incorporates medieval barns and contemporary treehouse in a work, as Christie's puts it: "recalling the narrative structure of the historic Bayeux Tapestry".  

The estimate is £200,000-300,000 but it will probably go for more.

Pic credit: © David Hockney/Christie's 

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Garden office conference to focus on writing huts

Intriguing news that there is to be a conference later this year at the Justus Liebig University, Giessen, in Germany entitled 'Forest Cabins, Garden Sheds, and Other Niches: Spaces of Retreat and the Potentiality of Writing'.

In her call for papers Professor Kirsten von Hagen writes:

"Writing practices have long been associated with withdrawal and retreat, often into nature. From Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in the woods to Virginia Woolf’s garden shed in Sussex [pictured top in my recent book Rooms of Their Own and illustrated by James Oses], spaces of retreat appear central to creative practice. They promise time, focus, and a calmer environment removed from everyday distractions, raising the question of what constitutes an “ideal” space for writing and creative work.

"This conference seeks to examine secluded, marginal, and sometimes remote spaces of retreat more closely, with a particular focus on writing as practice. What forms of writing emerge in such settings? How are writers shaped by spaces of withdrawal? Which strategies accompany retreat-based writing practices, for example, walking and writing or a particular attunement to surroundings?"

It follows the 2025 conference 'The Cabin in the Woods and Other Utopian Confinements: Hopes and Horrors of Living in Small Houses in Remote Areas' and aims to place "creative practice and writing at the center of its exploration of spaces of retreat, including cabins, garden sheds, and other hut-like environments."

More details at the link above but a list of possible topics - deadline for submission is March 26 for the July conference - included in the call suggests:

• The potentiality of writing and creative practice
• Retreat as a space of withdrawal or resistance
• Ecocritical perspectives on writing retreats
• Ecofeminist and posthumanist approaches to retreat
• Entanglements with the more-than-human world in times of withdrawal
• Blurred boundaries between fiction and non-fiction in literary representations of retreats

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Cosy Garden Rooms scoops business award

Congratulations to Cosy Garden Rooms who have won the Micro Business of the Year prize at the East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire) Business Awards.

The award is contested by entrants with one to 10 employees. "We’re proud to be recognised among the region’s outstanding businesses," said a spokesperson. "Here’s to continuing to grow, innovate, and deliver exceptional garden rooms."

East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “Nottinghamshire is known the world over for its rich history of making, creating and is home to some of the country and the world’s best innovation. Whether skill in trading within the county or far and wide at international level, what I see continually across Nottinghamshire’s business community is a forward-thinking approach, focused on overcoming challenges, seizing opportunity and on growth." 

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New beach huts go on sale in Great Yarmouth

Newly built beach huts on the Esplanade have put on sale in Great Yarmouth, with £12,000 and £20,000 price tags attached to 10 and 25 year leases.

The 3m x 1.8m beach huts (pictured above) come in a range of colours, double doors, use of an exclusive amenity block nearby, a dedicated seating area at the front, and are all close to the Golden Mile set between the seafront and North Drive. There is also free annual parking (car park to the rear) with permit included.

The huts are being marketed by East Commercial Chartered Surveyors for Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Details on Rightmove.

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Friday Finery: Concave Room

This week's Finery is a Concave model build from Modern Garden Rooms with rather pleasant nearby swimming pool as well as nice blue sky.

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

 

Garden room trends for 2026

An interesting post by Cabin Master looks at garden room trends for this year makes for intriguing reading. Their figures indicate:

* average sizes rising over the past year from 16.3m² to 17.5m² in floor space, with decking/verandas less common

* fully timber buildings falling in popularity from 7.7% of builds in 2023 to 3.1% in 2025 with hybrid finishes combining natural timber with composite Marley board cladding on the rise

* growing interest in home saunas and cabins 
 
* increasing statement glazing, installations of Cabin Master's largest size of doors growing 30% in 2025, and builds which used their largest window sizing rose 18% year on year - this marries with a drop in the average number of window units per build

* the rise in sliding doors, featuring in 58% of its garden room builds in 2023, increasing to 62% in 2024 and up to 64% in 2025 - at the same time there has been a slight decline in bifold doors

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

 

Shedworkers and other homeworkers must be protected like any other employee says the HSE

Although more than a third of workers in Britain now work remotely or in hybrid arrangements, not all employers realise health and safety responsibilities apply equally at home as in the workplace according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Britain’s national workplace regulator is running a campaign to remind employers of the need to assess the risks for all home workers.  

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in January 2026, 38% of workers were working remotely or in some kind of hybrid arrangement (25% hybrid and 13% fully remotely).  

HSE is advising employers to pay particular attention to three areas - stress and mental health, the safe use of display screen equipment, and the working environment – including accidents, emergencies, and lone working. This is a legal duty, not optional guidance.  

“Working from home can deliver benefits to both employers and employees," said Barbara Hockey, from HSE Engagement and Policy Division, "but it’s important that employers understand their responsibilities.  

“The good news for bosses is you don’t need to physically visit someone’s home to fulfil your duties. Most of the time, the risks are low and the steps to manage them are straightforward and HSE provides free guidance to support you. Practically, this means managers keeping in regular contact with their teams, talking openly about workloads and training needs, and making sure people aren’t under pressure to work outside their normal working hours. 

“It also means having simple conversations about the physical environment by asking staff to visually check that their equipment is safe and not damaged, keeping work areas clear of trailing wires or obstructions, and making sure everyone knows what to do in an emergency."

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

 

Vinnie Jones's log cabin

Ex-footballer turned actor and television presenter Vinnie Jones is also the proud owner of an Arctic Cabins cabin. You can see it on the latest season of his Vinnie Jones in the Country on Discovery+ (pictured above and below).

It is one of the supplier's solar dome cabins beside Vinnie’s lake on his 2,000-acre West Sussex estate, built without the central barbecue unit as a lakeside retreat.
 
"What Vinnie needed was a cabin that blended into the surrounding natural environment and allowed for beautiful views from inside the cabin," said an Arctic Cabins spokesperson. "By choosing a solar dome cabin with an extension, it maximises the internal space of the cabin for a variety of uses. Additionally, to make the most of the beautiful views around the lake and maximise natural light, Vinnie chose to have larger windows looking out on the surrounding countryside."

You can see it featured in the episode below.

 

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Friday Finery: British Cabins and Hideaways

 

Holly Farrier's excellent book British Cabins and Hideaways published by Hoxton Mini Press is back in stock with a reworked cover. If you missed it first time round, this is a good time to get a copy of this fine guide to remote huts, cabins, bothies, and other shedlike atmospheres across the UK, all of which can be rented.

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

British homeowners' proudest property element is their shed

According to an Emperor Paint study reported on in House Beautiful, of all the parts of their homes that they like, they are proudest of their garden shed (which I think is used in quite a wide sense to include garden offices, summerhouses, and the like) 

The same study showed that people in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Coventry were the keenest on their home working spaces. 

In second place was home office (which we're assuming is the kind in your home rather than a 30 second commute away in the back garden), the two shedlike atmospheres beating off competition from, in descending order, firepits, conservatoires, kitchen islands, outdoor kitchens, walk-in showers, breakfast bars, and playhouses.

Pic courtesy of Cabin Master

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

 

Working from home could help reverse declining birth rates, indicates new study

Couples who work from their garden office or from home in general at least one day a week are having more children and planning larger families, says a new study of around 40 countries.

The research, co-authored by King’s College London academic Dr Cevat Giray Aksoy, indicates a strong link between remote work and birth rates. Researchers estimate lifetime fertility increases by an average of 0.32 children per woman when both partners work remotely for at least a day per week compared to the case where neither does.

The data also suggests that in the US, current remote work levels account for a meaningful share of births, about 8.1 per cent of US births in 2024 which equat4s to 291,000 babies. In England, findings imply that current work-from-home arrangements explain about 6.2 per cent of births in 2024, roughly 35,400.

Roughly 54 per cent of university-educated adult workers work from home at least one day a week.

The researchers attribute the findings to the flexibility that remote jobs offer, easing the time and co-ordination costs of combining paid employment with child-rearing. They also say that expanding remote work opportunities could offer an important oppportunity for nations struggling with shrinking/ageing populations. 

"The ability to work from home is quietly nudging birth rates up," said Dr Cevat Giray Aksoy. "Remote work will not reverse decades of demographic decline on its own. But in a world where conventional pro-natalist policies are expensive and often disappoint, flexibility over where we work is emerging as one of the most promising and cheapest ways to help people have the families they say they want."

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Tiger launches Norfolk garden building show site in Great Yarmouth

Woodlands Home & Garden Group has launched its 24th retail show site for their its specialist garden building retailer Tiger at Cherry Lane Southview Garden Centre in Great Yarmouth.

The brand-new site will display a selection of 25 Tiger garden buildings, including high-quality sheds, summerhouses, log cabins, and modular garden rooms. This is the company’s first show site with the Cherry Lane group, and its third opening of 2026. 

All Tiger buildings are handmade in British workshops, using high-grade timber from FSC-certified managed forests and other controlled sources, and come with a 20-year guarantee as well as the option of professional installation.

The new show site is at Cherry Lane Southview Garden Centre, Beccles Rd, Fritton, Belton, Great Yarmouth NR31 9EU and is open from 10am until 3pm on Monday to Sunday. 

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Friday Finery: shepherd's hut desk

A nice setup in a Plankbridge shepherd's hut for today's Finery. Arguably also a standing desk setup.

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

 

Artist's garden studio

A Cosy Garden Rooms build for an artist in Derbyshire who wanted a garden studio at distance from her house where she would be able to concentrate on her art and photography, including space to store her tools and equipment, and usable as occasional guest accommodation.

It's 4m x 3m with a double sliding patio door, clad with HardiePlank fibre cement board in anthracite to fit into the surroundings. Inside it has white painted grooved walls and light chestnut laminate flooring. Features include lovely views over the nearby reservoir. 

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK