Alex Holland is the winner of this year’s coveted Shed of the Year Award. His solar-powered nautically themed shed was built almost entirely of salvaged materials.
What may have won the award for Holland was the 14 foot boat that was flipped upside down to create the shed’s roof. The shed also features a 20-W solar panels that powers the amenities inside. The shed’s frame was created with four telegraph poles that help hold up the boat roof. The aluminum framed windows were taken from a 1940s caravan and a few other windows were taken off of Ho
lland’s farmhouse. To create the walls Holland used a mixture of corrugated metal with some wattle and daub.
The inside of the shed is very high tech. The PV panel the shed uses feeds a battery that provides power to LED lighting and a 12-V sound system, which is the only new item used in the shed’s construction. There is also a plumbed Belfast sink and a 19th century wood burning stove for heat that is fitted with a chimney made from the queen pole of an old circus big top.
Holland took home the top prize of around $1,300, which is more than double what it cost him to build the shed. He plans on using his winnings to buy a wind turbine. It may be difficult to figure out where to draw the line between what constitutes a shed and a “micro-dwelling”, but Holland’s structure is unique, creative, and well deserving of the award.
