George Bernard Shaw's writing shed 2021

 

 

George Bernard Shaw's writing hut is probably the Shedworking staff's favourite garden office and we've documented it in more detail over the last 15 years than I suspect any other site or publication. Way back in 2009 we ran a short photo essay, but we thought it was time to update that a little so we had a weekend trip to take it in again. It's all largely unchanged, though of course you can't go into his house at the moment, the only slightly upsetting thing was that the signage was all a bit bleak and the lovely little sign directing people to the writing hut has gone. And the shed itself is still shut, which is ludicrous. Nevertheless, always a pleasure.

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Jarvis: shedworker

Awardwinning children's author and illustrator Jarvis ('Alan's Big, Scary Teeth', 'Mrs Mole, I'm home!', 'Lazy Dave') has recently become a shedworker. Pictured above is his recently renovated garden office. "Finally started working from the renovated garden office," he says. "New windows, electric, plastered walls and ceiling, and I put up some very wonky shelves. Unfortunately now I have no excuses to not be a best selling author-illustrator." Below is his own atmospheric take on the new garden office.

 

 

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10 best air purifying plants for the garden office

One of the joys of a garden office is the actual "garden" element. But as well as looking lovely, plants can be conducive to a healthy working environment with various plants offering air purifying options to ballte the dust, germs and airborne pollutants in your shedlike atmosphere. Nathan Raab, managing director of Pointless Plants, which plants 10 trees for every plant it sells, has picked for us his 10 best air purifying plants to help give your garden office a breath of healthy fresh air: 

1. Spathiphyllum Vivaldi - Peace Lily (pictured above)

2. Howea Forsteriana - Kentia Palm

3. Zamioculcas Zamiifolia - ZZ Plant

4. Nephrolepis Boston - Boston Fern

5. Ficus Benjamina Danielle - Weeping Fig

6. Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens - Areca Palm

7. Sansevieria Zeylanica - Black Coral Snake Plant

8. Dieffenbachia Mars - Dumb Cane Plant

9. Chlorophytum Bonnie - Spider Plant

10. Chamaedorea Elegans - Parlour Palm

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Beach hut asking prices up more than 40% over the last year

New released figures from hotel booking service Hoo shows that although rental prices for beach huts have unsurprisingly dropped over the last year, by just over 4%, the cost of buying one has jumped 41%, from around £25,000 to just over £36,000.

Daily rent rates naturally vary, but the figures put the average at £52 - Bournemouth is only £26, with Sandbanks and Southwold a tad higher at £28. Whitstable is a leap up at £50 while the much maligned Mudeford is a whopping £130.

“With a great deal of uncertainty remaining around what we can and can’t do this summer, there has been an understandable wobble in the cost of renting a beach hut," said Hoo co-founder Adrian Murdock. " That said, beach hut rental prices remain robust and with another summer of staycations on the cards, they’re likely to climb considerably over the coming months.

"It also seems as though demand for beach huts is pushing up prices as holidaymakers invest in their own piece of beach hut bricks and mortar. A 41% uplift in the last year alone is pretty considerable although as with any property investment, location is key when it comes to both the price achieved and the property’s rental potential.”

Pictured top is Salad Days at Dunster Beach, Somerset, which claims to be Britain's first 5 star beach hut and can be rented out for short breaks. It will come up for sale at the end of the summer season. Price on application. 

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New research shows how much a garden office adds to the value of your property

The latest study by find-a-tradesperson platform Rated People indicates that a garden office is one of the top ways of adding value to your property. Its annual Home Improvement Trends Report suggests that the top 10 most value-adding garden improvements for 2021 plus how much they'd add are:

1: Swimming pool £7,707

2: Home office garden room £5,325

3: Summerhouse £5,249

4: Gym/studio room in the garden £5,107

5: Bifold doors/French windows to the garden £4,654

6: Outdoor entertaining area £4,286

7: Decked patio £4,227

8: Paved patio £4,083

9: Greenhouse £3,805

10: Mature plants/trees/flowers £3,716

Adrienne Minster, CEO at Rated People said: “Our gardens and outside spaces have been a lifeline over the past year. For many of us, outside spaces have gone from being somewhere we might spend a bit of time when the weather is nice, to an important extension of our homes which have allowed us to see friends and family when it might not otherwise have been possible. It’s easy to see why homeowners and homebuyers now place more value on outdoor spaces.

"41% of those working from home told us they didn’t have a proper desk, and 24% said they were embarrassed by their background on video calls. So, it’s no surprise that 38% of us want to improve our home offices in 2021. The number of ‘home office’ jobs posted on Rated People more than doubled in 2020 and 43% of UK residents say they plan to work from home more than they did before even if COVID-19 were to completely disappear, so we’re definitely expecting this trend to continue into 2021 and beyond."

The study's analysis of home offices on Instagram showed that 'Scandi' styling was increasingly popular in 2020, and neutral colours, house plants and simple furniture look to be the main trends for 2021. 

Image courtesy SMART

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Police issue garden office security checklist

Secured by Design - the official police security initiative to improve the security of buildings - has put together some advice for both new shedworkers and those who have been working from their garden office for some time. As well as some broad guidelines, the SBD team recommend that any products you install meet the standard PAS 24:2016 requirement. You can see all their suggestions in detail here, but this is a summary:

- Laptops and mobile phone are easily removed and shouldn’t be left in the garden office overnight

 

- Although it may not be practical to remove printers and computer screens on a daily basis, if you are going on holiday or will be away from the office for an extended period, consider storing them in the house

- Keep valuables out of sight by fitting blinds to the windows and doors and keep them closed when the room isn’t being used

 

- Security marking your office IT equipment using an SBD recognised forensic asset marking or etching kit is a highly effective and visible deterrent

 

- If your company provides your IT equipment you may have a policy on home working and the security of the IT equipment – be sure to find out anc check that you have adequate cover under your household insurance for theft

 

- Make sure that your fencing or hedging is in good condition

 

- Technology which allows you to monitor your home and property has changed considerably in recent years, including the installation of closed-circuit television

Image courtesy Warwick Buildings 

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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.

 

EvilJeff Multi Room Log Cabin

Um...

Available from Dunster House.

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