Looking for Cheap Housing? Why not use a Log Cabin

With housing prices a deterrent for many new buyers, why not consider one of these fantastic residential log cabins as an alternative to a bricks and mortar home. At the low price of only £18,999 including vat, it's a price that cannot be beaten. Extras include roofing for £940 and delivery costs.

This attractive building has many interesting features including an upstairs balcony leading from the bedroom and a large living room and kitchen area. With thick 68mm timber wall construction, the building will be naturally wind-tight and insulated from the elements. With 85 square metres of living space, this cabin is larger than many first-time buyer flats and apartments so is well worth considering as a starter home or as extra living accommodation for guests or visitors. Some people even use the building as business premises.

Many older homes belonging to parents or other relatives have large gardens with ample space for an extra building and what better gift to a son or daughter trying to carve their way in life, than to offer up this space for their first home. Obviously the relevant planning permission would need to be obtained in advance, however on the basis this is acceptable, then a new home for this price is almost unheard of.

Click here to have a look at this log cabin in more detail

Why Do Men Buy Sheds?

It's an interesting fact that nearly all our shed buying customers are men - why is this and why don't women buy sheds? Is it that men consider their garden shed as their safe haven for escaping to when the list of household chores becomes too long? Or is it a throwback to childhood dens and camps that's the attraction?

Many men spend several happy hours away from the house wiling away the time in their shed, but to the uninitiated, how many things can there possibly be to do in a shed? It's fair to say that most sheds are immaculately tidy, so clearly, an awful lot of time is spent housekeeping to maintain this highly organised environment and then of course, there's the continual requirement to oil, grease and generally lubricate and clean tools to keep them in tip top condition. Aside from this, we can only assume that the humble garden shed is a portal to another world, transporting the shed-loving man to far away heavenly kingdoms similar to The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Maybe the garden shed is a Tardis, taking the man to other galaxies with unusual lifeforms.

One interesting snippet of information that may conclude this matter - a exceptionally large proportion of sheds are purchased by men with pregnant wives.....need I say more!

 Click here to see our full range of sheds

10 Minute Shed Base

When buying a shed or garden building, the installation of the building itself is usually the easy part. The difficulty is usually preparing the ground and constructing a base suitable for protecting your brand new building's floor from the elements for the next ten years or so. The options are usually to dig out the soil, create some shuttering, mix up some concrete, pour it in and level it out. Not a task eagerly anticipated by the non DIY enthusiast. The simpler alternative has been to dig the area out, get some sharp sand (and ideally some cement), then hump some rather heavy concrete paving slabs onto the area and level them out. That is, until now.... Ecobase is a relatively new lock together system that uses a series of lightweight grids laid onto a section of weed suppressing membrane that distributes the weight of your building across the entire area. Other than ensuring the ground is level, there is no preparation required - it really is just a case of linking the sections together and laying them down.  The grids can even be cut to size with a simple hack-saw if required. Priced at £6.49 per unit each measuring 50cm x 50cm, the price is much better than other shed base options as well. Also, the weed matting is provided in the pack. Some typical shed sizes are shown below with the number of units required. 6 x 4ft shed (1.8 x 1.2) will need 12 tiles 8 x 6ft shed ( 2.4 x 1.8) will need 20 tiles 10 x 8ft shed ( 3.0 x 2.4 ) will need 30 tiles 8 x 8ft shed (2.4 x 2.4 ) will need 25 tiles For more information, click here  

1. Clear and prepare a level area of land just larger than the area needed for your building. EcoBase grids can be laid directly on to grass, gravel or bare land.[/caption]	2. Cover the area with a Geotextile permeable membrane to prevent weeds, to stop worm action and to hold any pea gravel in place, if used. Tip: Measure your building and then add at least 6 inches to the perimeter of the membrane.[/caption]	3. Lay out your grids, making sure the feet are facing down. Cut grids to size using a hand saw where required. Interlock each grid and then secure using the EcoPins (12 per grid) to create your finished base.[/caption]

How to Create a Boulder Water Feature

The sound of running water in the garden is always relaxing - as its gentle babbling tones mask other noise pollution replacing it with therapeutic, meditative softness to calm away the stresses of the day. Unlike manufactured water features, natural stone features are always unique and the water moves over the stone in random patterns, following the natural contours and strata of the stone formed over thousands of years. Achieving a natural boulder water feature in your garden is often easier than you think and can be completed over a weekend. To start with, you need to ensure you have provision for powering the pump. Then, dig a hole where the feature is to be positioned. Fit a reservoir kit into the area ensuring it is the correct product for the weight of stone being used. Place the pump into the reservoir leaving a section of pipework through the centre hole of the reservoir. Set the boulders over the reservoir and fill in around the area with pebbles and cobbles to create a natural finish. If you plan to extend the pebble area into a surrounding planting bed, be sure to lay weed membrane over the area first to keep ongoing maintenance to a minimum.   Feed the pipe through the centre of the boulder feature and cut to size.   Fill the reservoir with water and turn the pump on. Chances are, the water will shoot out through the top of the boulders like a geyser, so you can either turn down the flow rate on the pump or use a series of pebbles and cobbles over the end of the pipe to dissipate the water flow.   Make any final finishing touches to the appearance of the feature in order to make it appear as natural as possible and then enjoy!

Glass Pebbles - Great for Memorials

We introduced a range of beautiful glass pebbles to our product selection during the course of last year as when we saw them, we fell in love with the stunning translucent colours and their wonderful tactile quality. They almost look good enough to eat! We anticipated that these would mainly be used in water features and on top of plant pots to add a touch of colour and reflective interest, however we have been surprised to find that the majority of purchases have been made by customers looking to use them as memorial decoration. These very special glass pebbles come in a wide range of colours and are being selected by our customers to match the personal tastes and colour preferences of the dearly departed person or simply to make the memorial look attractive. They are either being laid loose, or sometimes they are cemented in place to make a mosaic pattern. To take a look at this beautiful range of glass pebbles click here