CALDICOT timber frame building specialist ATT Benfield is broadening its range of structures to enter the booming garden leisure market.

Garden sheds have never been the sexiest of buildings but apparently this is about to change now ATT Benfield has signed an alliance with Finnforest, Europe's largest timber products company.

According to a survey by DIY giant B&Q, 22 per cent of Britons use the garden shed as a refuge from their spouses and one in ten of these transform their shed into an office.

Scarily, one third of men admit to visiting their sheds more than they take a bath.

Thirteen per cent of families said they utilised their sheds as a playroom for kids.

The Finnlife range of garden buildings comes flat-packed for self-assembly and ranges from the simple Hytti Cabin at £627 to the multi-room Talo Cabin at £3,367.

There is also a Helsinki garden house which has five ground floor rooms with an upstairs sleeping area and a large terrace.

The buildings' materials are a mixture of wood frame and log.

Dr Michael Benfield said: "Benfield ATT aims to become a one-stop shop for all sustainable timber buildings and this new alliance is based on the value people are placing on their gardens as well as their time alone."