It goes without saying that Aussie blokes love their sheds, but one nation that could be equally as mad about their backyard dwellings – if not, more so – is the UK. The Brits love them so much that for the last eight years they’ve had a competition dedicated to finding the best in the country.
Some awe-inspiring structures have been uncovered by the competition – last year we ran a story on ‘Woodhenge’, an impressive timber palace that featured a fully stocked bar and a collection of over 500 bottles of real ale, and the stiff competition this year included a replica of The Tardis, an art studio and many others.
Alex Holland took out the top spot with his rickety-looking, boat-roofed contraption. And what a delight it is. Sitting proudly up the Cambrian Mountains in Machynlleth, Wales, the shed treats visitors to panoramic views of the surrounding mountainside and beyond.
As you might have guessed, Alex didn’t buy his shed from the nearest hardware store. He originally built it after his vintage 1940s caravan rotted away from years of enduring the harsh Welsh weather.
Alex inside his award winning shed.
To construct the frame, he pieced together a few surviving parts of the caravan, along with some old windows from his 400-year old farmhouse. The only ‘new’ materials used were sections of the walls which were forged with an ancient building method. This involves mixing clay, earth and straw and squashing it into woven frames of green willow. The sum of all these parts makes for a surprisingly watertight structure.
After the shell was ready, the only thing left was for Alex to fill the shed with a whole manner of “nautical nonsense”. Oh, and of course he had to top it off with an old rowing boat he got from working at a boatyard.
It definitely looks striking, but the big question on many of our minds is inevitably: “why a boat?”
There are certainly simpler ways of roofing a shed. It turns out that the thing wasn’t just sitting around in his garden either – Alex had to enlist the help of three local farmers to drag it all the way up the mountain.
As it turns out, his motive was quite simple really…
“It means I can turn up the sound system and have a blast!” says Alex.
A DJ in his spare time (he goes by the name ‘DJ Badly’ when he performs at festivals across the UK); being able to pump out some music is one of his life priorities.
Alex also took out the unique category – for obvious reason.
To do this, he uses a 12V car stereo amp powered by a large leisure battery. This is charged by a 40W solar panel that trickle feeds energy into the battery all day. Then, by using his iPad and specialised DJ apps, he can provide entertainment for guests at many of the legendary shed parties he throws.
It’s not all partying up at the ‘boatshed’ though – when you consider the building’s location, it’s unsurprising that Alex uses it as a place to unwind at the end of the day.
“It’s an ideal place for me to throw balls, Frisbees and sticks down the steep hill for our three dogs to
bring back to me,” he says.
“I also often find myself up here in the evenings watching the sunset over the mountains of Snowdonia drinking a cider, gin and tonic or a nice red wine.”
It seems that as you delve further into the story behind the shed, you begin to realise why it was voted the best in the UK.
Alex explains that he initially found out about The Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition through his employer.
“My boss entered last year with another nautical-related shed. It was an ordinary DIY store shed mounted on a floating pontoon in the middle of the estuary where we work. He won the unique category, but I whipped his ***** by winning both the unique category and the overall prize!” he says.
After uploading pictures of the shack to the competition’s website, Alex relied on some luck – and a little help from his friends – to lead him to success.
“The voting was open for a few months and in that time I got a lot of viral activity via Facebook and Twitter by getting friends to vote and share the link on their pages. I also used the local print media and TV to raise the profile and promote the shed,” Alex says.
The wonderful view surrounding the shed.
“Once the winners of the categories were decided by public vote, the finalists were judged by a panel of shed fanatics and the previous year’s winner.”
Alex took out the first prize of £1,000 ($AUD1,700) and has since used his winnings to protect the most important part of his whole shed – his drinks.
“I bought myself a reconditioned 140W 12V wind turbine to power my 12V caravan fridge to chill my cider, beer, tonic, white wine and cava. It stores a lot of power because the shed is in a very windy location,” he says.
This isn’t the finishing touch though – like many a man’s great projects, Alex says it might never truly be completed.
“I’m 48 now and I’m hoping that the shed will almost be finished by the time I’m 70!” he jokes.
“I just love having a space that I can use to socialise, in an absolutely beautiful location. I can basically do as I please in here.
“Then again, I also really enjoy my alone time. I think it’s important for everyone to have a special place to enjoy a bit of solitude for reflection, creativity and escapism.”
If anything, Alex’s shed is testimony to the fact that your manspace doesn’t have to be about extravagance.
Every bloke’s is different. Alex took something old, transformed it into something fresh and exciting and the result was a space that is cool, quirky, and a true reflection of his personality.
It’s a very worthy winner in our eyes.
