Live/work

I am sure that once you have shedworked, you would never want to go back to ‘in-thehome-working’, writes Liz Wakeham-Jones in today's guest post. So where do you look for a property with similar attributes if you need to relocate? www.liveworkhomes.co.uk is the UK’s only dedicated live/work property search website promoting properties specially designed to combine work space and home.Scouring 100s of residential websites is often fruitless for buyers/sellers looking for an uncompromised live/work space. If you are looking to sell your unique combined shed office and home, why not market it at the only UK site exclusively marketing such properties. Call Liz on 0845 324 5717 or email: lizwjones@liveworkhomes.co.uk and quote “Shedworking to receive a special superduper discounted rate.

Choosing a shed - Studio Retreat

We previewed Studio Retreat some months ago when a reader asked about Scottish garden office suppliers. And now things are up and running. There are currently four standard designs - ranging from 3.2 x 2.6m up to 3.2 x 5.7m - in the ever-popular wood (our old friend Western Red Cedar) and glass combination with French doors, decking option, timber base with adjustable feet.

Shed of the Year 2008

I'm delighted that Uncle Wilco from readersheds.co.uk has asked me to be a judge again for the 2008 Shed of the Year competition (more details at shedblog.).I'm in very illustrious company, joining a panel consisting of Wilco himself, inventor and shedworker Trevor Baylis, property guru Sarah Beeny and beach hut expert Kathryn Ferry. Naturally, there'll be plenty more updates over the coming months so watch this space.

New beach hut row

The Observer has picked up on the story at Uncle Wilco's shedblog that hiring a beach hut at Langland in Wales' lovely Gower peninsula could set you back £10,000 next year, up from £236 this year, a bit of a hike by anybody's standards. On a happier note, there's a lovely video of the huts here courtesy of This is Swansea.co.uk.

Portable Globe House

From Science and Mechanics via the excellent Modern Mechanix blog of January 1961, this is the future of shedworking, the Portable Globe House for Well-Rounded Living, called the Kugelhaus. As writer Wayne Wille says, it is just 15ft in diameter, very convenient, and can be delivered by helicopter. He continues:

"Its eggshell-like construction is of either lightweight reinforced concrete, metal or plastic. Just one inch of concrete gives good results, says the inventor, Dr. Johann Ludowici. The house can be completely assembled in the factory—with whatever furniture or other equipment is wanted—before delivery. As portable as a house could be, it can be flown to wherever you want it by helicopter, towed in by boat (it floats), or, more conventionally, carried on a truck."

Apparently, it was commissioned by the Belgian government which wanted a comfortable low-cost small house which could be towed up rivers or flown into remote regions of Africa for use as worker housing.
Via the always intriguing Shed and Shelter

Rooms Outdoor - bespoke Cuberno

Rooms Outdoor have recently been busy putting together a bespoke version of their Cuberno model in Primrose Hill, north London. The couple are using it as a guest room and a hangout for their teenage sons. Attractive features include a rather nice interior finish, green roof and folding sliding doors. RO handled the entire project including design, planning permission (the family live in a Conservation area), building control submission, and site services such as plumbing electrics and internal decoration. A nice job.

Friggebod Friday - Fiskbod/Fiskhodda

As one travels around Scandinavia, one sees the shed format used in different ways, writes Sy Willmer, Shedworking's North Europe correspondent. Rental holiday cabins are popular with Swedes but even more appealing to mobile Germans and the travelling Dutch. Picture the scene, a natural beauty spot where the rolling pine forest meets the lake, holidaymakers frolicking in the clear waters and a petrol station surrounded by red and white cabins just off the motorway. Ok, not where one would choose to spend the entirety of the summer holidays but these places make an excellent overnight stay when moving across the Nordic region.Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and the Danes are naturally attracted to water and a Friggebod or Fiskbod (fisk = fish) is where one may choose to stay when sailing or fishing. In Scandinavia, fresh or sea water is never far away and the shed as boathouse is prevalent on the rocky west coast where Sweden meets Norway, up in the Fjords and in the archipelagos in the east between Stockholm and Finland. Scandinavia’s commercial fishermen also like a good shed, not only as boathouses but also for smoking and sales venues. In a similar manner to the front at Hastings in Sussex, excellent examples of traditional wooden Swedish fishmonger’s huts covered in layer upon layer of thick paint can be visited close to the museum and city castle of Malmö in southern Sweden. Fiskhodda is the local name for these charming buildings that are held in great affection in these parts.A two story shed is a viable option: compact of course but cosy in the extreme!