A winner (Picture: SWNS)
A garden boozer made entirely from recycled materials has been crowned Britain’s best Pub Shed Of The Year.
John Simmons, 50, spent more than a year and constructing the amazing DIY man-cave in his garden in Hampshire.
It features a dart board, wooden décor, seating, fairy lights and an outdoor beer garden with decking area.
He built the miniature pub – called The Dog & Ball, after his dog Bertie – using as much reclaimed material he could find from salvage yards.
He also turned to a Facebook page for pub shed enthusiasts.
John sourced, cut, sanded and fixed every timber and fitting himself – as well all 4,500 screws.
Given his hard work, the dad-of-three won against more than a thousand entries to be named the owner of Britain’s best Pub Shed 2022.
Cheaper pints (Picture: SWNS)
John started building the pub last year and said he wanted a ‘haven at home’ he could enjoy that was cheaper than the pub.
Also an avid DIY-er, John, a safety management consultant, said the pub cost four figures to build but would have been much more expensive had he not used recycled materials.
John said: ‘It has all been rather overwhelming, but I am chuffed to bits.
John beat off thousands of applicants (Picture: SWNS)
It’s got a cosy vibe (Picture: SWNS)
‘We had 18 friends over last night to celebrate the final and it was fantastic to find out I won – I was really thrilled.
‘I started building it last year and wanted to have it completed this summer for my 50th birthday.
‘Sourcing the reclaimed material took the biggest chunk of time.
‘Lots of people had been doing this sort of thing over lockdown so I took inspiration from that, and I wanted a haven at home that was cheaper than the pub.
‘It’s somewhere I can go and enjoy being with my friends and family, which was really the whole purpose.
There’s even a dart board (Picture: SWNS)
‘It cost about four figures, which is much cheaper than it would have been had I done a proper build and had to go to shops for the materials.’
John, who was in the Royal Navy for 22 years, said his favourite part of the pub is the oak beams which make up the main structure.
The wood came from an old dock yard building John used to work in.
He said: ‘These three-metre-long beams that form the main structure of the pub had sat in a yard for 20 years and then I managed to buy them.
John built the pub using reclaimed materials (Picture: SWNS)
He spent more than a year on the DIY project (Picture: SWNS)
‘It is a remarkable story.
‘All my family and friends have been so supportive of the project, and it has been great having everyone round to enjoy it.
‘My wife Anita put all the finishing touches to the pub to make it look as amazing as it does.
‘I took the name from my Labradoodle Bertie who just loves to play with his ball, I really wanted him to be part of it all.’
Many of the entries for this year’s awards were built during lockdown – a time that DIY projects and interest flourished.
John said: ‘Doing it all from salvage was of course a challenge – thank goodness for FB marketplace, advice from the fantastic members of the GSPN UK Facebook page and a very understanding wife who I dragged around local reclaim yards sifting through old timbers.
‘With the exception of the main roof joists, every other part of the build is made from reclaim, re-used or recycled timber and materials.
‘Each piece has a different story, from the bar ironmongery that belonged to my late father-in-law from his days as an RAF engineer, to the main oak upright timbers.’
It’s estimated there are more than two million back garden pubs in Britain after their popularity rose during the pandemic.
They have continued to grow amid a cost of living crisis after the average price of a pint rose to £4 across the UK and £5 in London.
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It took more than a year to build and source material for.
