Guest Post by Alex Johnson from Shedworking.

The tide is turning very much towards the welcoming sandy shores of homeworking for many reasons and I welcome that. But there is a difference between a pine kitchen table and a cedar-shingled garden office, a spare bedroom and a spare shed. Commuting to the end of your garden adds an extra dimension to your homeworking experience and is arguably the perfect live-work home solution.

Psychologically, shedworking marks a clear difference between where you live and where you work – there’s no taint of work attached to any part of your home. Instead all the taint is in the shed.

Physically, it’s easier to prevent – or at least restrict – your children, spouses and pets invading your work space if you’re based in a garden office (although admittedly I get more bees in here than I did when I worked in the dining room). Nor is there any need to double up on spaces. With a shed, your third bedroom remains modem free and your dining room table is not deluged by paper. And just as importantly, a shed keeps you away from the fridge so the temptation to nibble is more remote.

Financially, it adds value to your property, up to 5% according to some reports, and is certainly much cheaper than moving house to get an extra room in which to work. It’s also a great place to meet clients: I’ve had several meetings in my garden office and every single visitor has been at the very least intrigued by the arrangements and at the best positively impressed. As an income-generator, it’s certainly better than wifi-ing from the sofa.

Next week: famous shedworkers

For a copy of The Shed magazine, please email Alex at alex@splashmedia.co.uk or go to Shedworking for daily updates