Wood burning stoves and open fires are making a comeback, due to concerns about ever increasing energy prices and people looking for more eco friendly ways to heat their homes.

Wood burning stoves in particular, are more environmentally friendly and cheaper than regular heating methods, especially if you season and prepare the wood yourself:

Slow burning and smokeless fuel is produced when wood is allowed to dry naturally and weathered over time.

A sturdy log store is needed to store and season the wood, but it can make a striking garden feature, and by gradually stocking it up during summer, you can provide enough free fuel for the entire winter!

The robust British made log store featured here, is constructed from high-pressure treated wood, making it much harder-wearing than it might otherwise be. It is delivered in flat pack form and can be erected easily by one person.
Available online from GreenStamp priced at £275.

These log stores are made in the UK from the finest quality timber, all with FSC certification every process from harvesting, debarking, rounding, profiling and machining, is undertaken with the highest level of care and precision by a highly skilled workforce.

To view Green Stamp’s extensive collection of garden log stores, please visit the website.

Tel: (01637) 854717

As the family grows and our possessions increase, we all strive to make the best of the space we have with clever storage solutions.

But unless you’re lucky enough to already have all the bedroom and living space you need, there will undoubtedly come a time when you need to consider upsizing to accommodate your needs.

But it needn’t mean a costly extension or stressful move - a garden building could be the answer to your prayers.

Forest, a leading UK garden timber company, have a new range of log cabins and summer houses in a variety of sizes and prices to suit most budgets and requirements.

Log Cabins
New for 2011, Forest has introduced a range of beautifully designed timber log cabins for its garden buildings collection.

If you’re looking for an office space, craft workshop or study, a playroom for the kids, gym space or even a spare bedroom for visitors, or an entertainment room, each of the premium log cabins have been designed as a solution.

Priced from £1,249 to £7,999 RRP, with sizes from 2.2 x 2.2m to 5 x 5m.

Featured here is the Kington Log Cabin. 4.8m x 3m / 34mm log thickness. RRP from £3,749.

For added peace of mind, each log cabin features a Euro locking mechanism on the doors.
Forest offers a full assembly service, which is available throughout mainland UK.

Summer-houses
Forest has added five attractive new summer-houses to their collection. Made from 12mm shiplap, with rounded window and door finishes, as well as stylish window and door furniture and styrene glazed windows and doors.
Each design is finished with dip treated, factory applied preservative.

For example:

The Aurora Summer-house is available in two sizes and has a contemporary design with sweeping curved roof, double doors and large rectangular windows.
(Large 2 x 2 x 1m RRP £1,499 and Small 2 x 2 x 3m RRP £1,099).

Forest’s products can be purchased in more than 1,000 garden centres and builders merchants in the UK. All products are FSC certified.

For further information about Forest, details of stockist locations, home delivery options and prices -

Tel: (0844) 248 9801.

Asgard has unveiled its latest high security metal garden shed range - The Asgard Flexistore Storage Unit, in response to the growing demand for a good quality, secure outdoor shed for multipurpose storage.

The Flexistore metal garden storage unit is a smart and stylish alternative to the traditional old wooden shed:

• The new range was designed to provide secure outdoor storage as well as the flexibility of additional shelving space and storage.

• The single door access offers convenient accessibility and features the same unique high security 3-point locking system as many of Asgard’s other security approved storage units.

• With an enhanced integrated ventilation system and solid plywood flooring, the Flexistore Storage Unit is ideal for storing gardening tools and equipment, lawn mowers, and patio furniture and bulky children’s play equipment.

• The unit is manufactured at the company headquarters in Bradford, and can be personalised around the customer’s requirements.

• Available in 3 sizes depending on the outdoor space required, with an optional ramp for accessibility, and comes in a range of 3 colours to suit the surroundings of Dark Green, Brown or Ivory.

“Interest is going through the roof as we are the UK’s only manufacturer of fully secure sheds that can be designed to order,” said Nick Hewitt, MD of office furniture manufacturing firm Flexiform who established Asgard in 2003.

“An Asgard shed is one of the heaviest and best quality on the market and so their weight and goods stored within them, often mean that anchoring the base is not required for sheltered locations”.

The new Flexistore range will be available to order online at special introductory prices for a limited time - starting from just £399.

For more information about the new Flexistore range of garden sheds, please visit the website

Tel: (08456) 580 730

There is nothing better than an open fire to keep you warm and cosy during the cold winter months and open fires are having a renaissance as more and more people realise the cost savings, benefits to the environment and that wonderful romantic crackle of a wood burning hearth or stove.

Log stores are often thought of as an old shed. But log stores are having a renaissance and are no longer the rustic old shed full of timber and they now add a touch of something special to almost any back garden.

In preparation for winter, eco-friendly and green product specialists Greenstamp, have expanded their range of log stores and now offer the largest online range in the UK to suit all budgets and gardens and as they are from eco-friendly specialists, these log stores are environmentally friendly too.

From large log stores suitable for holding an entire season’s worth of winter fuel, to smaller rustic log stores that provide a practical yet ornamental feature for the garden.

Featured here is The Design Timber-storage - a modern and stylish storage for firewood:

• It’s contemporary design and fully galvanized roof give it a very modern and smart appearance. The walls are contstructed with horizontally placed wooden beams of 2.8×2.8 cm.
• The fully galvanized roof is fixed to the wooden frame by means of metal bars.
• As with all the log-stores, the designer timberstore is delivered flat and is easily constructed as a D.I.Y. kit and full assembly instructions are included.
• The fully galvanized raised roof provides weather protection, whilst allowing all round air circulation for improved seasoning and is fixed to the wooden frame using metal bars. The largest in the range, the Hillhout log store capacity is approximately 2.75 cubic metres.

Dimensions:
Height (including roof): 200cm
Width: 190cm
Depth: 76cm
Priced at : £795.00.

Manufactured from reclaimed timber or from sustainable managed forests, the log store range from Greenstamp provide an attractive and environmentally friendly solution, for keeping your garden free from an untidy-looking pile of logs.

Log stores are not just a great space saver either, dryer logs burn more efficiently and therefore a properly made and designed log store is essential, for ensuring you have enough dry fuel to last throughout the cold weather, helping you to cut your winter fuel bills and also your carbon footprint.

To view the complete range of Greenstamp log-stores, please visit the website.

Tel: 01637 854717

If that tired old shed at the bottom of the garden is more eyesore than eye-catching, then it’s time to take action, with a makeover that will restore it to its former glory.

And, no matter what the transformation you have in mind – be it from shed to home office, to den for the kids, or simply a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind – Sadolin has a woodstain just perfect for the job.

Shed to Hideout – It’s Child’s Play with Sadolin
Give the kids a treat by creating their very own ‘club house’.  Available in a choice of 45 shades from soft pastels through to more vivid hues, Sadolin Superdec (RSP: £14.99/ 1 litre can) gives a stylish opaque, paint-like finish and is a great way to breathe new life back into your old shed.

Easy to apply and maintain, it also helps get the job done quicker, while offering tough weather protection and a resistance to blistering and flaking that means it’ll stay looking good for longer.

Brighter shades such as ‘Lapis Lazuli’In our picture are particularly child-friendly.
Alternatively something a little more subtle, such as ‘ Pea green can be just as playtime-perfect, especially when accessorised with some colourful blinds and toys, but will be a better complement to a more traditional garden.

A Grown-Up Retreat
Ever dreamed of your very own escape at the bottom of the garden?  Then a lick of Sadolin Superdec could be all that’s required to transform your run-down shed into the ideal bolt-hole.

Choose a pastel shade such as ‘Monaco’, accessorise with pretty gingham blinds, scatter a few cushions, train some luscious honeysuckle over the roof and pot up a rose by your door and you’ve got the dream summer hideaway.

A Practical Space
And of course sometimes your humble shed really is just a humble shed, the place you store the lawnmower and other garden knick knacks and do your potting.  But just because it’s a practical space doesn’t mean it can’t look good too.

Sadolin Classic (RSP: £29.99/ 2.5 litre can) is a versatile woodstain that provides long-lasting protection against the elements.  The choice of the professionals, it is easy to apply and comes in 13 wood tones and 48 tinted choices.

For further information and inspiration, visit the Sadolin website.

Or call the Sadolin Advice Centre on (0844) 7708 998.

Why not turn that dull roof into something spectacular with a low maintenance green roof that offers some worthwhile environmental benefits?

Sedum Supply specialises in growing and supplying a marvellous range of sedum products, for use on green roofs and in garden landscaping projects and has also developed ready grown environmentally friendly wildflower roofs.

Green Roofs are becoming more and more popular in both rural and urban locations and they can be installed on flat roofs as well as roofs with a slope of up to 45 degrees.

There are different ways of achieving a living green roof:-

An Extensive Green Roof is particularly low maintenance, generally planted with sedum and is designed to look after itself for most the year.

A Wild Flower Green Roof is an extensive Green Roof planted with a wild flower mix, to provide colour throughout the summer months and a very natural habitat for local wildlife.

An Intensive Green Roof provides an accessible roof garden that can be used for recreational and leisure purposes and will require ongoing maintenance throughout the year.

Green roofs are also becoming popular because:

Alleviate Flooding
Following a heavy rainfall a green roof will initially retain more rain than a conventional roof. This minimises the initial heavy run-off, which can cause localised flooding and put pressure on the sewage system.

Noise Reduction
The soft layer of a sedum blanket growing on a green roof has the affect of absorbing sound, as opposed to hard conventional roofs, which can reflect it; the same layer can reduce sound pollution within the building.

Increases Thermal Insulation properties
Making it warmer in winter, cooler in summer and reducing energy costs.

Green roofs can be used to soften ugly flat roofs on extensions, garages, sheds etc. so that they blend more easily into their environment.

Visit the Sedum Supply website for more in depth information.

Tel: (0845) 688 8793

The Posh Shed Company build sheds to look as if they belong to your home and garden. When you are just looking for a space to put the garden tools and a bike there are hundreds of sheds available, but they all look much the same.

The Posh Shed Company have applied all their experience to come up with a range of high quality sheds that will stay dry inside, will be secure and above all, look good.

The Posh Shed Company has developed three unique designs, The Gothic, The Potting Shed and The Contemporary.

Don’t worry if these sheds don’t quite tick all the boxes, as the company’s specialist design service can design and build a shed, which meets your needs exactly.

All of the sheds are available in three sizes and a large range of colours.

They can be delivered with assembly and installation instructions, or can be installed by one of The Posh Shed Company’s skilled craftsman as an additional service.

Pictured here is:
The Gothic Shed, which has detailed fascia boards with a Gothic arch within the door and window frames. It adds considerably to the style of the garden, while at the same time giving some valuable storage space for the mower, garden furniture and every thing else that ends up in a shed.

Offered in 3 different sizes and a large range of colours. Choice of 3 sizes: Small 6ft x 4ft -£1500, Medium 7ft x 5ft - £1750, Large 8ft x 6ft - £2100.

To view the range of posh shed designs and interiors, visit the Posh Shed company’s website.

Tel: (01568) 709103

The beautifully crafted and cleverly designed Lynford Eco-Store has been created by HSP Garden Buildings to conceal all household recycling storage and shows how recycling can be stylish as well as practical.

As our mountains of recycling increases and people become more aware of the need to reduce our landfill sites, HSP has provided the perfect solution on storing our unsightly containers.

The Lynford Eco-Store is available in a wide choice of colours, thus providing an elegant feature in the garden rather than just an obviously functional unit.

Two doors open to reveal four large lidded plastic containers suitable for
newspapers, cans, plastics and glass in a shelving unit. The other half provides the space for a wheely bin to stand alongside.
HSP Garden Buildings specialise in offering customers a wide variety of classic styled buildings including arbours and gazebos, pavilions and summerhouses.

All are handcrafted and installed by HSP’s highly qualified team of craftsmen from the very best of materials; customers can choose from a spectrum of colours and styles to suit every taste or, HSP will colour match any colour to coordinate perfectly with your home.

The Lynford Eco-Store is priced at £1172.

Web:  http://www.hspgardenbuildings.co.uk
Tel:   (01638) 583 814