John over at Secrets of Shed Building has announced the winner of his Design Competition.

The winning design from the 70 shed designs from 20 different countries is

Open Office Shed by Kenny Van Den Berghe

The “Open Office” shed is divided in 3 areas: a living/meeting area, a working area (a modular desk for up to 3 people, storage etc.) and a utilities area (coat-hanger, bathroom, sink, coffee machine etc.)

Besides offering a great view and creating the feeling of working outside, the big windows allow to save a lot of energy in terms of lighting, and heating during winter. Thus reducing the carbon print and the electricity consumption. There are no windows on the North side for higher isolation against the cold Northern winds. The solar panels on the roof supply the shed with the energy required for lighting and electrical appliances (computers, coffee machine etc.).

A bit posh but a great Garden office the likes of Alex would go for

Look our for more Shed design comps on Johns site soon.

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My friend and sheddie John over at secrets of shed building let me know about the progress of the shed design comp he has running.

I like this one (and it’s a by a Welsh sheddie in making)

Urban Shed – Garden in a box

The urban shed, a place to sit and enjoy the sun, wihout the hassle of mowing the lawn. The small piece of Oasis could live on the roof of a five storey concrete brutalist masterpiece and be that small peice of contemplation space needed in the fast pace of the city.

It may not be soundproof but has space to store the tea/cocktails chairs to sit and enjoy the views and a wind shield to help moderate temperatures.

Remember it closes at midnight GMT on October 31st 2009 so get your entries in.

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John over at secrets-of-shed-building is running a shed design comp and giving away one of those posh ipod for playing records or something.

This is the brief for this years competition:

Imagine that you are about to start working from home.

This could be because you are starting a small business. It could be that your company is moving towards a more geographically diversified workforce. It might be a part–time work space or a full time office. You might be working alone or as a small team. It could be for office-work or as a workshop or art-studio.

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Thanks to Andy for the Tip off.

I know Shedism is like a religion to some of us, and this is the church of sheddie.

A stained glass windowed shed near Crinan in Scotland, as photographed by June.

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if you are reading this as google found the words Free shed plans in the headline.. then welcome, otherwise you are a regular reader and clicked as you after a freebie plan to build a shed for next years competition?

The reason for this post is the lack of quality free(or open source) shed designs out there in the interwebs.

But someone who I read and follow is Michael Janzen from Tiny house design and he has put a selection of shedlike plans up for free on his excellent website.. including

5×8 Tiny Market House

This house is intended to be used as a display for artisans at crafts fairs. It could also be adapted for any micro business that needs a small portable building. It’s footprint might be too small to serve as a real tiny house but it might make a nice weekend camping trailer for one or two people.

and the wonderful

8×16 Tiny Solar House

This is a tiny house on a trailer designed to be lived in full-time. It’s designed to be built easily and at a low cost. The plans include a loft large enough for a queen size mattress, a bathroom complete with a shower and composting toilet. The main living are can be configured to the owner-builders needs.

This is what the community is all about… of course you can buy some of the reputable shed shop? (hint I make commission on each sale), but if you provide plans available to all, then let me know and I will feature them, and maybe the shed built will become shed of the year one year!

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