On the one hand a shed is somewhere to keep stuff – the natural habitat of garden tools, machinery, summer furnishings, the BBQ and maybe a bicycle or two – on the other hand it might also be a place for relaxation, contemplation and meditation.
But when does a shed become a chalet? And is your outbuilding worthy of the name “shed” if you don’t store any garden tools in it?
Here is our take on the humble shed…
Shed of the Year
Let’s begin with the Shed of the Year (or SOTY for short) on readersheds.co.uk – the annual competition for Brits to show off their garden storage.
2018’s winner George Smallwood started out building a base for a ready-made shed, but felt inspired and decided to create the whole structure himself.
www.readersheds.co.uk
His Bee Eco Shed has a spiral staircase to the roof where there are beehives. On the roof of his entirely self-watering and self-sufficient shed he grows flowers and vegetables.
So 2018’s SOTY can rightfully be regarded as a pretty amazing shed. But is there more to it than that?
Peace be thy Shed
If a man uses his shed to avoid family arguments or to simply have a drink with mates, the word “man cave” springs to mind.
With a bit of lateral thinking perhaps the humble shed could be the catalyst for peace and harmony throughout the world.
Well, maybe that’s a bit exagerated, but admit it, there’s probably nothing the average man fantasises of more, than having his own unique man cave.
Creativity in ‘da Shed
Sheds can be a place of creativity as well.
Many great ideas began in a shed – amongst others – the Harley Davidson Motorcycle company, Hewlett Packard Computers, Dyson Bagless vacuum cleaners, the Black and Decker Workmate and, most importantly for the average teenager, Instant Noodles.
Then there’s the writers sheds. Scribes of note – including Virginia Woolf, Roald Dahl, Mark Twain, Philip Pullman – all had spells working from a wooden wonder in the garden.
Perhaps it’s the all-natural construction and ‘bare essential’ interior that creates an environment where imagination can run riot.
Five Star Shed Storage
For most of us, our sheds are about storage space.
But, crucially, there’s a lot of creativity out there for how we use that space.
Bin hanging racks are a great way to create storage room without using up floor space. If you’re handy with a saw, drill and screwdriver, they’re relatively simple to build.
In a similar vein, some cut-off bits of pipe, fixed to some batons make an inexpensive and practical solution to keep your garden tools.
https://hative.com
www.pinterest.com
Alternatively, a shipping pallet fixed to the wall will provide a quick and straightforward way to organise your garden tools.
Even if you own a shed and are as creative and cunning with the available space as you possibly can be (who knows – it might even be worthy of an entry to shed of the year) you might not have enough room for everything. Then renting a small storage unit for your garden tools could be a good addition to your shed.
Can’t wait to have your own man cave?
Or do you prefer the good old practical shed?
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