A crafty man spent months transforming his old garden shed into an impressive Alps-style ski chalet in his own back garden.
Alex Dodman, 37, from Saffron Walden, Essex, wanted to make use of his old garden shed and decided to craft a Scandinavian masterpiece on a budget.
Bringing a taste of the Alps to his neighbourhood, a ski chalet is not something you’d usually see in a suburban Essex garden, but NHS Ambulance service worker Alex knew exactly what to do with his old garden shed, which was once an unused home gym.
Not one to shy away from extreme projects, the father-of-two built his own swimming pool in his garden last summer, which his ski chalet now overlooks. He also previously built a home cinema and a gym.
He explained: ‘It’s definitely not your typical summer house, that’s for sure.
Alex Dodman, 37, from Saffron Walden, Essex, spent four months and just £2,500 to turn his old garden shed into a ski-style chalet
The father-of-two was partially inspired to build the chalet due to the big fir trees that surround his garden
The NHS Ambulance service worker ‘went into it blindly’ as he’d never done roofing before
He said the A-frame was the ‘most difficult part’ and that he spent ‘a lot of time working out Pythagoras’ theorem’
‘We had a big shed in the garden, and it was a gym, but it was never actually used. I joined a local gym and the shed just became a dumping ground.
‘As the pool is there, I wanted the garden to look nice. There are big fir trees around and having a big, ugly shed down there looked horrible.
‘The ski chalet idea came from Scandinavian countries with A-frame buildings and trees all around. I thought it would look so nice, and I had quite a lot of space up there with the decking so we could have lots of room and sit out by the pool.
‘It’s a much better use of the space than a big, ugly shed.
‘In total, the chalet took four months to make, but a lot of the time was spent taking down the old shed and doing the fencing, so building the actual chalet took three months.
‘Building the A-frame was the most difficult part of the process because of its shape. I had to spend a lot of time working out Pythagoras’ theorem, and I had to get my dad to help me as it was quite hard to figure it out. I can’t believe I finally had to use Pythagoras.
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‘The frames are all made from wood and the roof is made from galvanised metal sheets which were four-and-a-half meters long. I did it all myself. I didn’t get any help so it was all very manual.
‘I went into it blindly as I’ve never done roofing before. It took me a long time to work out how to cut the angles.
Mr Dodman previously built a heated swimming pool in his garden, which the chalet overlooks
Mr Dodman has more than 125,000 followers online who follow his progress during his projects
Inside the chalet it is five metres wide by four metres deep and has room for furniture
Mr Dodman said the chalet is properly insulated and has a TV hooked up inside
The frames are all made from wood and the roof is made from galvanised metal sheets which were four-and-a-half meters long
‘I leaned on the DIY experiences I’ve gained over the years, but because I knew I wanted a specific A-frame shape, there aren’t that many videos showing how to do it so I learned most of it from looking at photos on Instagram and went with it.
Taking four months to build it alone, the project cost Alex £2,500 altogether, and he bought his materials from B&Q and builders’ merchants as well sourcing materials as freebies from Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
He has also kitted it out inside to make it the ultimate summer house with a television, a chiminea and sofas so the family can enjoy summers and winters in the chalet.
He adds: ‘I got the front door off Gumtree for free and then the windows came from Facebook Marketplace. I got three for £10, which was a bargain, and made the frames myself.
‘It looks really good. I’m so happy with how it’s turned out, and I think it makes the garden look so much better now.
‘Inside, it’s five metres wide by four metres deep. It’s got rattan chairs and a sofa and it’s all insulated with a TV hooked up too. It’s like a proper man cave.
‘The garden has transformed so much – it’s totally different now. Before it was an overgrown mess, and I’ve managed to transform it.’
