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national association for colitis and crohn’s

Shedding Convention

Journalist Alex Johnson has a thing about sheds. So much so that, on any given day, you’re likely to find him sitting in his shed, writing about sheds for the benefit of people who, er, work in sheds. It’s an obsession, but the thing is – even if you think you’re indifferent to the small buildings in your back garden – you’re almost certain to find Alex’s blog Shedworking a lively and compelling read. And even if you don’t, he’s staked out a bit of the web that’s devoted to bookshelves, so there’s no excuse not to take a look at his stuff.

North Meadow Media’s Ben Locker asks Alex whether a life spent in sheds has the foundations for a successful career.

Why a shed? Why not a tree house, an Anderson shelter, a loft conversion or another space in or near your home?
To be a shedworker you have to have a garden office, and in that respect I’d argue that a tree house and Anderson shelter are ’sheds’ – I regard ’shed’ as a flexible concept rather than a concrete architecturality (i.e. if you think it’s a shed, then it’s a shed). While shedworking bears strong comparison to loftroomworking, spareroomworking and kitchentableworking, there are some key advantages:

• physically, it’s easier to prevent – or at least restrict – your children, spouses and pets invading your work space if you’re based in a garden office (although admittedly I get more bees in here than I did when I worked in the dining room).
• there’s no need to double up on spaces. With a shed, your third bedroom remains modem free and your dining room table is not deluged by paper.
• a shed keeps you away from the fridge so the temptation to nibble and grow obese is more remote
• financially, it adds value to your property: up to 5% according to some reports,
• it’s also a great place to meet clients. I’ve had several meetings in my garden office and every single visitor has been at the very least intrigued by the arrangements and most are positively impressed.
• psychologically, shedworking marks a clear difference between where you live and where you work – there’s no taint of work attached to any part of your home. Instead all the taint is in the shed.

I’d add that shedworking is as much a statement of intent as it is a piece of architecture: John Ruskin argued that our buildings must mean something to their inhabitants, that their spiritual concerns are as important as the material ones. Shedworking is just plain more fun, adding a certain pizzazz to your working life.

Do you miss working in the same room as your colleagues?
No, although I do miss the option of nipping out for a swift half sometimes. I spend time with people I actually like now rather than those whose paths accidentally intersect with mine

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Posted by: Ben Locker
Published: 18th November, 2008 at 3:32 pm in Blog, The North Meadow Interview.
Tags: age concern, alex johnson, designer breakfasts, interviews, journalism, national association for colitis and crohn's, sheds, shedworking, the bookshelf blog
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