Solar shed

From Rabble's Pantilokpom set on Flickr where there are lots more marvellous photos of his cabin and associated sheds and workshops in northern California.
Thanks to Annie Leymarie.

Planning permission - will new laws actually make things worse?

Lynn Fotheringham from InsideOut Buildings who often advises Shedworking on planning permission matters, has quite a different take on the new planning laws which we mentioned yesterday. She writes:

"Here is our interpretation - in October 2008 the rules for planning permission for garden buildings are going change. From October 2008 you will need planning permission if:
* The building, garage is forward of the principal elevation facing onto and visible from a highway.
* The buildings has an eaves height of more than 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of more than four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres with a mono-pitched roof.
* The building is higher than 2.5 metres and within two metres of a boundary.
* The coverage of the building is more than 30 square metres in a garden if the garden is more than 100 square metres or a building of more than 20 square metres if the garden is less than 100 square metres.
* Within the boundaries of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.

We currently need planning permission for 75% of our offices and I suspect this will take it up to 85%. I don't think this makes things worse. The logic behind this is to ensure that people in urban areas don't put up inappropriate monsters that overshadow their neighbours' gardens. So, speaking from a southern point of view, people in inner London will be more affected/protected by this than people in rural parts of Surrey."

I'd be interested to hear from other suppliers on the subject.

Garden office insurance

Below is a query from a reader of Shedworking - can anyone help? I've suggested Business Home Insurance or Swinton who have kind of targeted the shed/garden office market in press releases so maybe would be more amenable to offering cover. But if you've had good or bad experiences with other insurers, please leave a comment

Essentially I have about £10,000 worth of computer equipment as I am running my production company from a little swanky shed on my smallholding. I have been finding it very hard to get insurance cover for the contents (computers with editing software mainly). I also have a shipping container where cameras, etc, are stored securely, but it is the shed that is the problem. I have had 4 brokers refuse to insure me so far and was wondering if you know of anyone I might approach as I am sure there must be someone somewhere who has already sorted out this quandry?

Bob Flowerdew's shed/garden office

Organic gardener and garden media chap Bob Flowerdew, has his garden shed - essentially his garden office - featured in the Daily Telegraph. Here's what he says:

"The garden shed is man's last refuge... and it's my tranquil haven, the furthest away from the neighbours and my three-year-old twins, where I don't have to be tidy or have a mobile phone with me. It's not particularly modern, there is nothing glaringly new, no sharp corners or smell of fresh paint.... This shed is where I sort things out, make notes of what I will plant, and store and dry seeds. During the growing season I spend several hours a week in here; on warm summer nights I take my mattress and sleep out there. It's like camping without the hassle."

Key to numbers
1. Bee-keeping outfit
2. Tools
3. White string made from horseradish
4. Wooden table/ long bench
5. Wicker baskets

Planning permission - important shedworking changes

From October 1, the rules regarding outbuildings (which I assume to include garden offices) are changing in the UK - and it looks like for the better. As Emma reports at Enterprise Nation, this means that planning permission will no longer be required (subject to various conditions). Here's what they say:

"Rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as other ancillary garden buildings... and many other kinds of structure for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse. From 1 October 2008 outbuildings will be considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

* No outbuilding forward of the principal elevation fronting a highway.
* Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.
* Maximum height 2.5 metres within two metres of a boundary.
* No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
* More than half the area of land around the "original house"* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
* In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from house to be limited to 10 square metres.
* On designated land buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
* Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.

It then goes on to talk about Building Regulations and Outbuildings:

"If you want to put up small detached buildings such as a garden shed or summerhouse in your garden, building regulations will not normally apply if the floor area of the building is less than 15 square metres.

If the floor area of the building is between 15 square metres and 30 square metres, you will not normally be required to apply for building regulations approval providing that the building is either at least one metre from any boundary or it is constructed of substantially non-combustible materials.

In both cases, building regulations do not apply ONLY if the building does not contain any sleeping accommodation."

More details at the Planning Portal.

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Applecross camping/shedworking huts

Get away from it all (or get away from most of it and still squeeze in some light shedworking) at these camping huts at the Applecross campsite in Scotland, looking towards the islands of Raasay, Rhona and the Black Cuillins of Skye. Spectacularly cheap they're a cross between camping and caravanning, are fully insulated and double glazed but not the height of luxury since you need all your normal camping equipment except your tent.
Thanks to Elspeth Thompson for the alert and photos (below is a shed on the estate with its own washing line, compost bin and fenced-in veg plot on the other side).

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Our Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office
specialists.
Click here for more details.

The Shedworker's Bookshelf

Apologies to those of you who I know look forward to the Friday book choice - I'm afraid I was guest blogging over at Garden Monkey's Book Flange (a blog dedicated to the literary side of gardening) reviewing On Guerilla Gardening. Though not specifically about sheds, I think Shedworking readers might be interested in the book. The Shedworker's Bookshelf returns properly on Friday with an absolute corker...

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Our Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office
specialists.
Click here for more details.