Is This 9×9 Shed The One For Your Garden? Bespoke Options

It’s a British obsession with pets and they range from the normal loveable dogs (mostly) to cats who think they own you. There are all sorts of slimy creatures (my opinion) such as snakes, and lizards and furry animals such as mice, hamsters, gerbils, rats (ugh) and rabbits. All of these need somewhere to live and many are kept in small versions of the shed. The main reason for this is that wooden sheds are very versatile in the sizes available so can be as large as 9X9 or as small as required. The other plus with sheds is that the timber is more natural and suits the animals better. These kennels, cages and hutches are available from any shed makers but at the moment Leisure Buildings don’t have an option for them although if the shed is a decent size then it may be worth asking or they may be able to adapt one of their sheds for sale.

However, one of the downsides to timber is that they are flammable so care must be taken to ensure no naked flames are put near them. With the straw, which is used for bedding, it can be very easy for them to catch light which can be tragic, certainly for your poor animals in the shed. You also need to think about how you explain to a small child what has happened to their favourite pet – not a nice thought.

Recently in Marlow in Buckinghamshire 20 rabbits had to be rescued from a wooden shed where they were living nearby by fire fighters. This large 9X9 shed had caught light shortly before 9.30 and a fire crew from High Wycombe was called in an attempt to save it and the rabbits from harm. Thankfully the blaze was managed to be extinguished by the use of a fan and as the rabbits were in an adjoining garden building at that time they were unhurt.

However, the shed itself could not be saved not the rabbit hutches inside. The crew manager, Bill Lambrich, said that he was relieved to find, on closer inspection, that all the hutches were unoccupied at that time. When they looked in the adjoining shed they were greeted by the ‘twitching noses’ of about 20 rabbits. Thankfully they were no worse for wear after this close encounter and were scurrying about.

The fire was prevented from spreading by the use of the fan for about an hour and an inspection was carried out later that day to check on the rabbits and to ensure the garden was safe.

This just goes to show how easy it is to have a possible disaster so care must be taken at all times. In some ways if fire is a risk then the use of metal sheds would offer a safer option. Not quite as nice as wood but certainly are worth considering.

The garden has traditionally been a place for creative juices to flow as it is a tranquil area away from the house and you can feel you are back at home with nature and at peace with the world. This is why the garden summer house and even the common garden shed has played a role in creating an area where one can work and feel inspired. By their very nature, because these buildings are made from wood which in itself is part of the great outdoors, there is a feeling of being back to your roots. These outdoor rooms have been involved with many authors, crafts persons and artists as well as many other amateur pursuits. My wife has one where she and her friends create greeting cards. Her shed has a few extra windows to give more light into the building and this is something which can be specified on all of 1st Choice’s garden buildings.

There have been many authors who have written in their garden shed and this includes Roald Dahl, the famous children author. It’s felt that this 9X9 garden shed is so important that the Dahl family have applied to the National Lottery to obtain a grant so this shed can be moved to the Roald Dahl museum. In my view they should pay for the cost of this shed themselves as they will be charging the public to view it.

A few years ago Shaun Greenalgh used his 9X9 solar shed in Bolton to create fake art treasures. His biggest triumph was a creation of a statue which he claimed was 3,300 years old and represented Princess Amarna the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti and sold this for £440,000 to the art gallery in Manchester. How incredible is that a shed could play a role in a 3,300 year deceit. For his troubles he had a 4 year stay at one of Her Majesties Sheds – aka – a prison.

The roles which garden sheds play has traditionally been for general storage or as a garden workshop and set in the garden however one gardener in Australia has taken it one step further by turning it into a work of art. She entered her garden shed for the Warwick Art Prize in Queensland, Australia.

After being inspired in her garden oasis Carly Scoufos painted The Accumulation of Time and this featured a number of objects which she had collected over the passing years. Karina Devine, a director at the Warwick Art Gallery, said the painting had created a lot of interest and in her view was because people could relate to their own buildings in their gardens. She also said that it was realistic and not just a traditional scene and also that it was the highlight of the Warwick Art Prize. Who would have believed a garden shed would create that sort of interest?

Ms Scoufos’ creation is acrylic on canvas and won 1st prize in the Hanging Team choice from over 130 other entries. Other popular garden related themes included one made to look like a miniature cottage, the attaching of a weather vane to a shed and installing a castle shaped wooden cupula to a garden shed roof.

So you can see that the common garden shed has been a fabulous invention and where would the world be without them?