AN artist who constructed a cabin at the bottom of his garden without any plans was crowned the winner of this year's Shed of the Year award today.

Steven Harwood won the prestigious accolade after following a vision he had in his head to build a "kite cabin" at his home in Llandysul, near Carmarthen.

The building gets its name from the view it presents of local kites which wheel in the sky above while looking for prey in an adjacent field.

The 41-year-old, who runs an online cabinet-making business, spent just £1,500 and three months making the 16ft x 16ft (5m x 5m) hideaway in his spare time.

It comes fully equipped with satellite television, a video, two beds and a compost toilet as well as being furnished and carpeted.

It also has a log burner and insulated walls to ensure guests will not feel the chill in the winter months.

TV property developer Sarah Beeny, who was one of the judges in the competition, described the kite cabin as "perfect".

Mr Harwood will get a year's supply of cheese, a £50 garden centre voucher, a cushion and a wind-up radio for winning the competition.

The father-of-two said: "I'm very, very chuffed and happy about it. I'm still taking it in. I really didn't expect to win."

He added: "I entered Shed of the Year because I feel I have a very special shed in a very special place. The location is unbeatable, in my opinion, with amazing panoramic views.

"It is surrounded by nature, including kites, badgers and various birds. It is such a usable space and is not pre-ordered like so many sheds these days. It is a realisation of my idea and I love it.

"I hope that my cabin will be an inspiration for others and what can be done in an otherwise dead space."

Mr Harwood said he spent just £1,500 on materials and built it himself. He estimates the cabin would have cost more than £5,000 pre-fabricated if it had been ordered from a manufacturer without including the cost of the labour to put it together.

He added: "It probably took me about two weeks of man hours to make but I did it over three months.

"It was all in my head and I just went with what was in my head.

"I never drew it out – my brain tends to hold information about dimensions.

"I'm an artist so I suppose I'm quite creative and once I get an idea in my head it stays there."