Shed Love

Economic turmoil may have caused serious stresses and strains for the masses this year, forcing spending cutbacks on everything from hamburgers to holidays – but the backyard shed and related DIY has survived, new research reveals.

Over three quarters (77%) of respondents in a study continued to buy additional items for their shed during the financial crisis, according to the Shed Index, which was conducted by CoreData and commissioned by Bankwest.

Men, as one would expect, are the primary users of sheds (90%), with 45 per cent of male respondents indicating that women don’t understand the importance men place on their sheds, with a further fifth (18%) uncertain women understand.

What happens in the shed stays in the shed it seems, with 37% admitting nothing had ever been created in their shed, yet there was no need to create when over a third (35%) have a stereo or sound system, 16 per cent a TV, 9 per cent a couch and 27% a bar fridge, which may or may not have contributed to the 16 per cent admitting accidents.

Average shed contents total $8,900, and an additional $1,135 is expected to be spent in the next year, with 5.1 per cent of respondents saying their shed had been burgled, with the average value stolen $1,951.

Four in ten rank their shed as very important, and 14 per cent extremely important, with 36 per cent admitting they spend 1-2 hours per week in the shed, 19 per cent 3-5 hours and a few shed addicts (11%) admit more than five hours per week.

An extremely high 76 per cent of shed dwellers said their significant other didn’t seem to mind the time they spent in the shed, with 12 per cent encouraging more shed time.

Only 2 per cent said their partner resents their time spent in the shed.

The Shed Index was conducted during August 2009, with over 1,400 respondents, of which 82 per cent were male.