Game of Thrones shed set for Shed of the Year gong

Tim Ball's Game of Thrones-style shed. Picture: PA

Tim Ball, 46, has spent more than eight months creating the Game of Thrones-style shed, fitting the work around his job as a cabinet fitter – and being a husband and father-to-two.

Tim’s den, which faces hundreds of other entries to win the Cuprinol Shed of The Year 2015 gong, saw him convert parts of his back garden in Keyworth, Nottingham, into a fantasy castle, complete with battlements and a traditional wood burning stove.

The craftsman remodeled the shed, which began as a two-storey building eight years ago with the first floor used as a tree-house space for his kids.

But dedicated Tim took down the tree-house part of the structure in July 2014 to convert the shed into the quirky Game of Thrones shrine.

He said yesterday (Sat): “One of the reasons I did it was, like others with children, we often didn’t get the chance to go out so we chose to make somewhere we could hang out at home.

“I never thought about the Game of Thrones when I was doing.

“But an Englishman’s home is his castle, as they say.

“And it lent itself well to a castle, just the way it was designed and with the two tiers so I went for it.

“It has a striking resemblance.”

The dad said he decided to enter his shed into the competition after a few pints with his friends.

He added: “It would be absolutely fantastic achievement to win this.

“I have watched this competition before and it is a great laugh.

“It would be very nice to win it but to get this far is good. I never thought it would get this far.

“It would be great for my region too.

“We have Robin Hood in Nottinghamshire and everything else but this would just be another notch in the county’s belt.”

Entries for Shed of the Year are still coming in and will close on April 7. Later this year, judges will decide the winner, who will be awarded #1,000.

Jane Yelloly, Cuprinol senior brand manager, said: “Both ownership and value figures are up on last year, which is great for the annual Shed of the Year competition, which keeps growing in popularity year on year.

“We really do hope it will inspire those who are hoarding useless items to clear out their sheds and show them some love.”

Last year, a solar-powered eco-shack built out of recycling material won Shed of the Year 2014. It had an allotment on the roof in Tottenham, North London.

Winner Joel Bird, 40, said last year: “It’s great to work knowing it gives me a really high level of sustainability. The lights are powered by a solar panel, I use a wood burner to heat it - and then there is the allotment roof.

“It’s easy to access with a little staircase and I have a little tin bath up there for a summer soak.

“It’s an incredible honour for my shed to be crowned Shed of the Year and I’m hoping to use the award to promote the benefits of a more sustainable life.”