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One in five Brits hide from their family in the garden shed

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
27/02/2024

One in five (20%) Brits admit they hide from their partners and children in the garden shed, according to Shedstore.co.uk.

The shed experts also found that we store a staggering amount of valuables in our sheds, with an estimated £10bn-worth of possessions hoarded in them across the country.

Four in 10 (41%) survey respondents said they head to the shed as a sanctuary away from the stresses of work and family life.

And a surprising one in seven claim they spend at least 10 hours a week in their sheds. That’s more than 500 hours a year living at the bottom of the garden. Almost a third of shed owners polled said they spend at least four hours a week in their sheds.

What do they do in there?

Nearly 40% have turned their shed into a hobby or craft room, with woodwork and painting rooms the most popular usages. While, 7% said they work or run a business from their sheds and 11% use their sheds simply to read, listen to the radio and watch the TV.

One in 20 admitted they often use their sheds to do things that their other halves wouldn’t approve of, such as drinking and smoking.

A surprising 17% said they have possessions worth at least £2,500 in their garden sheds. Almost a third (32%) admitted they have at least £1,500 worth of possessions in their sheds.

An overwhelming 96% of those polled said they’d never had anything stolen from their sheds, even though 1 in 5 (21%) admitted they never locked them.

Tracey Hartwell, sales manager at Shedstore.co.uk, said: “The simple garden shed has evolved into something much more than a place to stockpile possessions and de-clutter the house. It’s become an extension of the house; a place to work, rest and play.”