I have finally completed the construction and fitting of my new, and in fact first, dedicated modelling workshop.

7ft x 5ft was the maximum size allowed by SWMBO in our small back garden. I have to admit though that I nearly became a widower when, having spent about £1800 buying it, insulating it, cladding it, fitting it out, electrics etc., SWMBO then said, “You should have bought a bigger shed!”. I still love her …

The workshop is made of 19mm tanilised timber to prevent rot in the damp Peak District climate. The workshop was insulated using aluminium backed fabric then 40mm Kingspan foam insulation board before the interior was clad using 8mm tongue-and-groove boards and varnished. The floor was covered in a 3mm rubber safety flooring laid over the aluminium backed fabric with 3mm plywood on top to provide a smooth surface for the rubber. The workshop is so well insulated that the 50 watts of lighting and my body heat alone raises the temperature by 3 deg C an hour, even on 5 deg C outside temperature, high wind and rainy day!

Because of the restricted space everything had to be compact. So here is the workshop.

My 12 inch radius 9mm test track hangs onto the back of the door when not in use.

The 600mm deep end wall workbench is fixed whilst the 500mm deep 800mm wide workbench under the window is fitted onto caravan folding table brackets so that it can be folded down when more space is required. The test track fits onto this worktop when required.

Soldering equipment is taken care of by soldering rework station allowing use of either hot air or the iron for soldering and plenty of shelf space as well as the use of Ikea Helmer steel drawer units and a wheeled work trolley will help me keep things tidy. Items like spirit levels, squares, Dyson etc and rules are all wall-mounted

All the lighting is provided by two daylight LED panels and a 100w equivalent daylight LED bulb in the Anglepoise. The windows have been double-glazed using 4mm Lexan sheet with mirror film on them to control the solar gain, provide a constant colour temperature when paint matching and keep the interior private. A thermostat controlled oil-filled radiater keeps the workshop at 12 dec C when the workshop is not in use so as to minimise damp and a solar-powered ventilator in the door provides a low level of ventilation during daylight.

The workshop electrics are RCD protected and a 2kg CO2 fire extinguisher is fitted for emergencies. A Dyson DC35 vacuum cleaner is used to keep it clean.