The Shed Builder's Ideas & Photos

Bespoke Build Examples

Below are some different examples of my builds, each one designed and built by me, the shed builder, to suit the clients needs.

HACKNEY MUSIC STUDIO SHED, london

This Recording Studio was for a music producer in Hackney London, The build was designed specifically for its acoustic & soundproofing properties. The reclaimed cladding gives the shed a contempory look, internally the build is finished to a high standard.

'Finally I have a space I can work in properly instead of a pokey bedroom. Just a few steps down my garden and I am in a place that is wonderful to work in.' Olly.HACKNEY MUSIC STUDIO SHED, Hackney, London.

BLACK CLADDING SONGWRITER'S SHED, London

This Shed was built for a song writer of musicals. We made a feature of the windows which are in contrast to the black cladding. A porthole is a nice quirky element. Acoustic glass and acoustic plasterboard was used throughout to help with sound insulation.

'I really value natural light when I work, the glass was worth the extra money, the back of the shed over looks a park and it's like watching a little film' AlanBLACK CLADDING SONGWRITTERS SHED, Crouch End, London.

walthamstow wood cabin, london

This well crafted, cosy wood cabin, was built as a little hide away from city life. It is referencing American shacks and nautical design mixed with Moroccan influenced interior. It has a wood burner, porthole, chevron pine flooring and bespoke workbench and shelving. The cladding was taken from a local London Plane tree.

'After the first meeting with Joel, if I could have transported myself to the finished shed, this shed is exactly what I had pictured.' Will.WALTHAMSTOW WOOD CABIN, Walthamstow, London.

georgian column shed, London

We wanted this shed to fit with the period of its surroundings. We managed to get the Georgian style columns from a reclaim yard and the glass doors also helped to make the shed feel oder than it really was. The left section was for storing costum design accessories, the right was built to use a relaxing summer house.

'I didn't want to have a standard, modern looking shed, I wanted it to look colonial or Victorian in style, I think it looks great.' JuliaGEORGIAN COLUMN SHED, Finchley, London.

RECLAIMED CLADDING skylight ART STUDIO, london

This Studio was for an artist who wanted a light filled room with contempory design that fitted with her beautiful old garden in Islington. We decided on reclaimed timber and second hand crittall doors. The roof is split with glass one side and a sedum roof the other balancing insulating properties and light.

'We worked really well together deciding on a design that was right for our space, I am so happy with how it looks and works, it fits perfectly.' Teresa.RECLAIMED CLADDING SKYLIGHT ART STUDIO Islington, London.

THE LITTLE COTTAGE SHED, liverpool

This Garden House has a tiled roof, two roof windows, rendered front, plastered interior walls and a tiled floor. A full breakdown of this build can be viewed in a step by step guide. The house is to be used as a family space, there's lots of light, good space for a meal and easy to clean out. It was designed to fit the period of the nearby house.

'Our Little House transformed a corner of the garden we didn't use into a favourite family spot. It seemed to add space & probably added value to our property.' JohnTHE LITTLE COTTAGE SHED, Liverpool.

square window shed, london

This shed was built as a place to relax and hunker down in. It was squeezed into a small London garden. The different sized windows are fun and give the shed character. It has a reclaimed gym floor inside which continues up the walls. There is also a clever storage wall to hide a full sized matress.

'We wanted something a bit different than the usual off the shelf designs, something that reflected our personality, we spend more time in here now than we do our house.' Laura.SQUARE WINDOW SHED, Tottenham, London.

reclaimed wood gym shed

This large shed was actually built around a pre-existing climbing wall. It was truely a bespoke build, negotiating around various structural elements. It was built to use as a gym, with a punch pag and bike storage. The reclaimed cladding and nice looking copper guttering help to make it's large size seem less imposing.

'It was hard to find anyone else who wanted to do this job, the results are just what I was looking for.' RobTHE RECLAIMED WOOD GYM SHED, Muswell Hill, London

REd cedar wing shed

This shed focussed on a clean look, whilst trying to achieve something personal. We decided the wings gave it enough personality but didn't compromise its contemporary credentials. The invisible door conceals storage for garden tools and the large glass doors and patio area make the shed a nice place to relax in on summer days.

'We wanted a contemporary design that was different than the brochure sheds' Sam.RED CEDAR WING SHED, Waltham Forest, London.

THE hardwood bi-folding door shed

This shed was nestled into the corner of a garden. The back of the garden was actually slanted quite a bit, so the bespoke design helped to maximise the space, something a pre-fab would never do. The hardwood reclaimed timber cladding really helps it to blend into its surroundings. The shed also boasts roof windows and bespoke shelving.

'It was worth squeezing every bit of space by building it on an angle and we decided speding money on a nice cladding with a history helped us connect to the shed.' MinaTHE HARDWOOD BI-FOLDING DOOR SHED, Stoke Newington, London

large Cedar clad studio

This Studio was for an artist who wanted a contempory design with a quality finish and measures a substantial 6m x 4m. It has a steal running through the centre to help keep a clean look to the roof. It has an EPDM rubber roof and is clad in Cedar.

'I am so happy with the build, other firms quoted a cost of more than double and the structure and finish would have been of a lesser standard.' Conall.CEDAR CLAD ARTIST STUDIO Woodford, London.

the portobello shop OFFICE shed, london

This small office shed was squeezed into a tiny space at the back of a clothes shop in Portabello Rd. It was designed to maximise the work area with two built in desks and in doing so increase the shop area. It has a large bronze tinted window and reclaimed pine cladding.

'We didn't want just an ordinary shed, we wanted something that would look cool at the back of the shop, it's also released the old office in the shop for clothes storage.' PhilTHE PORTOBELLO SHOP OFFICE SHED, Brixton, London.

Carpenters Work SHop, derbyshire

This is a true carpenters workshop. Built onto the walls of an old swimming pool on Derbyshire Farmland, it houses bench saws, table saws and all manor of power tools. The impressive wild flower roof protects a large wood store, it even has a built in owl nesting site.

'The walls were already there so it was dead space. Now the workshop provides my living, it's as simple as that. ' BobbyWORKSHOP, Derbyshire

garden music room, london

This was built as a music room for practicing piano and clarinet. It has a partition so that a small section can be used as a conventional garden shed storing garden equipment. You enter this section through a 'secret' external door so as not to spoil the look of the design.

'Our daughter calls it the holiday home. We love the look of the build and it is a joy to use it for music. A space like this is a beautiful adition to our home.' Jo & AlanGARDEN MUSIC ROOM, hampstead, London

little writing shed, london

This tiny little writing shed was designed for an authro to fit within her small garden.She wanted plenty of shelving for her books and she wanted to be surrounded by light when she was writing. There is a fold down table to make room for when she has guests. The pink colour of the skylight reflects the light of the sunset in the evenning.

'I love to write looking out onto my little garden' Abigail.LITTLE WRITING SHED, South Hackney, London.

BEACH HUT SHED, london

This was built as a relaxing area, an escape from city life. It is clad in reclaimed wood, with reclaimed flooring painted white to give the feeling of a sun bleached cabin. There is a bed for a daytime nap and mid century furniture from the family to make it feel familiar.

'I love to retreat into my little shed after a long day, to get rid of the stresses.' AnneBEACH HUT SHED, Leyton, London

cedar box SHED, london

This neat little box shed was designed with efficient proportions so it went up realatively fast. Ideal for a small garden space, bi-folds and a roof window help to amke the space feel bigger inside. The shed was designed as a London office space and high speed cables were used.

'The space is so valuable to our little house, it frees up a bedroom' John.CEDAR BOX SHED, Harringey, London.

shiplap practise room SHED, London

This Shed was built as a practise room for a live band. There are various levels of soundproofing we use. This was mid range, we used resilient bars and genie clips to de-couple the interior walls so the sound wouldn't penetrate. We also doubled up the weak spots of the door and window and we built a raised drum platform.

'We decided to build a practise room, so we didn't have to hire one, we wanted it to be functional, but not ugly' JonathonSHIPLAP PRACTISE ROOM SHED, Enfield, London.

larch & birch green roof office SHED, london

This shed was built as an office space for a garden designer. She eventually wanted to plant the roof herself with ferns. The roof is strong for extra soil depth, there is also a roof window for light because it was quite a dark corner. The interior is clad throughout with birch ply and the square copper guttering looks a little nicer than the plastic.

'I wanted a place of my own to work, I wanted it to feel nice inside but also functional' Lara.LARCH & BIRCH GREEN ROOF OFFICE SHED, Hackney, London.

HAMMOCK PUB OFFICE SHED, London

This Shed was built in a tight space, it was designed to have a strong over hang to support the weight of a hammock (and a person). It looks simple, but the size and the strength required needed some thinking about. It is used as an office a writters den and a pub, or all at the same time!

'I am going to have a shed party every year to celebrate.' JimHAMMOCK PUB OFFICE SHED, Crouch End, London.

sedum roof SHED, london

This Black clad, sedum roof office shed, was designed for two people to work in. A full length skylight roof window and a full length fixed pane wall window was fitted on one side to make the most of the natural light. The sedum roof used a light weight system at just 100mm to ensure the build remained below 2.5m high.

The house looks down on this shed, so the sedum roof really makes the difference to the way it looks.SEDUM ROOF SHED, Muswell Hill, London.

CEDAR GUEST ROOM SHED

This was for a house in the countryside near Epping Forrest. Quite often the spare room is needed for a new adition to the family and a great way to add a new guest room is in the form of a shed. electrics and good quality insulation allow it to be used throughout the year. Again we see the 'invisble' door which houses a small storage shed for garden equipment.

'We needed a new guest room for family who were coming over to stay, the house was just too small, this shed was the perfect solution.' GaryCEDAR GUEST ROOM SHED, Epping, London.

the yoga office shed, london

This beautifully finished shed was designed as a theraputic consultancy space which doubled as a yoga space. Integrated shelving and a custom made folding desk, help to keep the floor space clear. A roof window allows natural light to flood in, the light colours and simpe wood textures make the space feel bigger than it is.

'It's a very spiritual space, we find it is close enough to the house to feel accessible whilst, being far enough away to get into a new headspace.' Louis.THE YOGA OFFICE SHED, Highgate, London.

LARCH SUMMER HOUSE SHED, SOUTH London

This Shed was clad in rough sawn larch from a reclaimation yard, it works well blending the build into an old oak that sat along side it. Nice big double doors can be openned up in the morning sun, the long full length fixed glass looks nice contrasting with the rough cladding.

'We wanted something that would blend into our garden space, but still have a modern look to it.' SrvidyaLARCH SUMMER HOUSE SHED, Wimbledon, South London.

work office & drum studio, south london

This Functional Work Space has a living roof, wooden windows and doors & wood clad exterior walls. The studio has two rooms, the first used for writting and entertaining, the second is a music & drum studio, sound proofed with sound board, the living roof also helps with noise.

'I helped with the build to keep costs down, I enjoyed the whole experience. I use my green roof so it feels like I've gained space, I use the eves for bird nest boxes.' JamieWORK SHOP Woolwich, South London

moroccan blue summer house, london

This Summer House has a composite tiled roof to reduce weight on a shallow pitch. It has a roof window and is clad internally and externally. It is split into two sections the smaller of which is used for garden tools. The blue is fitting with the garden space which had a variety of Moroccan pots and tiles.

'It wanted a space for my young daughter to have tea with her friends, it replaced a delapidated old tool shed, in effect I now have both.' Ian. SUMMER HOUSE Snaresbrook, London

THE WRITERS' CABIN, london

This Cabin was desiged for a childrens author who wanted a place to get away whilst remaining at home. It was a cost effective design, using treated feather edge cladding and torch on roofing felt. There is also an internal wall which provides a small storage section.

'I was paying £100 a month for storage anyway, so this was a no brainer. I now have my lovely little escape, I have decorated it with wallpaper and old display Cabinets,' JaneTHE WRITERS CABIN Wanstead, London

garden OFFICE, london

This Garden Office is a simple compact unit that will house a computer desk, shelving and storage and was made just big enough for a sofa bed to comfortably open. Clad with shiplap and stained black. For light it has large double doors and a long thin south facing window above next doors fence.

'We moved the office to the Garden and now have a childrens' play room, we also wanted a place for our parents to stay over to save on hotels' BobGARDEN OFFICE Walthamstow, London

Living roof shed, north london

This living roof shed shows how the footprint of your shed does not neccessarily reduce your garden space. It has two large sections and upcycled windows and doors that were taken from their house renovation.

'I feel as though my garden is bigger, I love to walk on to the roof and see how it has changed, each year it is different from the last.' SaraLIVING ROOF SHED, North London

BUG HOUSE HOTEL CONSERVATION SHED

I built this shed for a Wildlife trust education centre. We carfeully planned habitat for a variety of creatures including bees, lacewings and newts, there's even a bat box in the roof. The rear of the shed is used for storing children's fishing rods, pads etc, so they don't have to be transported.

'We have had so many wonderful comments about the bug house, it's a great talking point. And with the grass roof and log gutters it looks perfect in it's setting' LynnBUG HOUSE HOTEL CONSERVATION SHED, Oxfordshire

LUXURY Wendy house / PLAY HOUSE, london

This Wendy house was built to last. It has treated cladding a shingle roof and painted WBP ply interior. It has toughened glass windows, polystyrene insulation and I made the small stable doors to be child friendly. It is also designed to taken apart in panels and transported should you move house.

'We wanted a more apropriate childrens play house that looked nice in our garden, and the design was just perfect.' Anna. LUXURY WENDY HOUSE/ PLAY HOUSE Kensington, London

recording studio shed, london

An example of how the interior can be suited to your needs. This is a recording studio. Extensively sound proofed for playing live, the dimensions of the build where optimised for acoustic properties perfect for mixing. It is good to get a feel for the life of the room before the dampening is added.

Remember a bespoke shed can have a bespoke interior. These acoustic sound diffusers where specially built to fit the build. They are designed to soak up wavelengths without loosing the life of the room. They are also a real feature and look great in the space.

'My shed is basically an extension for a fraction of the cost, there was no way I could afford to use a room in the house for a music studio, this was the perfect answer'RECORDING STUDIO SHED Hackney, London

Woodland cabin

This Beautiful little Cabin is a portable toilet and shower room built with my cousin for his Glamping Site in Matlock. It is built onto the base of on old caravan so it can be moved across the feild. It has a compost toilet, the shower used an external water source.

'We needed a portable bathroom to avoid planning permission, we love the way you walk through the trees and discover the quaint looking cabin.' Caroline and Robert. WOODLAND CABIN Matlock, Derbyshire

Shed of the Year - my multi-award winning shed in use.

allotment roof art shed INSPIRED BY GAUDI AND HUNDERTWASSER

This is my shed for which I won Shed of the Year 2014 as featured on Channels 4's George Clarke's amazing spaces shed of the year show. The shed also won best shed in the eco category. Since then it has won design awards and featured in design magazines and tv shows around the world.

It is were I work when I'm not shed building and my way of showing what you can achieve with a bit of imagination. I use the shed as a functional art studio, it has a wood burner with heat plate, the ashes of which can be used to increase the potasium for the crops. Some 12v lights are powered by a south facing solar panel on the roof.

Outside a staircase leads up to the allotment roof. The raised beds grow a whole abundance of fruit and crops, I even have a tin bath up there I use on hot days. The water from the roof filters through and exits via a downpipe which then waters the wall plants before being collected into a waterbut to be used again.

On the rear wall I have a bike station, with a small roof, every space of the shed is used. It is a great way of getting away from the city in London it's like a little mini countryside. I often spend more time in my shed than I do in the house. A really believe an outside space can transform the way you live your life.

'I wanted my shed to represent me and what I believe in. It is nice to work knowing whilst I am in my shed I am completely sustainable.' ALLOTMENT ROOF GAUDI ART SHED Tottenham, London

My Build Experience - Loft Converisons & Renovations.

My extensive building knowledge arises from a fifteen year invlovment in loft conversions, house renovations and small builds. A large part of the loft conversions is carpentry and roofing so the transistion to studio and shed design was a straight forward one. With house renovations I would design the interiors, and often plaster and decorate myself, the skill set I have learnt over the years reduced the need for outside contractors which can help keep the communication and the build efficient and therefore more cost effective.

The Shed Builder

Builds bespoke Sheds, Outhouses, Garden Rooms & Studios