The SheShack and this DIY home office are great examples on how to create a garden building on a budget as the Shed of the Year competition opens for entries

Founded by sheddie Andrew Wilcox, aka Uncle Wilco, it has opened people’s eyes to the importance of these buildings and the part they can play in our wellbeing.

Andrew is also founder and head judge of the Shed of the Year competition, which is now in its 17th year. Sponsored by Cuprinol, the call for entries has just been announced.

The categories include budget shed, cabin or summerhouse; nature’s haven; pub or entertainment; unexpected and unique; workshop or studio and, new for this year, most colourful shed and simple but effective. The winner will receive £1,000 in cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol products.

DIY enthusiasts can now submit their home pubs, practical workshops and eco-friendly havens et al to be in with a chance of winning.

Last year’s winner was Kelly Haworth for her Potting Shed, which has a kitchenette, off-grid bathroom, potting area and tool store. The 2m X 3m shed took five weeks to build and cost £200 to create.

Here in Yorkshire, we have our fair share of fabulous, homemade garden buildings. Mark Reeder from Rotherham is a great example. He graduated from “doing bits of DIY round the house” to designing and building his own 6ft by 10ft shed from scratch.

After consulting YouTube videos and the internet, he set to drawing basic plans for a dual purpose building that could accommodate a home office for himself and potting/storage shed for his wife who is a keen gardener.

“I was working from home full-time and the house is quite small so I never felt I was away from work and that set me looking at buying a shed and converting into an office.

“The quality of off-the-shelf sheds was quite poor so I thought I’d have a go at building one myself,” says Mark.

The result is sensational and the attention to detail remarkable. After checking that his shed would be covered by permitted development, he drew rudimentary plans and booked a fortnight’s holiday to work on it full time and had the basic structure up within three weeks.

The office is fully insulated and plaster boarded and has double glazed doors and windows and a laminate floor.

Mark brought in an electrician to install power and lights and added an infrared smart heating panel, which is warm and energy efficient.

As roof felt is prone to leaking, he did his research and that led him to buy and install an EPDM rubber roof covering.

The total cost of the shed was £3,000, which is remarkable as something comparable from a garden building firm would be at least £10,000.

“My grandad was a joiner by trade but I didn’t have interest in it and chose cooking instead of woodwork when I was at school but after doing this I think maybe I’ve inherited some of his genes,” says Mark, who adds: “The shed is solid and it’s like an extension to the house but much less expensive.”

Over in West Yorkshire, Tracey Chapman’s SheShack cost nothing and means everything. Her sheddie journey began when a neighbour was getting rid of her summer house.

It was heading for the tip when Tracey intervened and asked if she could have it. The answer was “yes” and it is now a much-loved sanctuary.

“My other neighbour is really handy and she re-roofed it for me and after that it became an obsession,” says Tracey.

The lawn mower and garden equipment are hidden at the back of the shed thanks to a patchwork quilt that hangs on a rail.

The rest of the interior is a vast collection of charity shop and car boot sale finds and other treasures, some gifted by neighbours and friends who love to visit the SheShack, which now has electricity and can be heated and used year-round.

With space only for two inside, Tracey has also created an outdoor room that includes a vintage fireplace.

“The SheShack has been life-changing,” she says. “It is such a calm, depressurising space.”

If you want to become a “sheddie”, don’t forget to check the rules on permitted development for garden buildings before you go ahead.

You can find Mark’s Work Life Balanced shed and Tracey’s SheShack shed on www.readersheds.co.uk.

To enter Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2023, visit www.readersheds.co.uk for details. Entries close at midnight on May 31, 2023.

Visit www.cuprinol.co.uk/project/sheds for inspiration on painting sheds.