Garden office

[Will Bowden]

There is a chance we will be moving home shortly and I'll be needing to create some office space. All I need to work is a desk and some shelf space. The plan is to buy a garden shed of 8'x6' or so.

Obviously I will insulate the shed, I design buildings for a living so getting that right is a doddle.

Initially I thought about bunging a small woodburner in then I did some quite calculations and realised it would be a sauna most of the time so now I'm on Plan B which is where you resourceful folk come in. Any suggestions?

Electrickery is cheap to install but a bit souless

There are some funky old paraffin heats about that would look the part, I haven't used one for years though so maybe my recollections of the smell are too rose tinted. I did ponder what else they would run on, any thoughts?

Candles, don't laugh, I seem to remember they actually give off a fair amount of heat, you just need to ensure you make the most of it...and buy them cheaply...

Solar heaters - bit of a pfaff to make but they seem to work, I may be a bit over shaded though.

Will

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

I would have thought a wood burner going full tilt would cause a sweaty place but choked right down should give a nice heat.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Your view on paraffin heaters might change, given that you can now get ROLF - Reduced Odour Liquid Fuel - in layman's terms it it de-odourised paraffin!

They claim that it produces zero smell, but to my perception there is a "paraffiny" whiff to it but nowhere near as bad as the old type burners.

You could always just put on another jumper and "Man Up!"

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[daveO]

My living room heats up nicely from about 5-10 tea lights. I tried to explain this to a client building a timber frame house but they chucked in a wood burner anyway. Needless to say it doesn't get a lot of use...

Don't forget the carbon monoxide detector though

 

[bilmo-p5]

Electrickery is cheap to install but a bit souless

In an 8' x 6' shed what it lacks in soul it makes up for in compactness, ease of use, thermostatic control, lack of nasty fumes and water vapour.

You could always stick a photo of a glowing 4-dog stove to the shed wall next to the fan heater.

 

[demographic]

Paraffin heaters chuck out a fair bit of moisture which the building has to get rid of one way or another.
Put it this way, I wouldn't use one in a shed I keep tools in unless there was some kind of flue for it.

 

[rik_uk3]

Thats a small space, a small 1/2Kw heater would be more than enough to keep you warm. Paraffin heaters, candles etc will give off a lot of water and fumes.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152198/Trail/searchtext>HEATER.htm sort of thing would work well for you.

 

[santaman2000]

Maybe it's just me but I find the extra humidity given off helps me breathe better.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Even a well insulated shed can be cold in winter. I would put a frontier stove or similar wood burner in if you have access to wood for burning. Electricity is expensive as a source of heating. B&Q are selling bio- ethanol stoves for £100 at the moment which are allegedly cheap to run, atmospheric and 'trendy'

 

[rik_uk3]

Even a well insulated shed can be cold in winter. I would put a frontier stove or similar wood burner in if you have access to wood for burning. Electricity is expensive as a source of heating. B&Q are selling bio- ethanol stoves for £100 at the moment which are allegedly cheap to run, atmospheric and 'trendy'

8x6 shed we are talking about here, you loose three feet by sticking in the woodburner then another one or two feet sitting away from it for safety reasons, he'd end up sitting outside lol.

 

[bushwacker bob]

8x6 shed we are talking about here, you loose three feet by sticking in the woodburner then another one or two feet sitting away from it for safety reasons, he'd end up sitting outside lol.

wooly jumper and gloves then.

 

[Dannytsg]

Bio-ethanol burners that you would use indoors with a chimenea? Nice and cheap to buy and fuel and they also burn clean so no fears of using it indoors. They can be picked up cheap and the bay and would be ideal for heating a space so small

 

[Will Bowden]

Cheers folks, making me chuckle so far, I hadn't cottoned onto bio-ethanol, looks promising...

Will

 

[DiamondAl]

Hi Will,
Just a suggestion, what about one of those small charcoal burning stoves they use on boats, stainless steel, wall mounted, with a heat shield behind, and abou two feet tall as I remember them. Sorry I can't post a link at the moment, but I will have a look for one.

Regards,

Alan

 

[DiamondAl]

http://www.bengco.co.uk/

Found one, usual disclaimers etc, not connected etc. but if you search for charcoal stoves for boats this is one of a few that spring out of the ether.

Regards,

Alan

 

[Dannytsg]

Cheers folks, making me chuckle so far, I hadn't cottoned onto bio-ethanol, looks promising...

Will

No problem. We use them as an alternative for room heating during the colder times. They are safe if used correctly, cheap to run and buy and add the nostalgia of an open flame. Here's one I found as an example:

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=310378278637&cmd=VIDESC

tye usual disclaimer applies. I am not affiliated but I am using this to illustrate the point.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

No problem. We use them as an alternative for room heating during the colder times. They are safe if used correctly, cheap to run and buy and add the nostalgia of an open flame. Here's one I found as an example:

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=310378278637&cmd=VIDESC

tye usual disclaimer applies. I am not affiliated but I am using this to illustrate the point.

Danny, have you tried cooking on yours? thinking a trivet over the top type arrangement

 

[Dannytsg]

Haven't tried cooking over it but it could be something done. I assume it is something like a meths stove though.

 

[DiamondAl]

Anther idea, if you fancy trying out your DIY skills would be a wood burning ammo box stove with a chimney made from exhaust pipe, and a roof gasket made from a couple of silicone moulds and a couple of ring clamps to seal. Sorry to keep coming back but heating in small spaces is of interest to me, particularly in off-grid situations.

Regards,

Alan

 

[Will Bowden]

Anther idea, if you fancy trying out your DIY skills would be a wood burning ammo box stove with a chimney made from exhaust pipe, and a roof gasket made from a couple of silicone moulds and a couple of ring clamps to seal. Sorry to keep coming back but heating in small spaces is of interest to me, particularly in off-grid situations.

Regards,

Alan

I was looking at one on Youtube 't'other day Certainly interesting, I may well give it a crack anyway when we move as a project.

Some excellent ideas folks

Will