Christi (CJ) Daugherty: shedworker

Novelist and journalist Christi (CJ) Daugherty (author of the bestselling Night School series) writes in her garden office - which she calls The Wordshed - in the south of England as she explains in this video below.


She is also one of the many shedworkers who enjoys the company of pets in her shoffice as these photos below indicate.

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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

Buy the garden office featured in the Haynes Shed Manual

If you've already bought a copy of my new book, Haynes Shed Manual, many thanks. If so, you'll have enjoyed reading about the garden office build with a homemade shakes roof inside. And if not, well, there's a marvellous garden office build with a homemade shakes roof inside. Well, here's your chance to own that shed, pictured above and looking slightly different from the images in the book as it's weathered delightfully since it was built.

It's a really lovely piece of work. My co-author John Coupe worked exceptionally hard on it and it goes without saying that this is a unique build that you simply cannot find for sale anywhere else. And as an added bonus, is front and centre in the book - you can see exactly how it was made. We're looking to sell it for £2,500 as a base price with extras and delivery to be priced (sensibly, of course) according to the buyer's requirements as it needs extra resources put into it to turn it into a real comfortable workspace e.g. extra insulation. Naturally, we're happy to talk through all that's required. If you're interested, please drop me a line and we'll take it from there.

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

Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds - book review

If you like sheds and you like books, then you will certainly enjoy Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds: 12 Miniature Structures You Can Build. Written by Philip Schmidt and Little Free Library and published by Cool Springs Press (£16.99/$24.99 - part of the Quarto stable who also published my Book Towns book last year), the Little Free Library movement (motto:‘Take a book, return a book’)is probably the most successful library project of the 21st century – there are now more than 80,000 in 91 countries around the world.

These handmade tiny libraries, often built to look rather like oversized bird boxes, are placed at strategic locations in neighbourhoods such as front gardens, yards and parks, but also in coffee shops and near restaurants. Anybody can remove a volume and deposit another for others to share. 

The book features full instructions detailing how to build a dozen designs ranging in size from the popular small box model to a full shed structure. Among them is the blueprint for the first Little Free Library, built by Todd Bol in 2009, who wrote the forward but sadly died shortly before this book was published. As well as information on installation and maintenance, there are also sections on how to publicise your little free library, what to stock, how to encourage community involvment, and a lovely collection of some of the most interesting around the world. It's really nicely put together, genuinely useful, and supports a great cause.

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Sunday posts are sponsored by eDEN Garden Rooms. Stunning, bespoke high quality garden rooms, to suit your unique space and style

S.S.San Valerio wheelhouse painting studio

S.s.san Valerio 1913 Studio - Unique from Garden, Somerset. #shedoftheyear

A marvellous build and a great story to go with it which you can read about at oldnautbits.com

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

Working from home boosts self-employed flexibility and productivity

Remote working in garden offices and in the home generally boosts flexibility and productivity among the self-employed, new research by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) and People Per Hour suggests.

The report found that freelancers overwhelmingly viewed remote working positively, with nine out of ten working remotely at some point in the last year. Self-employed people cited many advantages to remote working - 55 per cent included the fact that it gave them greater flexibility, 34 per cent said it made them more productive, 43 per cent said it saved them time, and 41 per cent said it improved their work-life balance.

The report also found, however, that remote working can pose some challenges for the self-employed. Encouragingly, one in five people said they had not experienced any disadvantages of self-employment. The rest, when asked to name the three top disadvantages, cited difficulties communicating with clients (27%), difficulties getting regular feedback (27%), loneliness (19%), disconnectedness (19%) and not feeling part of the team (26%).

To combat the challenges of remote working, the report recommended:

* Roll out superfast broadband across the UK - 78 per cent said reliable broadband was the most important requirement for remote working.

* Promote co-working spaces - two thirds of people said they had not used a co-working space but some research indicates that they can be helpful in combatting isolation and loneliness. 

* Promote more client support - Government should explore ways to make sure remote workers have access to the networks and communications channels they need to work effectively off-site.

Chloé Jepps, IPSE’s Deputy Head of Research, commented: “This research shows what an important advantage remote working is for the self-employed, improving everything from flexibility to productivity. Government should strive to ensure this remains a positive way of working for everyone – not only by promoting co-working spaces across the country, but also by guaranteeing reliable broadband and making sure clients understand the needs of their self-employed remote workers.”

Image courtesy Arctic Cabins
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BBC Gardeners' World Live: The Watchmaker's Garden

Continuing our series of sheds and garden offices on show at BBC Gardeners' World Live in June, here is The Watchmaker's Garden by Cheshire-based living wall expert and RHS gold award-winning garden designer Alexandra Froggatt. It is inspired by the famous Jewellry Quarter in Birmingham and includes a "rustic and slightly dilapidated" watchmaker's workshop which is producing Chamberlain clock faces. Look out for Victorian watch making equipment, as well as benches, architects plans, tools and old clocks. The workshop itself, located between a garden wall and the rear of a jewellery factory, is made from reclaimed bricks, slate, and oak beams. In addition, there is a rather lovely cottage garden and the promise of a reclaimed horse cart.

 

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How to be a happy and healthy shedworker

An interesting article in the Guardian poses the question 'Extreme loneliness or the perfect balance? How to work from home and stay healthy". It includes research from good friend of Shedworking and work-life expert Frances Holliss. Here's a snippet:

After interviewing everyone from a professional juggler to a building surveyor who worked out of a garden shed, Holliss found some common disadvantages and negative impacts: mental health suffered (anxiety, stress, depression), isolation was rife (not being in a team), and it was hard to have self-discipline (proximity of the fridge and biscuit tin; not enough exercise; difficulty in setting boundaries between work and life).

To be honest, the article concentrates on the more negative aspects of working from home but does end on a postive note:

In spite of the obvious challenges and tough learning curve of bringing your work home, it seems it is worth it: the vast majority of remote workers report enjoying the way they live and work. Of the 100-odd remote workers Holliss interviewed for her studies, only about six said that they would return to the office given the chance. Everyone else loved it. And that may be about as good as working life can get.

Photo courtesy Plankbridge
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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