CREEPING egalitarianism has knocked another rusty nail into the smoothly sanded timber of the male ego. The garden shed, once an exclusively male domain, is being colonised by women.

A survey of 1,000 adults has found that 40 per cent of women now regard their garden shed as a space where they can “do their own thing”, compared with only 38 per cent of men.

The news may strike fear into those men brought up to believe in the shed as the male bolthole but, to many women, it will make perfect sense. If they are living and working more like men, they might as well start pottering about like them, too. This move reflects the growing popularity of home improvement and DIY as a hobby for both sexes, encouraged by television makeover programmes, and the trend for sheds to be elevated to become extra living spaces in their own right.

Tom Greatrex, of the Future Laboratory, a market research company that conducted the research for Standard Life bank, said that the increased interest in sheds also reflects developments in the world of interiors and architectural design.

Sheds were becoming lean-to bars, baroque entertainment dens, meditation rooms, miniature spas, even offices and studios, he said.

“‘Shedites’ are using their sheds as a means to extend their property without the need for planning permission or remodelling, creating an alternative entertainment space housing home theatres, galleries and bars,” Mr Greatrex said.

“We’re seeing a move away from the open-plan space and a return to creating dens, ‘ideas pits’ and boltholes. There is a recession round the corner that we’re preparing to weather out in the comfort of our own homes and also in the increasingly comfort of our garden sheds.”

As the role of the shed expanded, it was only natural that its appeal should expand to include more women, he added.

More than 1½ million sheds were built in Britain last year and a well-kept shed can add as much as 5 per cent to the value of a property, according to the British Institute of Surveys. The online insurance firm Esure has even gone so far as to say: “The garden shed is the must-have accessory for the modern home.”

B&Q, the home-improvement retailer, confirmed that sales had risen by 40 per cent in the past two years. Lorian Coutts, of B&Q, said: “With women acting as the major catalysts and decision makers behind many home improvement projects, we are not surprised by this trend, especially as the range of products encompasses sophisticated garden buildings with a range of luxury features.

“The new generation of garden buildings, some of which even include built-in barbecues or saunas, provide a comfortable space for all the family to enjoy.”

She added that they were a good way to expand a home because planning permission was seldom needed.

A CREATIVE USE OF SPACE

The website www.readerssheds.co.uk features garden sheds from members of the public around the world

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