Alex from shedworking.co.uk one of our Shed of the year judges, has kindly answered my questions, be warned he uses big words ;), which I assume means that if you are a shedworker then your vocabulary increases.
Q) What one bit of advice would you give to potential shed workers.
A) Spend time looking around for the right kind of garden office. There are so many on the market with so many different features (do you want a green roof? a mezzanine level? a curved wall? a roof with a cupola? eco-friendly insulation? folding doors?) that there’s no point jumping straight in without doing some research first, especially since you’ll probably be paying £10,000+ for your lovely new shedlike atmosphere.
Q) Are Garden offices are the new “middle class sheds” or something else?
A) I hope not. I certainly don’t see ownership of a garden office as a class badge, rather as a democratic symbol of the general working population’s desire to push through a revolution in alternative workplaces, although it must be said that garden offices do tend to be owned by those in typically middle-class professions: but I do think they’re more of an indication that as a nation we’re becoming fed up of needless presenteeism in centralised offices and want something more human and more flexible as a daily workspace.
Q) What the most useful thing to have in your shedworking environment,apart from the shed.
A) Personally, a MacBook Pro laptop. I literally couldn’t work without it (even though the iSight function is currently up the spout).
Q) If your shed was on fire, what one thing would you save
A) Depending on where the fire broke out, my copy of Richard Ford’s The Handbook for Travellers in Spain (1845) which is on the back wall. If that’s where the fire broke out, then the box of old photos under my desk (front wall).
Q) What would be your ultimate bolthole/shed-away-from-it-all and where would it be?
A) I’d love something underground with tunnels and an underground swimming pool and snooker room, nothing too fancy. Under my present shed, or failing that, inland Spain, about an hour’s drive east of Madrid in the Alcarria region.
Q) How happy are you, working from your shed!
A) Very happy. I’m surrounded by my favourite books, photos of family and friends, with a pleasant view of the garden and within easy striking distance of a fridge. I don’t think I could go back to a ‘traditional’ office now – I’ve been deinstitutionalised.
Thanks to Alex and remember to pre order his book!
