We’re all about self-builds, especially when the weather is good! If you are hands-on and like to achieve something really special, this self-build success should inspire you.
Here’s David and Deborah’s self-build story.
About you
We are David and Deborah Dobson and have grown-up children who have left home. We live in the Buckinghamshire Chiltern Hills. We have 6 acres of land, horses and dogs so a lot of time is spent outside.
Why did you decide to get a self-build shepherd’s hut / use Blackdown?
We had always admired shepherd’s huts but could never have afforded a ready-made one and David is such a perfectionist that such things would never be ‘quite right’ – so when we discovered self-build it was the perfect option for us.
How have you enjoyed the self-build process, and how long did it take?
There were no problems at all, all material provided was of excellent quality and any queries were sorted out quickly with the office. The resident DIY expert had great fun. The only issue was that not many other jobs got done in the meantime!
We got the hut early May 2014 and it was watertight by the end of the month. The internals were done steadily around full-time jobs and other stuff, and the project finally ‘finished’ in February 2015. See our blog We had endless ‘fun’ (!) getting tarpaulins on and off during a very wet and windy May!
What will the hut be used for, how many does it sleep, and what facilities/features does it have?
It is used as a place to chill out, drink tea and wine and look at the view. It can sleep two and has been used as extra accommodation when we have a houseful. It has a toilet and a kitchen sink area so enough for overnighters.
Are you decorating the hut yourselves?
The hut is all planned and decorated etc by us, has a sink area, toilet and hand basin, wood burner and bench seat/double bed. We set the toilet door at an angle to save space, so we needed some extra internal cladding from Blackdown.
What do you love about shepherd huts?
The whole thing! It has a very solid feel, quite unlike a summerhouse and the height improves the view! It’s a bonus to think we could tow it down the field if we wanted to (though getting it back into the garden would be a serious challenge!)
You can find their blog here.