Off the Grid by Dominic Bradbury

A new addition for your shedworking bookshelf, Off the Grid: Houses for Escape Across North America by Dominic Bradbury is the latest beautifully produced book about building small from Thames & Hudson [disclaimer: they have published several of my books, Bookshelf, Improbable Libraries, and Art Day by Day]. It follows his earlier global look at the same subject, covered on Shedworking. This one showcases more than 40 intriguing off-grid homes in North America, in pretty wild and remote spots. Here's what the publishers say about it:

Living off the grid has become increasingly desirable in recent years. Escaping the city to be immersed in nature is ever more appealing as the pressures of everyday life increase. The need to reduce our carbon footprints as the effects of climate change become a reality has brought sustainable living, particularly in off-grid and net-zero houses, to the forefront.

In Off the Grid: Houses for Escape Across North America, Dominic Bradbury turns to North America to showcase how architects are making living in the wilderness a more affordable and attainable dream. From cabins deep in the forest to desert homes and stunning coastal retreats, this collection of the most innovative off-grid homes reveals how clever design is redefining the possibilities for living in some of the most extraordinary natural environments on Earth.

Off the Grid by Dominic Bradbury

One for your bookshelves when it comes out in March, Off the Grid: Houses for Escape is by architecture and design writer Dominic Bradbury and published by Thames & Hudson [disclaimer T&H have published a couple of my books]. Here's what they say about it:

The imperative to reduce our carbon footprint and focus on renewable energy is having a profound impact on our daily lives and the way we think about living spaces. Surveying some of the world’s most innovative off-grid homes, Off the Grid reveals the creative architecture and cutting-edge technologies that are redefining where and how we live—enabling us to escape to some of the most extraordinary and secluded natural environments on the planet.

Dominic Bradbury tells the story of how innovative architects have made everyday living in the most wild and remote locations of the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia not only feasible, as all of the homes featured are largely self-sustaining in terms of energy, water, and in some cases food, but also a rewarding and tempting reality.

From snowbound cabins in the far Northern Hemisphere to coastal retreats that can only be accessed by boat, this fully illustrated overview explains the diverse ways in which architects are tackling extreme climates, remoteness, and sustainability challenges to enable a new way of life that is both liberating and responsible, wherever on Earth you happen to be.

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Put a green roof on your garden office

A nice, short, piece by Kate Bradbury in the Guardian looks at sheds and green roofs. Here's a snippet:

Green roofs are fantastic for a number of reasons. They provide food and shelter for wildlife, including birds, bees and butterflies and other insects. They help to counter the effects of the loss of green space in our cities – London alone is losing equivalent to two-and-a-half Hyde Parks of land each year – which is reducing wildlife habitats, increasing the risk of flooding as there is less land to absorb rainfall, and contributing to the urban heat island effect.

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Garden offices can add more than £30,000 to the value of your property

It is possible to add more than £30,000 to the value of your home with a garden office or garden room, according to new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the HomeOwners Alliance (HOA).

Findings from a study into the projects which can add the most value to your home in the shortest space of time and in particular parts of the country indicate that building a rougly £7,000 priced garden room or outside playroom for the kids can add £35,611 to an averagely priced home in Surrey.

Elsewhere around the country, the (very specific) figures in Cambridgeshire were £29,168, in Dartmoor £34,858, in Dorset £23,856, and in London £9,683.

 "If you’re looking to move up the property ladder, it’s obviously in your best interests to increase the value of your home as much as possible," said Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB. "By investing in low cost, high return projects, not only will you make your home a more pleasant place to live, you’ll also be increasing its value significantly. Better still, these projects take no time at all so the hassle factor will be kept to an absolute minimum. As the weather starts to improve, now is the perfect time to commission the home improvement projects you’ve been putting off all winter."

Estate agent Simon Bradbury from Thomas Morris in Cambridgeshire added: "Our experience in the East of England, certainly in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Herefordshire, is that additional accommodation such as a garden room will certainly add the most amount of value."

The figures also suggested that installing decking and lighting in the back garden can also add considerble value, for example £8,946 to an averagely priced home in Dorset.

Image courtesy OECO Garden Rooms

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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