Me and my shed: a story of true love between the average British male and his hidey-hole at the bottom of the garden

 
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20 February 2013

It's that time of year again - Cuprinol's shed report and competition uncovers strange facts about the British male and his shed. Some Englishmen love their sheds so much they'd like to be buried in them, and 12 per cent of shed-owners prefer to be there than with their families.

New research released today reveals that we’re a nation of shed-fanatics with two in three British adults now owning a shed and the average shed-owner spending more than a year of their life in their shed. In fact Brits love their sheds so much that six per cent would like to be buried in them.

The research forms part of the Shed’onomic report - an in-depth study of the nation’s shed behaviour - commissioned by Cuprinol to mark the start of the annual Shed of the Year competition.

The research is wide-ranging, and has come up with a lot of strange-but-true findings, such as:

Six per cent of men use their sheds to spice up their love lives

Six per cent would like to be buried in their sheds

Almost half would be lost without their sheds

More than one fifthof men have spent time in their sheds to avoid arguments

Seven per cent escape there to make private phone calls

As much as 12 per cent of shed owners prefer spending time in their shed to being with their family

The research also showed that sheds aren’t just for old fogies: it’s the under-25s who spend the most on their sheds – an average of £493 compared with the over-55s who fork out just £360. Londoners splash out the most of all - an average of £508 - compared with the national average of £396

Apparently as many as a third of Brits paint in their sheds, while 11 per cent claim to use it as an office

It was also found that the shed is not just a place to store garden tools; other items regularly kept there include children’s toys, fridge/ freezers, books, sunbeds, desks. bikes and old gym equipment.

The top 10 most unusual objects stored in sheds are:

1. A wedding dress

2. Ashes from a family member’s cremation

3. A Sinclair bubble car

4. Christmas presents

5. A church organ blower

6. Stuffed animals

7. A chicken coop

8. Porn

9. Model aircrafts

10. A tile from Genghis Khan's palace

The Shed of the Year competition sponsored by Cuprinol, is the brainchild of shed-fanatic Uncle Wilco, who launched the nationwide competition seven years ago to celebrate the best of British shed. You can enter at www.readersheds.co.uk from now until May 3. Shed categories include: Normal, Eco, Garden Office, Cabin/ Summerhouse, Workshop/ Studio, Unique, Pub and Tardis.

Winners announced during Shed Week, which is July 1-7.

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