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Ladies Take Over Last Male Stronghold In Reading a.k.a. The Garden Shed
Traditionally the garden shed in Reading was the sole preserve of the male who guarded his piece of his home as his own and no one else. This seems to have evolved even more after the second world war, although there were many garden sheds before then, and was probably because the need to make the most of limited resources. Many of these garden sheds were home made from basic materials and the designs of these sheds were nearly all ‘one offsite men who had built these sheds saw these buildings as theirs’ and these buildings doubled as storage buildings, workshops and garden nurseries. They never really considered these as a recreation area where they would sit and have a can or two but the activity taking place in the sheds was recreational as well as functional.
As the years went by and the economy of the country improved more and more of these Reading garden sheds were bought from specialist factories. These were set up selling basic sizes which fitted most peoples requirements. Mostly these were delivered in kit form for self assembly and this was no problem in those days.
In recent years more and more businesses have set up selling cheaper and cheaper sheds but they are cutting back on the qualities of materials used. They are quite happy to sell sheds with wafer thin wood, chipboard or OSB board roofs and floor – which disintegrate when they get wet – and framework which would not hold a candle up – never mind a garden shed.
The enlightened now do their home work beforehand and check the specifications of materials used. They also try to view the shed before buying to ensure they know what THEY are getting. Or they at least try to ensure they buy from a shed company which at least offers the option to view, such as 1st Choice, knowing that those companies have nothing to hide.
However in more recent years the females of the species have seen the appeal of these wonderful garden buildings and have taken to obtaining their own. My wife did so about 4-5 years ago and she is the proud owner of a garden shed filled with rubbish (saved just in case) which rivalled mine. The best thing is that even through she wanted a shed for HERSELF it was me who had to build the base for it. Rather selective women rights, I think. (Hope my dear lady does not read that)
His view is backed up by a report in The Independent by Susie Mesure or Reading. She highlighted the fact that almost half of the entrants in the annual Shed of the Year contest were women demonstrating this as proof that both the male and females of our land appreciate the virtues of the garden sheds. This is a big change from the days when the only people ventured into garden sheds were boyfriends, husbands or brothers.
The TV presenter and property developer, Sarah Beeny, agrees on this point claiming that sheds are the last male domain to be taken over in the home. There nowhere for them to retreat or hide now. All we need now is for women to take over the looking after the garden and doing all the repairs around the house. I can dream!
The Perennial Problem You Don’t Want in Your Garden or Shed
A recurring story, which is far too often, is the number of thefts from garden sheds and other garden buildings in Reading. These useful buildings and their contents are at risk as their owner become lax over the securing of them. I’m have been guilty of this, as a garden shed manufacturer, and should know better as I’m often telling people to ensure their garden buildings are locked. Possibly if the shed owners sat down and worked out how the value of all the items in their garden sheds they would be staggered. With lawn mowers, power tools, expensive bikes and patio furniture you will find these are most attractive to thieves as all these items are easily sold on for a fraction of their cost. So, if you are not keeping your shed locked, now is the time to take more care of your belongings in Reading.
The simplest thing you can do, and even if it’s only a cheap padlock, is to ensure the shed door is locked. From there you can move on to stronger locking systems and putting security screws or nuts and bolts onto the hinges and locking systems to ensure the thieves can’t access your shed very easily. However, the most important thing is to be consistent and to lock the building, even when you are indoors, as many thieves have so much cheek they even steal when the shed owners are at home.
If you have a garden gate then keep this locked with a padlock as well as bolting it from inside. This will stop thieves getting into the garden in the first place. High fences, especially prickly ones, are great deterrents as these can hurt these intruders. Having said that it makes me wonder what the situation would be if the thieves hurt themselves on these bushes. With the stupid laws it might be possible that they could sue, which is totally ridiculous.
A security light is also a deterrent as these garden intruders like to work in darkness. These will light up when someone goes near, so even if you are indoors, the light will alert you to the danger of burglars. One of the downsides, and which I think is worth putting up with, is that nocturnal animals will set it off at night so I recommend that the direction of the lamp should point down to the ground. This will stop it shining into next door’s bedroom windows.
Gravel is also a good thing to have near the garden shed as people walking on it will attract attention, again one thing these intruders won’t like. Remember you don’t want them to think you’re a soft target. Very selfishly make your shed unattractive to break in and they will go elsewhere. If it’s your Reading neighbour then they need to take all steps to protect their own garden shed. This is no time for feeling soft.
Also if you have ladders don’t leave them loose in the garden ensure that they are locked against the garden shed. This will ensure that they can’t be used to break into your house through your upstairs windows which, quite often, are less guarded. With your garden shed locked up and all your tools out or reach this will ensure that thieves don’t have an easy job breaking into it, or even worse, your home.
Don’t leave it until it’s too late. Take a look at what you can do and do this now in Reading. You know it makes sense just make that effort and you will be able to feel safe in your home.
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Hi, I'm Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I use my expertise gained over 40 years in the garden buildings industry to understand that each customer is different. With my manufacturing, retailing and customer service experience my articles help people choose their ideal shed, garden workshop, summerhouse, log cabin or garden office needs to suit their requirement and that is key to satisfaction. And what do I do when I'm not writing? You may find me following Grimsby Town Football Club or riding roller coasters - so plenty of 'ups and downs' in my life.