The humble garden shed has had a bit of a makeover. No longer does it sit, forlorn and full of rusty tools at the bottom of the garden.
Sheds are now cool – don’t rely on us to tell you that, ask shed owners, half of which say they would be “lost” without their shed.
And it’s not just the garden rake that’s getting use out of the shed, it turns out that six per cent admit they’ve got frisky in the shed to spice up their love life.
In fact such importance do sheds hold in our sex lives, that a new parody book 50 Sheds of Grey, has emerged.
Some people are getting such good use out of their shed that they’d like to be buried in there.
That accounts for six per cent as well, although we’d imagine not necessarily the same six per cent.
The shed is not just the scene of good times though – twenty one per cent say they spend time in their shed to avoid arguments, while 12 per cent prefer spending time in their shed to being with their family.
A bit of peace and quiet is good for phone calls too – seven per cent escape to make phone calls in their shed safe from prying… ears.
The UK’s shed tally is estimated at over 15m, meaning two thirds of the adult population are shed owners.
Surprisingly that gives sheds a combined value of £6bn to the British economy, although a new government sponsored shed stimulus seems unlikely.
Perhaps even more unexpected is that sheds are no longer the reserve of older folk, it is in fact under 25s who spend the most on their sheds, an average of £493 compared to £360 for the over 55s.
Kathryn Ledson, Cuprinol marketing manager, said: “It’s clear that sheds are vital to the British identity and that they are an inspiration to so many of us.
“At Cuprinol, we’re delighted to be the official sponsor of the annual Shed of the Year competition which celebrates the best of British sheds. If you think your shed is worthy of this prestigious title then you can enter at www.readersheds.co.uk from now until 3rd May.”
Bristol is the scene of many a designer shed; the capital’s residents spend an average of £508, way above the £396 national average.
Some of these sheds are no doubt in use as an office, 11 per cent say this is how they use theirs.
For those who are taking the more traditional storage approach to their shed it is no longer just garden tools, 28 per cent include children’s toys, 16 per cent books, 18 per cent gym equipment, 45 per cent bikes, 11 per cent fridges/freezers and six per cent take a leap of faith in their shed’s security and store a TV in there.
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