New bespoke Cotsmill Garden Office design

Cotsmill Garden Offices have recently installed a new bespoke design in Winchester, a 3m x 4m building from their Contemporary range. The new shedworking customers Andrea and Simon said: "Looking for inspiration, we came across an article in Grand Designs magazine reviewing home offices. We are delighted with the finished office and the contemporary office sits very well in our garden."
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Shedworkers happier than those in 'traditional' offices: report

Shedworkers and other people who work from home most of the week are more satisfied and less stressed than those working mostly in the office, claims a new study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee conducted by professor of communication studies Kathryn Fonner.

The main benefit reported by those who work from home at least three days a week was better work-life balance while alienation from workplace communication, frequently mentioned as a major disadvantage of homeworking, was reported as minimal. Indeed, those working outside the office were largely shielded from distracting and stressful aspects of the workplace, such as office politics, interruptions, constant meetings and information overload. Fonner pointed out: 

“Our findings emphasise the advantages of restricted face-to-face interaction, and also highlight the need for organisations to identify and address the problematic and unsatisfying issues inherent in collocated work environments. With lower stress and fewer distractions, employees can prevent work from seeping into their personal lives.”

Thatched garden office

The Prima Grand Four from Lugarde, a 4m hexagonal building in 44mm log walls local thatching available from Howe Fencing & Sectional Buildings.

Rotating garden shed (video)

If there's one thing guaranteed to make the Shedworking staff go weak at the knees, it's a revolving shed.
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Luther Burbank: shedworker

Luther A. Burbank (1849-1926) was one of the most important American botanists of recent times, a horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science. He developed hundreds of strains and plant varieties (peach, blackberry, nectarine, plum) as well as a spineless cactus - his Russet Burbank potato is now the world's main potato in food processing. And he was also a shedworker.

His garden office (pictured above by OZinOh)was built in 1906 at his home and 'experimental station' in Santa Rosa, California. The office faced the street and had a plaque on it which said:

"Mr. Burbank is no less occupied than are the officials of Washington, and therefore he most humbly requests that the public not disturb him with visitations."

Both his home and the garden office were moved by Henry Ford to Dearborn, Michigan, where they are now are part of Greenfield Village although you can see a replica at the original Burbank House and Gardens site.

If you really like Mr Burbank's garden office you can have one in your back garden as there is a rather nice plywood birdfeeder replica of it available, ideal for wrens and finches and the other small birds. It comes with pine shingled roof.

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Hat Tea House

A lovely 1.8 square metre, oak, shedworkingesque tea house in the Czech Republic featured on dezeen (where there are lots more photos and drawings) by A1 Architects called Hat Tea House, clad in larch with a shingle roof. The walls can be folded away so you can enjoy vistas of the garden.

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Friday posts are sponsored by Extraspace, the flat-packed, man-portable expandable garden building experts. Click here for more details

Beach Hut Advent Calendar 2010

The annual Beach Hut Advent Calendar in Brighton & Hove has become one of Shedworking's favourite regular treats and details of this year's events are now available online at www.beyondchurch.co.uk. Here are a few highlights:

LAUNCH NIGHT
The calendar launches on December 1 with a display by St Christopher's School Hove who will also bring their choir and the stars of their nativity play.

CHOCCYWOCCYDOODAH
Brighton chocolate specialists Choccywoccydoodah are helping out in a number of ways this year. They are going to be opening hut 79a by Hove Lawns on December 5 with a specially created Madonna and Child cake which also features as the prize to whoever comes to the most beach huts throughout the month: organisers of the calendar will issue 10,000 'loyalty cards' which can be date stamped when people attend and entered into a draw on Christmas Eve and the winner will get to take the cake home with them for Christmas. They will also be giving out chocolate along with the mince pies and mulled wine every night.

MAKE MY MARK
December 12 will combine with the launch of child charity Make My Mark and start of a beach hut project which will continue on Boxing Day and throughout the year.

CHRISTMAS EVE
Everyone is invited to come dressed as their favourite nativity story character so that they can create a massive live nativity scene throughout the evening.

As in previous years we'll cover the huts throughout advent.
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