High-end shed sales soar as stamp duty, sky-high house prices and spending squeeze puts brits off upsizing. Sales of sheds, cabins and outbuildings costing £2,000 or more have risen by 217% over the past year, according to new data from online shed and garden storage website, Shedstore.co.uk.

Shedstore believes the toxic combination of stubbornly high property prices, punitive stamp duty costs and the rising cost of living is causing many people to be more cautious about upsizing. As a result, homeowners are looking to alternative ways to create extra space in their existing homes.

High-end and luxury outhouses make an attractive investment for cash-squeezed homeowners, coming in considerably cheaper than the conventional alternatives of loft conversions and ground floor extensions.

One 26’ x 16’ £13,000 ultra luxury cabin currently for sale on Shedstore.co.uk has seen a notable uplift in demand, with interest rising 36% since June of last year*. You can view more details about the Palmako Penelope multifunctional log cabin here.

Meanwhile, the two most popular selling sheds costing £2k or more are the Berkshire Virginia Log Cabin and the Berkshire Alsace Log Cabin.  Both are large and robust enough to act as temporary accommodation for weekend guests.

Tracey Hartwell, Sales Manager of Shedstore.co.uk, comments:

“With stamp duty, house prices and the cost of living so high, more and more people are turning to high-end sheds, cabins and outbuildings as a more affordable way to create extra space in their homes.

“A shed can be so much more than simply a place to store garden tools. The more luxury products on the market can easily be turned into an office, workshop or occasional room for guests kitted out with electricity, heating and even water.

“Robust and weatherproof outbuildings can give all-important additional square footage at a fraction of the cost of traditional options such as extensions, loft conversions and conservatories.

“It also helps that you can erect an outbuilding quickly and without generally having to worry about planning permission, which can be a slow and costly process.”