We are about to start on our first 14' hut, which is the limit to which we will go (we certainly don't build them wider, as the proportions would be all wrong on a shepherd's hut) but a bit longer will work OK.  It allows our customer to add a shower in the corner, plus a woodburner and small kitchen area. 

We are often asked about the base on which the hut should stand.  We have arrived on site a few times to find some pretty bad attempts at a level base, sometimes even that were made by a local 'professional' in such things.  It's a shame when we roll a hut onto a new concrete slab base and the slabs crack in half.  At the very least the hut needs to stand on fairly level ground.  It it's soft ground, or will get soft in winter, there needs to be something to spread the load under each wheel, such as treated timber planks, railway sleepers, flagstones etc.  Huts look good standing on grass, but if you want a more formal area around the hut then a border of railway sleepers, dug in level, with a base of landscape fabric filled with scalpings or gravel looks good.  We have sited huts on properly prepared flagstone bases, and in the right setting this looks very smart, as does a brick base.  

We have just delivered an interesting hut to Portesham vineyard, not far from us in South Dorset.  It's an island bothy version (door on the side, which obviously is not a classic shepherd's hut but it suits some people).  We built in a separate 4'6" bedroom area, with the bed in two folding sections on wooden hinges.  When raised up the underside of the bed sections are shelves for wine bottles, so the vineyard owner can stand and serve wine from a counter top, with the option of a 4'6" by 6'6" bed when required!  We added a wood burner, dresser cupboard, shelves, fold down desk and belly box underneath for storage of the solar charging kit, which links into the 240 volt wiring via an inverter.

We also made a 5 metre canvas awning (made from the same top quality strong canvas that was used for the canvas backs of soft top Land Rovers) with turned softwood poles, smart guy ropes and oak toggles for tensioning.  We can now offer side awnings (with sides too if needed)  from 2 metres to 5 metres wide, increasing the useful floor space of a hut.

The latest two huts we have been working on, a Plankbridge and a Riverkeeper's, with the double doors on the side, both have interesting bed designs in them, so it's good to be doing some furniture making again.  Having such a good team means we can be raising the frames of the next hut whilst one of us does the final finishing off a hut before it's delivered.  One of the current huts is having an old fashioned looking built in bed with two large drawers under.  One drawer is to be pulled out for their Jack Russell to sleep in! The bed design is based on one in a Reeves hut we restored a couple of years ago.  I just have to finish the painted shutters and it's ready for delivery to the Cotswolds.

The other hut has a bed which can be set up, using a nesting blanket box arrangement, as a single bed or a double, or a bench seat during the day.  The seat is built into an arched recess in the wall with an oak lining.  This hut is going to be sited high on a hill, with far reaching views. The customer can set the bed up so they can lie in bed with the double doors open looking across a valley to the West.  The blanket box style means there is lots of storage too.  This hut is painted in two shades of Farrow & Ball yellow, with a white ceiling and oak skirtings.  It looks really smart, and there will be photos on our gallery section soon.

We have just delivered a Dorset downland hut to Somerset, and we are often asked to explain the difference between the two models we offer.  The Downland  is intended to be of a specification familiar to a Victorian shepherd.  However both versions have the same insulated roof with breather membrane and vapour barrier under the roof sheets.  The downland has an exposed timber frame on the inside, with a pine floor and no cavity under the floor.    I personally would prefer to take the hut beyond this stage to the much more refined Plankbridge hut.  This version has a cavity all round (floor, roof and walls) and benefits from the breather membrane and vapour barrier on all the walls and under the oak floor.  The main advantage is that the hut becomes a similar environment to a modern timber frame structure, meaning papers and books can be left inside without becoming damp.  The insulated cavity helps soundproof the interior, making it a relaxing place to be whatever the weather. 

During the snow I lit the stove in our Plankbridge hut early in the morning and it swiftly got to 21 degrees centigrade  inside the hut.  I kept the burner ticking over, maintaining the warmth inside and there was still 2" of snow on the roof at 3 in the afternoon.  A fully insulated hut has got to be a good thing!