I've always loved working with wood. As a kid I spent my holidays building rabbit hutches and rabbit runs in my back garden. I studied mechanical Engineering at university and then became a Design Technology teacher, but wood was always my favourite material. Maybe it’s because my Grandfather was a carpenter and my dad had similar gifting. I grew up admiring the beautiful handiwork around me. 

My first few big projects in recent years were fun. I started by building a deck for our back garden on a base of sloping concrete paths. I then built an 8ft picnic table. A few months later a friend encouraged me to salvage and rebuild a garden shed that had been chopped to pieces. I loved doing those projects but I knew I didn't want to spend my time making garden furniture, building decking or rebuilding sheds.