19 Apr Is a shed the secret to a happy relationship?

Even the happiest couples sometimes get on each other’s nerves.

Even the most tolerant women have been known to get frustrated at having their loving partner “underfoot” when they’re just trying to get things done.

Even the most considerate men can lament the fact that they can’t just do whatever they want, at least every now and then.

The obvious answer is to get a shed. Or maybe one each!

The experts agree

Doctors Charles and Elizabeth Schmitz, authors of the award-winning book Building a Love that Lasts: The Seven Surprising Secrets to a Successful Marriage, have interviewed couples around the world for more than 30 years.

They concluded that “the secret to their happy marriage is having time for themselves … time alone with their own thoughts, their own meditations, their own self, in their own physical space”.

Psychologist Dr Terri Orbuch has been involved in a long-term study of 373 couples since 1990.

During her research, she found that 29 per cent of spouses said they didn’t have enough “privacy or time for self”.

Why get a shed?

Of course, there are plenty of ways to get alone time, but a lot of them are actually hard work. You have to think of something and organise it. It’s not always something you can do any time.

Having your own physical space within the boundaries of your own property means that you can not only go there whenever you feel like it but also do whatever you want inside it.

You might want to set it up for a specific purpose, such as a favourite hobby or pastime, or you may want it to just be a comfortable multi-purpose space, a man cave or she shed.

The bottom line is it’s entirely up to you how you set up and use your shed, and if you happen to think of a different use, changing it up is also your decision alone.

The people have spoken

Don’t just take the experts’ word for it. This is what some people who have discovered the joy of sheds have said:

“Sheds, I have discovered, are essential places in which to contain a husband. And for every man who’s smugly congratulating himself on breaking out for some sneaky man time, you can bet there’s a wife breathing a huge sigh of relief at having him out from under her feet.” – writer Hilary Boyd

“All of my shed dreams have come true. And I have a happy wife who has marvelled no fewer than ten times about how much more cozy and private the backyard feels these days.” – DIY blogger and author John Petersik

“I work with my husband from a home office so we spend a lot of time together in the house. It is important that we both have our own special place to get away from the office, from each other, as much as we enjoy being together, and away from the kids. It allows me to think and not be disturbed.” – business owner and mother of three Trish Radge.

If you have any friends with sheds, we reckon you’ll get very similar thoughts from them.

Of course, we hope you have an extremely happy relationship, even without a shed, but if you’d like to make sure your happiness lasts, use our store locator to find your nearest Stilla outlet!