Shed of the year 2024, Sponsored by 
What makes my shed most special is probably the roof. I was tight for space so rather than put a shed on an allotment, I put an allotment on my shed! I use the shed as my work space, the first half is for painting and art, the second half is a music practise room and studio. The very back of the shed is a little work shop, mostly for repairing by bicycle. The shed is special because it provides me with my way of life. It is great to work knowing it gives me a really high level of sustainability. The lights are powered by a solar panel, I use a wood burner to heat it, and then there is the allotment roof. Last year I grew a really decent crop including potatoes, courgettes, leaks, beetroot, onions, carrots, corn, broad beans, peas, mange tout, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, as well as a herb garden. I have a little cooker up there and I often sit up there and make myself warm veg sandwich. The excess water from the roof flows off through a down pipe and waters the herb wall, before being collected in a water butt to be used again. It's easy to access the roof, with a little staircase and I even have a tin bath up there for a Summer soak. It really is a true, working shed and a little mini countryside which keeps me sane in a city.
In true allotment style, much of the shed was built using recycled materials. Although I put over £500 it probably wasn't much over. Much of that was basic structure and cladding because it is a large shed. I used old aluminium windows and doors when I replaced them in my house. Old carpet to sound proof music section. Wood off cuts, old tyres etc for the allotment raised beds, old pallets to make the herb wall. I took the soil for the allotment roof from beneath the shed base.
