Lockdown Mag Jul 20

ig Project
turn your shed
GARDENING CABIN
sewing room
a little
bit of
heaven
into a room
Transform your shed into a relaxing retreat away
from everyday life. It’s easier – and cheaper – than you think!
shed light
Add glamour and style
to your garden room
with a chandelier.
retreat
craft studio
be flexible
A moveable table and
plenty of storage make
your shed a versatile space.
blur boundaries
Pots of pretty plants
grouped around your
shed door soften the line
between inside and out.
Modern shed transformations are the
new must-have in the garden. Gone
are the days when they were a dead
space gathering cobwebs and not
used for much else other than storing old bikes
and deckchairs. Now everyone wants a shed
where peace and quiet reigns and birdsong is
the only distraction. It’s the answer to lack of
space in our homes, providing a place to work
on craft projects in peace or read the latest
page turner (glass of wine optional). “There’s a
steady rise in people using sheds to follow their
creative pursuits,” says Sally Coulthard, author
of Shed Decor (Jacqui Small, £25). There are,
of course, plenty of companies willing to set
up an all-singing shed for you, complete with
insulation, lighting and the latest mod cons but
you really don’t have to spend a fortune going
down this route. Instead, transform your existing
shed into a fully-functioning room – even the
most basic model can be souped-up in style.
Make things watertight
First things first – your shed needs to be sturdy,
watertight and leak-free. After you’ve stripped
it out, check thoroughly for any damp patches,
flimsy panels and loose floorboards so you
can fix any defects. In most sheds, just a single
layer of slats is all that protects you from the
weather outside. To give an existing shed a
warm overcoat, the simplest and cheapest
DIY method is bubble wrap, fixed in place using
a staple gun, overlapping the strips of wrap as
you go. The foil-backed type of bubble wrap
is an even better option and widely available
from DIY stores such as Wickes. Glass wool
or mineral wool insulation is a bit more fiddly,
as a breathable membrane must be fixed in
place first, followed by the glass or mineral wool
insulation then a layer of plywood, which makes
a nice surface to paint. And although this is a
more time-consuming route, it will make your
shed warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The floor can also be lined with a membrane
plus a layer of insulation (such as the widely
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20 MODERN GARDENS lockdown living
lockdown living MODERN GARDENS 21