Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the increasing market’s demand of shepherd’s huts – and tiny (transportable) houses in general – highlights a new big trend: with the rise of remote working, having a private extra-building surrounded by nature is top of the post-Covid wish list.
The shepherd’s hut has been in use since the 16th century and was born initially due to the need of shepherds and farmers of a practical place to shelter and stay over whilst raising sheep and guarding flocks. The designs vary but all were constructed to provide the shepherd with practical and durable accommodation.
The Shepherd’s Hut Company
Considering that it was felt huts were high off the ground, especially at lambing time, and considered slightly unstable, the Shepherd’s Hut Company, born in 1999, decided to lower the hut to aid access. To increase stability and improve access, the company kept the wheels away from the undercarriage and used solid axles running the width of the hut, far more suitable for today’s use.
The winning strategy of the Shepherd’s Hut Company popularity starts with their orientation to customers: they always accommodate specific requests and requirements, adapting their designs to fulfill customer’s needs. This can also be confirmed by their delivered hundreds of huts to (satisfied) customers from the South of France to Scotland, Southern Ireland, Guernsey, and all parts in-betweens.
The second strategy’s pillar is linked to the environment protection: indeed, the company retains important to source environmentally friendly materials and products for the Huts, in order to have minimal impact on the environment. In particular, they only use timber that is certified either PEFC (70%) or FSC and treat the exterior timber using Osmo Exterior Oils so as the wood doesn’t flake or peel, retaining the natural beauty and durability of the timber. Moreover, they use the sheep’s wool insulation in the roof and stud walls which keeps you warm but also cool on a warm day.
The Company’s proposal
The Shepherd’s Hut Company’s “basic” proposal consists of four different kinds of huts:
the first one is the “Shepherd’s Hut”, which is the original and traditional one; then, they widened their range with the “Drover’s Hut”, built to accommodate a full-size bed width way at either end, and a larger 3rd-generation model named “Wanderer’s Hut”. Finally, the latest arrival is a complete fully equipped home called the “Wayfarer’s Hut”.
Furthermore, each of these models can be built in two base variants: the “traditional”, which typically has a single door on the end of the hut, and the “fishing” ones, which has double doors on the side of the hut – ideal for fishermen on a riverbank. All the huts are bespoke and finishes are customer lead.
Shepherd’s huts into the modern world
Nowadays, shepherd’s huts are used for wide range of purposes, for example, as home offices or holiday homes. Despite its compact size, a shepherd’s hut can equip all the necessities for a very comfortable existence – sleeping area, comfy seating, cooking facilities, shower, bathroom, and toilet. In this regard, the Shepherd’s Hut Company has also built cabins with no wheels for a glamping business.
In conclusion, shepherd’s huts are no longer exclusively for farmers but have become a complete home, a secret place, a home office, or even a contemporary alternative to glamping: placing the magic self-contained sanctuaries in the great outdoors implies a guaranteed regenerating chance.
