Shed Power?

Monty Python's Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson. - only had one garden shed, ironically - I now have 3, and small greenhouse.

I am, however thinking of getting another shed as soon as I have cleared out all the rubbish from the oldest shed into the skip currently sitting on my drive.

My newest shed, is destined to become my sanctuary and office/workshop and measures about 16 x 10 feet. For most of the summer it was full of new kitchen units waiting to be installed into the new kitchen. This has now been done and at last I have got my shed back into some semblence of order that I can actually sit at my desk out there and get a wireless internet connection back to the router indoors.

This weekend I finally got the power laid on to the shed, where previously it had been a rather non-satisfactory extension cable. I spent yesterday afternoon wiring up the fluorescent lights and putting a few sockets in.

By dusk yesterday, I was in a position to have full lights and power, so I enjoyed a celebratory beer, in the comfort of my own shed.

The shed also acts as an outer sanctuary, with wireless and phone, sofa and all the mod-cons such as beer-cooler and bottle opener. Some have even suggested that I could live out there, should diplomatic relationships deteriorate indoors!

Sheds are a good way of getting additional storage space on the cheap. You pay between 10 and 14 pounds per square foot, depending if you want a concrete base and insulation to allow year-round use.

The next plan is to add anothe 16x 10 shed which will become the mechanical workshop and forge. It will have a screed concrete floor, suitable for taking my lathe and milling machine,and will feature a central brick builld fireplace and forge that it will share with the adjacent office shed. It will also house my waste veg oil fired Lister Diesel engine, which is currently in storage at a friend's house.

I have done a little blacksmithing in the past, and this is why I want to set up a home forge. I also want to get set up for pattern making and sand-casting, so that I can make up metal castings for experimental steam engines, and home produced wood and waste oil burning stoves.
By exploring these traditional metal working skills, I hope to become less dependent on modern (plastic) materials. A small wood fired steam engine that can power the workshop and heat the house is an ultimate goal.