Why you should buy a garden office now

It's never a bad time to buy a garden office, all things being equal, and so I'm passing on details of a recent email exchange I had with a leading garden office supplier which focused on the question of when is the right time to buy.

Unsurprisingly, they said right now is the right time to buy. But then they pointed to a comparison of prices for a model seven years ago and the same model today. Back then it was around the £7,500 mark, and the same size is now nearly twice as much, £14,500. As they said, if you'd bought one back then, you could now sell it for more than you paid for it (unless you've done something terrible to it in the intervening period).

"Potential customers will watch inflation inevitably raise the prices of timber, steel, fuel and energy and with it, the price of our buildings as we don't have a choice," they said. It's the same thing I've heard from other suppliers over the last 12 months.

So if you're thinking about taking the shedworking plunge, don't put it off too long.

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Sunday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, contemporary living spaces offering premium quality, bespoke buildings without the hefty price tag

UK Men's Shed vacancies

The UK Men's Shed Association is advertising various job possibilities including:

Trusts and Foundations Manager (paid)

This opportunity is 21 hours per week and is home based; anywhere in the UK. The initial contract is for 12 months, with the view to extend. As the new Trusts and Foundations Manager, you will be responsible for working with the Chief Officer to develop and implement the Trusts and Foundations strategy, building on and supporting the existing portfolio as well as developing new funding relationships. You will also champion fundraising best practice and use your knowledge to strengthen internal fundraising processes and contribute towards fundraising policies. 

Artists and photographers (voluntary)

UK Men’s Sheds Association potentially has the opportunity to work with two leading brands on the production of jigsaws and calendars for a major retail outlet. Market leader Ravensburg and are looking for paintings that could be used for jigsaws and Gibsons are looking for photography that reflects life in and around a Shed.

Chair of Trustees (voluntary)

UKMSA is looking for a new Chair to lead the organisation and Board of Trustees (‘the Board’) through an exciting period of strategic development and change. As an increasingly influential voice in the arena of men’s health and wellbeing, UKMSA is championing the growth of ‘Shedding’ across the UK and partnering with a range of organisations to promote and support its aims. We reported on this post earlier this year but the application process has been extended to November 30. 

Click the link at the top of the post for more details of all of these positions.

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Welcome to your new teak garden room from Moonalabs. Unparalleled quality at an affordable price.

Garden office with Lightwave

Here's a recent podium-like garden office from Garden Spaces. It comes in at 4m x 3m, and 2.5m high. Design features include French doors and full length window, aluminium Venetian blinds, and on the outside our old friend Western Red Cedar cladding. Special mention to the Lightwave installation for lots of clever smart home compatibility stuff e.g. controlling lights, smart hub, and Devolo Magic box for internet use.

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

Are we still calling them She-sheds?

Names of garden offices go through trends like everything else. 'Shoffice' goes through occasional rises and falls, although some like 'man cave' seem fairly perennial. The name 'she-shed' suddenly went through the roof half a dozen years ago though I've seen it less frequently recently. On Twitter, JayTheDeepMinded has come up with a couple more ideas for hers (pictured above and below) as she explains:

"Hubby likes to refer to my garden office as the 'She Shed'. I prefer 'Ma'am Cave' or 'Lady Lair'. Part craft studio, part business office, it kept me sane during lockdown. I work odd hours for clients in many timezones. So this space also prevents waking the sleeping man-bear."

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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.

Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year 2022

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has announced the top three Scottish Sheds, shortlisted by the its Board of Trustees, for its annual Scottish Men's Shed of the Year competition that recognises and rewards the contribution and life-changing impact that these vital volunteers across Scotland are making to their own lives and in their communities.

The 2022 finalists are Inverurie & District Men’s Shed, Lanark Men’s Shed and Men’s Shed Govan. You can read about them and vote for them here but here are some thoughts from the shortlistees:

Alex Smith, Chairman of Inverurie & District Men’s Shed, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be in the top three! It is a great accomplishment achieved by the hard work of our Shedders. Fingers crossed now for the big one.”

Sarah Everett from Men’s Shed Govan said: “We are over the moon to be a finalist for this year’s SMSA ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ awards. We have come so far in the last four years and are delighted with our progress. It’s been great to see the camaraderie amongst our members build month on month.”

Alan Ross, Chairman of Lanark Men’s Shed, said: “We have just celebrated our first year and are overwhelmed with this fabulous news. As far as we are concerned, we are winners already. This is a big win for every single one of our members.”

Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The awards are a chance to showcase the real difference that Sheds are making in their localities to improve the health and wellbeing of men over the age of 18. We are absolutely delighted for our three finalists.  We received an excellent response to this year’s awards in their fourth year, the highest number of entries received to date. The standard of applications has been exceptional and it was a difficult decision for the SMSA Trustees to choose their top three.

“The process is done through ‘blind judging’ and all references to names, areas, regions, partners, etc are removed prior to the Trustees having sight of them. This enables our board members to review the applications based on the Men’s Shed model, their growth, their response to members’ needs and the impact they have in their communities without knowing who the application was from.”

The awards event will take place virtually on Zoom again this year and will coincide with the Association’s Annual General Meeting on 18 November 2022, 10am to 1pm. The winner will receive the esteemed targe trophy to display at their Shed for a year on top of a cash prize from the SMSA (paid back from SMSA Shed membership fees) and goodies from sponsors and partner organisations including vouchers from the Scotmid Co-operative; shortbread hampers from Scottish shortbread maker, Dean’s of Huntly; Machine Competency and Woodwork training through David Young Training; and an impressive piece of kit for the winner’s Shed workshop from Cromwell Tools that will be unveiled at the awards event.

The public has until midnight on 30 October 2022 to vote to crown the winner.

Last year’s title went to Westhill & District Men’s Shed, the first-ever Men’s Shed in Scotland. Shed Chairman Marty Kehoe said: “The recognition our Shed received from winning this prestigious title last year was a welcome boost for our members and raised our profile in the community. The trophy is magnificent and a big talking point with all of our visitors. We will certainly miss having it proudly on display but happy to pass the targe on to the next worthy winner.”

Moonalabs Signature

Something impressive to start off the week, The Signature from Moonalabs. It's their top of the range model, made out of solid teak (as is the handmade furniture), with French doors, and a pergola extension. You can catch up with them at the Working From Home Live show at London ExCel on November 16 and 17 next month. Here's a short video tour below:

Men are more likely to work from home if given the option

An interesting study by SEO agency Clickslice of ONS data on working from home behaviours of men and women indicates that 8% of men did not work from home in the previous seven days, although they were able to, and that 38% of women surveyed are working from home all or some of the time, compared to 35% of men. 

But Joshua George, CEO of Clickslice picked out another interesting trend. “It’s interesting to see how gender plays a role in working from home behaviours," he said. "While more women are working from home either all or some of the time, more men are choosing to work from home if they have the choice between that or the office.

“Further research shows that Brits are planning to continue working from home. ONS data from February 2022 revealed that 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic said they planned to carry out a mix of working at home and in their place of work in the future.

“However, research also shows that bosses and workers disagree about productivity when working from home. In a recent survey by Microsoft of over 20,000 people, bosses worry about whether working from home is as productive as being in the office. 87% of workers felt they worked as, or more, efficiently from home, yet 80% of managers disagreed. This discrepancy is something that both business owners and workers should be aware of to ensure that there is no confusion or resentment about where people choose to work.” 

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Sunday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, contemporary living spaces offering premium quality, bespoke buildings without the hefty price tag