– by David Everett
I have a spot now. My own space, where I can do my stuff. I don’t have to finish a job or pack it away when I’m done for the day. I honestly never knew I needed this spot. I always felt it would be good to have one, so I could actually do the handyman and amateur carpentry tasks.
But needing a spot of my own was a new discovery. I always wanted a study for my assorted Doctor Who and pop culture memorabilia too.
We came to Hervey Bay in 2008 and since then rented the same dull standard estate place. It was just a house where we lived. There was no workspace, so tasks were done on the grass, or in the garage if they weren’t too messy (hmmpf) – all kept relatively simple. With four active children there are a lot of other things that need the space.
Then we moved and beat nine other applicants. Now we have a five bedroom house, elevated with views over Hervey Bay, a deck, gardens and a shed. The plan was that I would have my tools down one end of the shed, and the rest would be set up for the family’s gymnastics and karate training. It didn’t work out that way and I couldn’t be happier.
The shed came with a workbench, a bench grinder mounted to a massive lump of steel and a set of wobbly wooden shelves that had seen better days.
The timber from the shelves was repurposed to become a garden tool rack, the workbench was strengthened to handle heavy duty work and the grinder, well I now have sharp chisels and shiny tools again.
My brother described it as a mini Bunnings; packets of nails, screws and the like hung in neat organised rows, a long tool board where everything has it’s own place and in easy reach, a mobile workbench in the middle and steel shelving abounds for stuff (neatly organised).
It’s not a Man Cave and I have no intentions of making it one, but it is my space. I can look at my tools and see the little items that were passed onto me from my Grandad’s shed when he died, the peg board my dad installed to hang the assorted battery tools and the vice my parents recently gave me for my birthday.
These really are calming things that help balance out my working life. Well that and having the kids bring me a cup of coffee and slice of cake then hang around to watch and do.
