Made with love
This shed on stilts was handmade with love by Kate Gilchrist for her son Bailey, who has Asperger’s syndrome. It has has made a big difference to his life. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Simon Hulme.
KATE Gilchrist’s traditional cottage in a village near Yarm is packed with examples of her creativity and is testament to her upbeat, “can do” approach to life. She doesn’t brag but when asked about the furniture and accessories she has made over the years, she reels off a list so long that we stop counting and simply marvel at what she has achieved while spending next to nothing.
Old wooden doors and off-cuts of timber, often rescued before being sent to the tip by others, have played a big part in her upcycling endeavours.
One of the doors made a super dining room table and others have been turned into side tables and a sideboard, along with a Monk’s bench that you would swear was an original antique.
Kate, who has a degree in art and design and enjoys sewing, learned some rudimentary carpentry skills at a night class years ago.
“My dad was very good at DIY and so I picked up some knowledge from him and I’ll look for advice on the internet if I’m stuck,” she says.
By far the best, most rewarding and most ambitious project she has ever tackled is her handmade tree shed. It was conceived during the first lockdown of the pandemic and was built for her son, Bailey, 14, who has Asperger syndrome, also referred to as high functioning autism.
Those with Asperger syndrome often see, hear and feel the world differently to other people and this can cause them considerable anxiety. It can also make taking part in everyday life more difficult.
It was Kate’s partner, Bailey’s dad, who suggested they buy a “cheap shed” for their son but she spotted the chance to have a go at handcrafting one herself.
The idea was that it would be a quiet, safe space, a room for Bailey away from the house where he could go after school to process his day with no interruptions.
“I asked a local, independent DIY store if they thought I could do it and their reply was ‘yes, it’s a box with four walls and a roof. As for why we built it high, we had cut down some trees in the garden and we thought we may as well make use of the tree trunks,” says Kate.
The trunks were cut to four feet and concreted in to provide a secure base for the 7ft square shed that now sits on top of them, while the platform for the building to sit on and part of the frame were fashioned from outdoor play equipment Bailey had grown out of.
The DIY store worked out how much extra wood Kate would need and with her own ingenuity and research online, she built, insulated and clad the walls and made the door. The roof is clad in rubber, the windows are perspex and there is a solar powered light.
The wide steps leading up to the shed door are made from old pallets, stained and decorated with plants and pairs of Bailey’s old wellies that chart his shoe sizes from being a small boy upwards.
The decor inside is simple and restful with posters of the things that Bailey enjoys, including world flags, a National Rail rail map and Tube map. There’s also a sofa and white board plus a “cat shelf” where the family cat can snooze.
Altogether, the tree shed cost just around £1,500 to create, a fraction of what it would’ve cost if they had employed a joiner to make it or bought something off the shelf.
The surrounding garden features Bailey’s collection of signs and more of Kate’s handmade endeavours including a Hedgehog house, painted wooden fish and a stylish montage of old pan lids on the storage shed, not forgetting the garden seat made from two cast iron bench ends and a pair of old skis that were sliced into slats.
There’s more, much more but, without doubt, the tree shed is her piece de resistance and has been incredibly beneficial for Bailey, who says that he goes there to calm down after a busy day at school and wishes he had had it years ago.
“He has his own sitting room in the house but it’s not completely quiet or private there, whereas the shed is. He processes his day out loud, so being away from the house is helpful,” says Kate.
The life-enhancing benefits this garden building has brought are considerable, which is why Kate and Bailey are sharing their story with us.
“Bailey has always gone to a mainstream school but it’s not easy for him. He has certain fears and he doesn’t like unexpected change.
“Like many other parents with children with autism, we’ve had our moments with schools and exclusions but he has also been good for them.
“In Year four at primary school, he told the class he was autistic and explained what he found difficult and in Year six he did a presentation on hidden disabilities. He has done his bit to raise awareness.”
While life can be a challenge for those with Asperger’s, Bailey has been blessed with a number of superpowers, including an exceptional ability to learn.
He is in the top sets at school, has served as deputy head boy and is also learning Mandarin as a side project.
“Everyone who has autism is different and Bailey definitely has his own ways, including an aversion to long trousers, he won’t wear them. Everyone at school knows him as the boy who wears shorts,” says Kate.
He is the boy who wears shorts and he has superpowers and a super shed to match.