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A man’s shed is his castle

Posted on September 3, 2009, 1:01pm and updated on September 4, 2009 at 8:03 am

Shed man

Mount Gambier man Arthur Chambers loves to potter around in his back shed.

Nearly half of South Australian men say women do not understand the importance of the great Aussie shed, the inaugural Bankwest “Shed Index” has found.

The latest Bankwest Social Indicator Report also found that the average South Australian shed and its contents were insured for $12,453, while one in three people use their shed as a “dumping ground” for junk.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, the Shed Index found — unsurprisingly — that 90pc of primary shed users were men; more than half were highly territorial and declared the shed “theirs”.

Unexpectedly, the report revealed the humble shed might be a shot in the arm for relationships. Three out of four men said their partner did not mind ’”shed time” while 12pc reported it was actually good for the relationship.

Average “shed time” was two hours or less for 70pc of men, while a clutch of diehard shed dwellers (11pc) spent upwards of five hours a week wood turning, spray painting or enjoying the creature comforts they had installed.

Nearly 20pc of shed owners are partial to “hanging out” in their shed — 36 pc have installed a stereo, while one in four lugged in a bar fridge.

It was unclear whether this was stocked with alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.

But there is a dark side to sheds, with 2pc of men reporting that their partners resented the time they spent there.

Another 16pc revealed they had had an accident in their shed, with one in five needing a trip to the doctor.

Bankwest spokesman Adrian Bradley said the report highlighted the cultural and social significance of the great Aussie shed.

“It’s often said that Poms consider their house to be their castle, but our report shows that for many South Aussie men it’s their shed,” Mr Bradley said.

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Comments

One Response to “A man’s shed is his castle”

  1. uncle wilco on September 4th, 2009 8:48 pm 1

    It’s not just you Aussies. Us Poms love a shed too http://www.readersheds.co.uk.

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