A family has shared their unusual solution to creating more space at their home – installing two “sheds” in the back garden as living space for their two eldest children.
The Wilkinson family built the two detached cabins after moving into the property in Gabalfa, Cardiff, which originally needed updating and extending. But it also came with a static caravan which parents Ross and Nicola saw as ideal space for teenage daughters Megan and Ashleigh.
However, the caravan was falling apart and not safe to live in, so it was swiftly demolished after the family threw a party in it. The couple were immediately left short on space, and despite having a budget to transform the house, it didn’t include extending the first floor to create more bedrooms.
A family member came up with the idea of installing two private lodges to give the girls their own bedrooms outside. Both girls hugely enjoyed having the space to themselves, as well as the novelty of living in the garden.
Several years later, the property – complete with the sheds – is now on the market. A house tour video shared to social media by Megan has racked up over a million views.
The original idea came from Nicola Wilkinson’s father, Rob. The parents researched their options and pitched the idea to their eldest daughters, aged 14 and 15 at the time. They instantly loved the suggestion of creating their own bedrooms, although some family members had their doubts.
Megan said: “My friends thought it was really cool. That is where the name ‘The shed’ came from – my friends. We have always referred to them as log cabins in the family but when my friends saw it they said: ‘You just basically live in a shed’ and that’s how it was referred to then – Megan’s Shed.
“I’ve had a couple of friends stay over – mainly when my parents weren’t home and they will only get to know about it now. And when friends weren’t staying over I could fit quite a few people in there so I did have a few shed parties.”
The “sheds” were thousands of pounds’ worth of weather-resistant log cabins, rather than just standard garden structures, and came with double-glazing and a locking front door from a company called Dunster House. As a carpenter, 43-year-old dad Ross was able to tackle building the foundations, construction and installation of underground electricity.
Nicola, also aged 43, says: “We moved in in the December and by February 5 the first cabin was up – the girls couldn’t wait. It was pure excitement, they were over the moon. If they didn’t want to do it there’s no way they would have but they absolutely loved it. They were so excited to get out there and have their own space – they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re a very busy household with the five girls and I’m a childminder so we’re very busy and also have a big family so when it came to needing quiet time to study the cabins were perfect.”
But the first night in the cabins was more memorable than expected. Ross said: “To sleep in the cabins was their choice. It suited their personalities – they couldn’t wait to get out there.
“But at that time the Beast from the East was just starting and they were carrying their duvets out into the snow. I said: ‘You’re not going to stay out there tonight are you?’ and they were like: ‘Yeah we are’ – they could not wait. The morning after their first night out there I had to shovel them out of the snow so they could open their front doors.”
Megan, now 21 and living in London and working as a social media manager, has many happy memories of living in her cabin, reports Wales Online.
She said: “It was never cold in there. The oil heaters were fine and when I was younger and I was on the way home from college I would text my mum and ask her to turn on the heating so it was warm when I got home.”
“I was never that bothered about sleeping in the garden – I was just so excited about having my own space. The difference I saw was when I had friends stay over and they heard noises outside they would really panic but I have no memory of ever being scared about it.
“I’d sometime hear the foxes and the cats on the roof – I’d hear that quite a bit – and when I had friends stay over they’d hear the cats and they’d be like: ‘Oh my God – what’s that noise?’ and I’d laugh and say: ‘It’s just a cat.’ The most memorable time was once there were two cats fighting on top of the shed and they fell down the side but it was in the middle of the night and I woke up to cats screaming and heard them go thud, thud, thud down the side of the wall.
“The best things about my shed were that I could go to bed when I wanted, I could watch films without having to use headphones, I could listen to music at midnight and no-one would have any idea, friends could come round and not have to be too quiet – it was great. It was bliss – no-one bothered me.”
Her house tour video shared to Instagram and TikTok went viral, with over a million views on just her initial TikTok post, as well as questions about the unusual lifestyle.
Nicola said: “The question that’s been thrown out a lot in response to Megan’s video is: ‘What do you do if you need the toilet?’ Megan very rarely wakes up in the night so it wasn’t an issue for her but it was never an issue for either of them actually and they had a key to the back door and they could let themselves in.”
The family felt safe and happy living in their community, meaning they felt comfortable leaving the back door of the house open for the girls to come and go. Ross said not once did they have an issue with anyone trying to enter the property.
Nicola said: “We are lucky – it’s a fully enclosed garden and totally secure and the cabins lock, they’ve got keys, and the garden has a concrete wall. Anyone would have to get through neighbours’ gardens to get to the sheds. And it’s not a massive garden – the house to the cabins is about 15 steps. I could call them from the house for their tea.”
Ross added: “Predominantly the girls were in the house most of the time and the cabins were used as and when needed for privacy, study, and sleeping when needed because there were times when a bedroom in the house was vacant but they would say: ‘No thanks – I want to stay in my cabin’ and that was the same when they came back from uni too.”
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With garden structures becoming more popular since the pandemic as a cost-effective way of adding space to a home, the couple have a few words of advice for anybody considering one.
Ross said: “It was a fantastic idea for us, it worked for our household, but because of climate change now temperatures are dropping so now I’d say think about insulating your cabin and then plasterboard it to make it warmer. We used oil burners which were phenomenal.”
Nicola added: “And they weren’t on for long – just needed a quick blast to heat it up and then turned off. Plus the cabins have double-glazing and we carpeted to make the floor cosier. But when it comes to log cabins you do what’s right for you and what your children are happy with – it worked for us but might not work for everyone. I think you need to think about the age of the children as well – our girls were 14 and 15 moving out there but we wouldn’t have done it any younger.”
While Megan and Ashleigh were enjoying their cabins, the couple spent years transforming their dated semi-detached house into a stunning family home with a new extension and interiors.
Now planning to move to a more rural area just outside Cardiff to enjoy walking their dog in the countryside, the house has been put on the market for £325,000.
Nicola said: “We will miss living in Gabalfa. We can walk down the Taff Trail into the city centre and the bay and there’s a choice of local shops within walking distance including Llandaff North and Whitchurch. The M4 is close too, as well as rail links, but it’s the people we will miss the most – it’s a friendly community to call home. I’m a childminder and often out in the community with the children and the dog-walking options are great too.”
The house has become a popular property to view since it was put on the market just a few days ago. Paul Dutton from estate agency Urban Suburban said: “It’s been so busy booking in viewings, up to 27 at the moment, that I now have a waiting list of people desperate to view this amazing property and potentially make it their new home. I’ve never known anything like this – it’s incredible.”
Ross said: “It will be up to the new buyer of the house if they want to keep both cabins, or just one, but they are very handy and could be a gym or bar or home office as well as a bedroom. If they don’t want them we can pack them up and take them with us. But whatever happens we will definitely be having a shed in the garden at our next home.”
Megan added: “I loved my shed in the garden – it was everything to me. I have so many amazing memories – it was the best decision my parents ever made.”
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