Mark Brend: shedworker

Writer, editor and publishing consultant Mark Brend works as Definite Article from a garden office in Devon. The insulated and double glazed 10ft x 8ft hut was custom built by Sheds Direct Devon. Total cost, including a concrete base, wiring and telephone/network connections came in at just over £5,000.

"The hut has been operational for nearly two years now," he says, "withstanding two very cold winters with absolutely no ill effects. Here's a photo of it last winter, and another one of me and my son Gideon applying some wood treatment last summer. I'd been thinking of going into the garden for years. I had a home office in the house, but it never quite felt like my space. The hut, however, does feel like my space - complete with desk, armchair, custom built bookshelves and bakelite phone."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday posts are sponsored by The Home Office Company, manufacturers of unique garden rooms since 1998. Now in 10 exciting new colours. Click here for more details.

Garden office insurance: John Lewis

Eyebrows were mildly raised when John Lewis made its first foray into the shedworking market but did you also know that they offer garden office insurance? According to John Brady, head of commercial at John Lewis Insurance, the structure of your shedlike atmosphere would be covered under their Unlimited Buildings cover and contents under their Unlimited Contents cover. He adds:

"Accidental damage is the most common cause for customers to make a claim on their policy. With a summer house or garden pod, accidental damage could include breakages to the windows or fittings, subsidence destabilising the structure, or damage caused by falling trees or branches. Your home insurance policy should protect you against these mishaps by covering the costs for replacement or repair."

He adds, wisely, that shedworkers should avoid leaving computer equipment or other electrical items in their garden offices when they are unattended/unlocked and goes on to say:

"The contents of your garden office would be covered under specialist home insurance, which means you could recover the cost of any lost valuables, personal possessions, business equipment and even business stock. Remember though, that a claim won’t be valid if the theft takes place when the summer house is left unlocked or insecure."

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

Can Atelier crack the Hong Kong shedworking market?

Hard on the heels that Archipod has the US market in its sights, Manchester-based garden office specialists Atelier has announced it is opening a Hong Kong office. The move is in collaboration with Hong Kong-based businessman David Bojan who told The Business Desk:

"I love Hong Kong for its vibrancy and creativity, and as such I have made it my home. However, it is a densely populated environment. For those fortunate to have outdoor space – a roof, a terrace, a balcony, perhaps even a garden – there is a tendency to try to convert this into additional living space. Unfortunately, current options are limited to pre-fabricated metal rooms, rather like portacabins, or a tailor-made arrangement which is often of poor quality."

We will watch with interest...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.

Rotating Boulton & Paul summerhouse for sale

They don't come up very often. Made in Norwich in the 1930s, located in North Yorkshire, offers over £2,000, buyer to collect. More details at Salvo.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Create energy, create space, go solar with energyspace solar garden buildings. Click here for more details

Artist's retreat in Finland

A work/live shedlike atmosphere in Fiskars, Finland, designed and built by 0 to 1. Here's how they describe it:

"The form was born from ideas of climate, culture, and function of the Artist. The sectional shape is a quarter of an octagon. The section increases in size, with a loft above the utility cube at the higher end, and an outdoor terrace at the lower end."

Via designmilk

The Men in the Shed

Colin Foster's remarkable blog Men in the Shed documents the incredibly impressive research he has made into a small wooden shed in St Vigor des Mezerets, Normandy, where 18 Allied Prisoners of War were held in a wooden shed in 1944. The site is well worth a long browse, particularly the section on how he came across it...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday posts are sponsored by Historic Shed to meet the needs of historic Florida home owners

Curved walls: next big shedworking trend?

The latest build from Those Garden Rooms, in Lebury, Herefordshire. Is curved the new straight?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday posts are sponsored by Atelier garden studios which are sustainable, stylish, flexible, functional and future proofed