The Shed (exterior)

Criteria	Score
Aesthetics and visual appeal	9/10
Suitability and usefulness	8/10
Sustainability and recycling	5/10
Problem solving and brief	10/10
Overall	8/10

The Shed has been my biggest project to date. This was built on an unused area of the garden and utilises the full width of the plot. The Shed was initially going to be a much smaller space, but discussions with the client (who is also my partner) resulted in a building which measures 8.5m x 4m x 2.5m.

One constraint is a small retaining wall at the back of the building which is the boundary wall from the factory that the estate was built on. It was decided that this would be kept in place and that the Shed would sit over this low wall, maximising the available space. There is also a single skinned brick retaining wall across 75% of the garden, and this is not substantial enough to be a base on which to build. The building ‘floats’ over both of these walls and does not actually rest on these structures. The foundations for the shed consists of hollow core breeze blocks with rammed sand in the cores. There are just 10 of these, and these were installed and levelled using a water level made from clear tubing.

The floor frame was then constructed, and this was (surprisingly) level. Walls were then framed, squared and erected, and the structure was roofed in corrugated galvanised sheeting. The walls are all 2.4m high, but as the back of the structure is higher than the front (due to the factory wall), a good pitch is achieved on the roof. This has been utilised effectively in the rainwater harvesting system which was created to facilitate an inexpensive and low impact method of watering the plants in the garden.

The walls were then wrapped externally with a moisture membrane before being clad using 150mm x 25mm tannelised boards. These were pre-painted in a black wood paint on both sides to ensure longevity, and were nailed to the frame. The interior boards (ie. the boards that were covered by the deck area but not outwardly facing) have been kept in the natural wood, to highlight this inside/outside space. The black walls all contain intermediate strips of 50mm board to ensure that the structure remains watertight despite the natural expansion or contraction of the boards.

The six windows are double glazed units, but the frames were constructed as part of the project. These are two different sizes; three tall windows on the North side with three smaller, squarer windows on the South side. The North side windows all open to enable ventilation from the prevailing westerly wind. Only one of the South side windows opens to enable some cross ventilation.

The outside covered decking area was created to allow a sheltered area to sit, and to facilitate access to the path at the rear of the structure leading to the public footpath at the boundary of the property.

The Shed was built to sit below the existing tree line both in the garden and on the further horizon. This means that the garden is still well lit and the function of the garden is not compromised by the structure.