Friday Finery: Rotating Seater

A lovely view from one of the smaller models in the Ornate Garden pod range, the Rotating Seater.

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

The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society's garden office in the Idler magazine

My latest garden office shed column in the new Idler magazine features an interview with Dinah Johnson (no relation) who runs The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society which now brings together nearly 1,500 members from 36 countries from her B&Q summerhouse. Here's a snippet:

“It faces north and is painted a ‘medium oak colour and has recently been re-roofed and clad because it was starting to rot quite badly. We’d discussed replacing it and maybe getting a slightly bigger one to store the growing collection of letters, but it would’ve been like selling a friend,” she says.

 

“The door-hinge still needs mending and the gutters putting up but hopefully if not completely airtight it’s much improved. I love the front with the two doors and the eight little windows and the angle of the roof. I love the position of my writing desk tucked just round the corner by the windows so I can watch the garden goings on, like a blackbird washing in the birdbath and the gradual changing of the seasons, when I look up from my bureau. I’m not too keen on the fusty shed smell it leaves on me but that has a charm all of its own and will certainly bring back memories of me “up the shed” in years to come for the kids. I love all the postal paraphernalia I’ve managed to cram into it including an ever growing postbox shrine.”

You can read the rest in the issue with the cover below, available from all over the place including Waterstones, but best enjoyed via a subscription.

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 Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and   

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

 buildings.

Bespoke garden room in Chartwell Green (video)

A 4m x 2.4m garden room built and installed in Graffham, West Sussex by Eco Garden Studios. Here's what they say about it: "We brought to life out customers vision of a garden studio that complimented the surrounding scenery with a unique custom colour scheme. Full package including armored cable connection to the existing power supply was all done by our team."

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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

Custom-designed garden studio to showcase motorcycle collection.

Housed in a Smart Modular Buildings 4m x 4.5m Key Studio with bifold doors is this marvellous motorcycle collection owned by David Jacob, a replacement space for the old, damp garage that came with his new propety. Here's what he says about it:

“The “showroom” as it has been dubbed by friends has removed all issues I had previously had when storing bikes over winter. With them being in a dry, warm and secure building there are no problems when firing them up for the first time at the start of the riding season. The full-width doors are what make me happy every time I use them. Being able to pick a bike and take it out without a lot of hassle is such a luxury. When they were in the garage, they were tucked up at the back, behind the car. I really enjoy lazy summer evenings in the garden with the lights on in the showroom and the bikes all on display. For a petrolhead like me, it is a form of art installation.

“An unexpected upside was when I recently sold one of the bikes. The purchaser was simply blown away by coming to view a bike which was “on display” in such a perfect building. He was also a collector and was used to seeing bikes in a tatty shed or garage. He had driven five hours to view the bike and sent me a message the night before saying he hoped it would be worth the trip. As he sat on the sofa with a cup of tea looking at his new purchase shining under the spotlights, he said it definitely was…”

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

 

Shed insurance survey suggests more than half of owners are not covered

New research from Go.Compare home insurance suggests that while the average UK shed is used to store around £455 worth of valuables, 55% of shed owners don’t have insurance to cover their sheds or outbuildings, haven’t thought about it, or don’t know if they have the right cover.

While the survey looks at sheds in general rather than garden offices in particular, the findings might also serve as a wakeup call for shedworkers to check that they are covered too. 

The new research asked more than 1,300 shed owners about how they used their garden buildings - one in ten shed owners use them as a “hobby space”, and 8% have converted their sheds into gyms, a further 6% using them as a games room.
 
According to the data, the average value of the contents that UK householders keep in either a shed or outbuilding is £455, though for 1 in 6 people it’s more than £1,000. However, despite the high value of these items, only 44% of those surveyed are certain they have insurance cover in place.

Ceri McMillan, home insurance spokesperson for Go.Compare, said: “We did a similar survey in 2021 when we found that UK adults had spent an average of £1,976 on their gardens during the pandemic. We wanted to find out if the way people are using these spaces has changed four years on, and whether or not these former havens were now defunct so it was heartening to see people are still making the most of these spaces.

“It’s clear many people are keeping quite valuable items in their sheds. But whether you’re using your shed to store gardening tools or gym equipment, it’s important to know if it’s properly protected. Many of us may not think about the value and security of our garden contents in the same way as we do about our homes, but when you start adding up even the average garden can house several thousands of pounds worth of items. 

“Sheds and other outbuildings are often covered under your buildings insurance but this just covers the structure, not what you keep inside.   Instead, these items can be covered by home contents insurance under ‘contents in the open’, which provides cover for loss or damage to contents left outside but within the boundaries of your home. While there’s often a degree of cover for gardens and outbuildings in a home insurance policy, the amount and level of cover can vary significantly.  So, if you’re keeping valuable items in your shed, you may want to check your insurance cover and make sure it’s right for your requirements, or even buy additional garden cover.”

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

 

Bournemouth beach hut waiting lists reopen for first time in seven years

Residents will have the opportunity to apply to rent a beach hut in Bournemouth this summer when Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council open waiting lists for the first time in seven years.

Bournemouth was the first place in the UK to have purpose-built beach huts. Their position on the seafront has meant waiting lists for each of the 15 locations along Bournemouth and Poole have been historically oversubscribed. To manage this high demand the Bournemouth waiting lists were closed in 2017. Since then, numbers on the waiting lists have significantly reduced, and the Council is now looking to reopen eight of the lists in Bournemouth.

The opening of the lists will be staggered over a few weeks and each list will be capped at 500 applications, to manage volume.

BCP Council’s Head of Seafront Services Anthony Rogers said: “We are pleased to be reopening the beach hut waiting lists in Bournemouth for the first time in seven years. Our new management system aims to ensure an enhanced and consistent service for all residents.”

Beach hut applicants can choose to join any of the 15 beach area lists between Bournemouth and Poole. The cost to join each list is £50. Any specific health requirements, such as mobility issues, will be taken into consideration when huts are allocated. Information relating to the joining process, eligibility criteria, and terms and conditions is now live on the Council’s website.

The waiting list opening dates and times are:

* July 9 - Bournemouth East and Bournemouth West

* July 11 - Boscombe East and Boscombe West

* July 16 - Alum Chine and Durley Chine

* July 18 - Fisherman’s Walk and Southbourne

There are no waiting lists in Christchurch, where huts are sold on the open market. Poole lists are already open, but will be closed for maintenance June 20 - 26. Beach hut waiting lists will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and further changes may be enabled through the development of a new digital management system.

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

Plankbridge looking for manufacturing designer

Shepherd's hut specialists Plankbridge (pictured above is the new Sauna Snug model) are looking for a manufacturing designer to join their Dorset-based family-run business.

The job spec states that the right candidate "will be the architect behind our beautiful huts. Your primary responsibility will be producing accurate and detailed workshop drawings for each hut, capturing bespoke features and precise measurements. You’ll ensure that these designs are ready for manufacturing and meet customer specifications. Your technical understanding of manufacturing and excellent communication skills will be essential in collaborating with our sales and workshop teams." If this sound like you, email Plankbridge direct at enquiries@plankbridge.com

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 Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and   

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

 buildings.