A floating shed packed with musical instruments, a vintage taxi used as a spare bedroom, and a luxurious yurt complete with spiral staircase – all feature in this year's Shed of the Year shortlist. Created by enthusiastic amateurs, the competition contains some of the most interesting self-built architecture you'll see in one place.

Now in its 11th year, the 2018 Cuprinol Shed of the Year shortlist consists of 24 sheds, drawn from a total of 2,971 entries. As we said last year, international readers unfamiliar with the UK shedding scene can think of it as somewhat similar to the USA's tiny house movement, but with a big dose of British eccentricity.

"We've been absolutely blown away by the incredible, imaginative and innovative sheds entered into this year's competition," says Shed of the Year founder Andrew Wilcox. "I've judged the finalists eleven years running now, and it's amazing to see how the sheds evolve each year as entrants take inspiration from others and realize that creating your own shed on a budget is a more than achievable project."

You'll find some outstanding sheds that caught our eye below, but be sure to head to the gallery to see each of the 24 finalists in full. We'll also be back with the winner later in the year.

Piano Raft

The Piano Raft is one of the most unique designs this year. Owner Ben Cummins originally built it as an art project in Liverpool but ended up manually pulling it on a rope, mounted on skis, to Leeds – a distance of around 65 miles (104 km), as the crow flies. The shed now hosts musical instruments and serves as a floating arts and education center for the local community.

The Piano Raft is a finalist in the Unexpected/Not A Shed category.

Taxi

Taxi is owned by Lee Connelly in Colchester, Essex, and functions as a spare bedroom and creative space. The idea for the project came about when Connelly and his friends tried to repair a vintage taxi but ran into too many issues. Rather than sell it, he removed the back of his garage and drove the car into his garden.

Taxi is a finalist in the Unexpected/Not A Shed category.

Hapus Yurt

Hapus Yurt (which is Welsh for Happy Yurt), is located in Abergele, North Wales. It was built by Jack Fetherstonhaugh and is situated in a forest on the coastal hills in that area. The interior looks surprisingly comfortable and is insulated, offers Wi-Fi internet, electricity, and a bathroom. It even has a spiral staircase and a fully functioning kitchen made from reclaimed wood.

Hapus Yurt is a finalist in the Unique category.

Boat Pod

The Boat Pod is a writer's retreat, garden folly, artist's studio, and children's hideaway in Exeter, Devon. Barnaby Dearsly constructed it by using the upturned bow of a decommissioned fish trawler built in 1945 as a base. Fitted with electrical sockets, a wood-burning stove sourced from the original mast-step, and a sail canvas door, the attention to detail is impressive. The shed has even been made watertight using marine resin.

Boat Pod is a finalist in the Unique category.

Scaffold Board Summer House

The Scaffold Board Summer House is owned by Scott Stickland and located in Thruxton, Hampshire. It's used as a space for the whole family to hang out, watch movies, and get fit using the exercise equipment installed. If the weather's nice, two of its walls can be rotated to open up the shed to the outside.

The Scaffold Board Summer House is a finalist in the Unique category.

Check out the other innovative sheds that made the cut in our Shed of the Year shortlist photo gallery.

View gallery - 148 images