Prologue
Over the past year, I have been on a quest to create a new studio at the bottom of my garden. There have been ups and downs along the way and it has been quite the journey. Like the great chroniclers before me (Herodotus, Samuel Pepys, Frodo Baggins) I thought it would be good to write down the tale for others to hear the story of how the Shed Studio came into being.
It all started back in the mists of time when our family was much smaller. Back then I had my own room in the house to compose. A place where I could while away the hours, channelling my inner Motzart. Over the years as my family grew and I had to make great sacrifices. For the sake of family unity, a pair of warring sisters, I gave up this space. Since this time I have been composing in a shared family space in the house, whilst this was not ideal we made it work. But a year ago we embarked on a journey that would change all this forever.
Chronicals of a Garden Studio
March 2021
This is where our story begins. Having quickly realised that this task was not something to be tackled by a humble composer alone, I set out looking for companions. My first port of call was our gardener/landscaper, Joe Cooper and his band of merry gardeners. After a positive first meeting we came up with a plan, see left. We browsed many studio options before opting for the Helena Garden Office, we placed our order and set a start date.
June 2021
Joe and the gang turned up one June morning and proceeded to level the old garden. They made good progress building the raised sleeper beds and clearing the end of the garden, providing a space for the new studio. It was around this time that we hit our first problem. The delivery date for the studio still hadn’t been confirmed. After some chasing, we found out that the supplier was struggling to get hold of some of the glazing for the shed.
July 2021
By mid-July Joe and his team had finished everything in the garden apart from the building of the studio. At this point, we parted company and they agreed to return when the studio was finally delivered. Over the next few months, I would chase periodically only to be told they still didn’t have the final few parts and that they couldn’t confirm a delivery date.
October 2021
Finally, after much waiting, we received the studio in early October. We rallied Joe and the troops and over the next few days, they erected the studio. It was at this point we hit our next bump in the road. The electrician who had agreed to do the job disappeared off the face of the earth. Search parties were sent out but no trace could be found of him.
November 2021
By November we had come to the conclusion that our first electrician was not going to appear. We made fresh enquiries and chanced upon Alan Hughes. Alan came with good references but with all decent tradespeople, they tend to be very busy people. Alan agreed to do the work but wouldn’t be able to start until the end of January.
January 2022
After the usual Christmas and new year distractions, the end of January couldn’t come soon enough. Alan turned up as promised and proceeded to install all the electrics and lighting in the studio.
February 2022
After the installation of the electrics, I set about decorating the studio. Like all good DIY projects I had completely underestimated the time it would take. But this was the final push and I was not to be deterred! I spent the weekend painting, laying the floor and installing the blinds. During the following week, I move all my equipment into the studio. A week or so ago I moved in. It had taken a lot longer than I had hoped but the quest was finally at an end.
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