Garden office 3D virtual showroom

 

Many garden office suppliers with showrooms have reopened them - with all the necessary safety precautions - since the end of the big lockdown, but some still offer virtual showrooms and phone consultations for those who are not keen to take a look in person. One of the best is Norwegian Log's 3D virtual showroom which lets you take a 360 degree look at a wide range of their builds (and in the process also gives you some pointers to how you might like to fit out your own).

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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.

 

Pubworking in Liverpool

While of course this site's prime concern is being a cheerleader for working at home in garden offices, we are of course interested in all kinds of cousins of shedworking, such as coworking, third place working, and mobile 'nomadic' working. One of our particular interests is in 'pubworking' (and those of you with long memories will remember the website we set up years ago in a bid to boost the concept more widely). 

Of course there have been some large changes to society since we asked last October 'Is pubworking on the rise?' but Uncle Wilco from the other shed blog alerts us to the Halfway House pub in Liverpool, which is offering a 'pub desk' for those who are not enjoying working from home and need somewhere else, a third place pub rather than a third place coffee shop.

You get a table entirely to yourself in the pub's comfortable new snug area for three hours, close to a plug socket with free wifi (and a free soft drink). It's a quiet zone too and available from 11am Monday to Friday. You can contact the pub on Facebook or at their website.

Been a VERY busy few working weeks. Escaped WFH today to the #pub & believe it or not found myself less distracted & more focused! #flexibleworking #pubworking #winehelps pic.twitter.com/x1DSEdM18e

— Terri (@Rex_Comms) September 13, 2019

If you're pubworking, please do get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

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Wednesday’s posts are sponsored by Norwegian Log Buildings  - Log cabins and garden buildings for a better quality of life. Click here for more details.

 

 

 

Slightly underground garden office for an illustrator

A marvellous garden office in London by Shacklewell Architects for illustrator Ann Kronheimer who became a shedworker after working from a small room in her flat. This also underlines that you don't have to own an enormous garden to build a garden studio. Regular readers of Shedworking know that the staff is particularly interested in underground garden offices and this is an example in action with a floor level deliberately designed to be sunk lower than the garden - it means the top of Ann's desk inside is the same height as the garden outside.

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Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning 

 

End of the five days in the office job

 

I've read various articles over the lasts couple of weeks in which the authors, for various reasons, argue strongly for a return to the pre-lockdown five days in the office presenteeeism approach to working. However, the flow of reports that suggest people simply don't want to continue this way continues, the latest coming from the British Council for Offices.

Their figures indicated that the majority of people who work in offices do not want to do so five days a week after we get back to 'normal' - two thirds of senior executives, a key sector, say they want a mix of working from home and working from the office. One in six of the 2,000 people questioned in the study said they planned to work entirely from home. Here's what the BCO’s chief executive Richard Kauntzetold the Guardian:

“We are never going to go back how things were before. The idea that people will return to the five-day week in the office has gone, and I think a much more blended approach is likely, two or three days in the office and two-three at home or wherever is going to be a much more typical pattern. Most people will value being able to work on that basis.”

 Image courtesy Norwegian Log

Watch George Bernard Shaw's writing hut rotate

While it's easy to see the outside of Shaw's hut (in normal times, anyway), the inside is locked away from visitors (for no particular reason - it would surely be a marvellous idea to open it up?). But here's a short video from the National Trust showing us around inside, which is nice, but much better, also demonstrating how it turns.

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Sheds and the history of vaccination

Vaccinations are very much on everybody's mind at the moment so it's good to take a look at the vital part sheds played in their development. In 1796, rural doctor Edward Jenner carried out the world's first controlled vaccination against smallpox at his home in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. He then set up a clinic in the nearly-domed hut at the end of his garden which, like all good shedworkers who give their garden office a nickname, he christened the Temple of Vaccinia.

Insdie the thatched hut, initially built for him by a friend as more of a summerhouse or garden office in which to write, he vaccinated allcomers for free, making no efforts to make money off the back of his success. The brick and rubblestone hut won Grade II listing in 1952 and is open to the public as part of the excellent Jenner Museum. Not the ancient tree trunks which frame the door.

Image: David Stowell

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

 

 

 

Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2020

There is more than one Shed of the Year competition nowadays and the latest winner of Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ organised by the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is The Inverclyde Shed has been crowned Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2020. The two other shortlisted finalists were Garnock Valley Men’s Shed, and Kinross & District Men’s Shed. 

“We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award and title," said Chairman of The Inverclyde Shed, Bruce Newlands. "This shows a huge vote of confidence that there are really good people doing some really great things here in Inverclyde! It must be recognised that, although this is a competition, there is absolutely no rivalry with our fellow Men’s Sheds. Sheds are all at different stages and sizes and we have only been inspired, encouraged and supported by other Sheds to implement activities and ideas that have worked for them. We invested in a 3D printer after hearing about Kinross & District Men’s Shed creating face visors for frontline workers and launched a carving club after hearing about the success of the modellers’ club offering at Garnock Valley Men’s Shed.  This award showcases the great work being carried out by Sheds across Scotland so we can share knowledge and ideas to improve the health and wellbeing of the men in our communities.”

More details here.

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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.