SE23 Forum

All,

I am hoping someone can help me! I am looking for a solution to bike and bin storage in a small front garden in HOP. Ideally neither would be visible from the street and both would be reasonably discrete when looking out the front window of the house. Does anyone have any homemade or professionally made suggestions?

I think I have seen a house locally that has a wooden frontage behind the front fence that is high enough to have the bikes underneath and the bins and also has plants/ flowers on top so it actually looks nice and doesnt dominate the garden..but I cant remember where I saw it! Does anyone have any idea where such a structure could be bought or if I am better off trying to make it myself?

Also in other news, a bike was stolen from our front garden, locked with a strong lock to a sheffield stand. The value of the bike was mininal to the point its not worth claiming on the insurance but just another reminder to anyone that might keep a better bike in their front garden to use a very good lock and keep your eyes peeled.

HOB

This sort of thing?:

Wow - that is a thing of beauty - if only my front garden were big enough...

Hi

Thats the kind of thing I was thinking of yes - did you find that via a search engine or do you know where one can get that type of thing?

HOB

The metal bit inside is available to buy but they aren't cheap. The wooden element has been added to disguise it.

The single bike version would almost certainly squeeze two adult bikes in and costs about £350. Materials for the wooden structure (based around fence posts, featheredge boards and barge boards and associated fixings) would be around £200-250 (a bit more if you wanted it longer to accommodate bins and more again if you need to 'face' both long edges with boards). Labour at £130 a day - might be just doable in one day, budget for two...or DIY.

You could save money if you are happy to just build a wooden structure to disguise your bikes already attached to existing secure points or to buy something off the shelf that offers next to no extra security and is probably less attractive.