I’m thinking about putting a building in the corner of the garden as a home gym. I like exercise and I would use it (as opposed to commercial gyms which I don’t and won’t). The options for the building itself are enormous, from the humble shed with internal insulation and a bit of cladding through to deluxe factory produced designer efforts better suited to Grand Designs. Any experience here of getting a suitable building installed (the contents are irrelevant really – studio, office etc)?
Garden buildings
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Can’t help you, but maybe after building one you may want to consider another.
I’ve not done it myself, but I was thinking of it a few years ago, and it’s worth having a decent Google session on it, as there are many & various parameters you have to work to in order for it to qualify as a “shed” (presumably as opposed to “another house in your garden”). I’m not sure whether they vary according to locality, but there were all sorts of things, like different rules on height depending on the type of roof and so on, though they seemed very flexible on type of build (brick, wood etc.)
Purely out of curiosity, but how do you know you would use your home gym? I ask as a regular runner who recently tried a treadmill for the first time and absolutely hated it.
I wouldn’t have a treadmill!
As another regular runner, both open road and treadmill, I far prefer the treadmill. I like the constant speed and inclination.
Prefer the open air, but treadmill is generally kinder on the knees.
Yeah, that’s what I don’t like, the constant speed and inclination. I think it works you harder, and it seemed to work different muscles as well. But it was too robotic for me, and the time went too slowly. I never achieved the out-of-body experience I get in the open air.
That entire post actually sprained my hurrr.
The proper answer is I like the gym when there is no doof doof music, idiotic TV and sweaty wankers in it. And other people’s sweat on the equipment. So, hardly ever. But sometimes in hotels, or the local gym when I was living in Paris, there’s a nice gym and I like going and the muscle burn feeling after and the stress reduction it gives. I might get a bike even though when it’s decent weather I like cycling, will get weights, and the Mrs fancies a cross trainer. I won’t get a treadmill as I can run outdoors but my ankles are so knackered I can barely run anyway. I’ve got a curl/sit up thingy which will go in there. Mat on the floor. Step up thing. Bluetooth speaker. That’s it.
We have a cross trainer in the garage (accessed through the house) with a TV screen on a wall bracket in front of it. I’ve used it quite a lot and I like the fact that I don’t have to deal with bad weather, uneven pavements and the general public to use it plus the cross trainer is low impact as I’m not sure my knees are up to actual running these days. I use headphones to listen to whatever I’m watching, usually a Netflix series. It helps that we put a decent carpet off cut on the floor and there’s a radiator out there as well. My son also has his Roland electronic drums out there too so it’s more of a room than a garage.
@twang Sweet.
Doof doof.
The dedicated oak building companies can be quite good Twang – know their stuff and cut down on nonsense. Cheaper if there’s a local one building garages/offices near you than a national ad one. I found a good one who designed exactly what I wanted and was able to help with various planning hoops and was still cheaper than my regular builder.
Be careful strumming while you’re on that treadmill!
Dude. Get a Versaclimber. They’re properly fantastic and take up a very small footprint.
They look good actually. you have one @friar?
No but my old PT did and used to routinely brutalise me on one. They’re incredibly good exercise.
I’ve always wanted one of them pods you get craned into the garden.
https://www.pod-space.co.uk
That’s kind of what i have in mind @friar.
I worked on the electrical installation of a school project a few years ago that used pre-built modules (built in Poland), craned into place and stacked into a 3-storey building.
Theoretically, it was just a matter of connecting the modules up, running in the power to the distribution boards on each floor and off they’d go.
Unfortunately some of the modules were craned into the wrong places and it wasn’t spotted until too late. There were a few 3-module classrooms to be installed mod1, mod2, mod3 side by side in that order and identical-looking (but subtly different) modules from different floors were mixed up.
Lots of wiring and plumbing problems had to be solved before they were ready for use and the handover date could not be changed, as the school was due to open when the term started in September.
What larks!
My mate has had a garden building done – it’s a neat little octagonal office/man-cave/keep-out-of-the-way-when-the-in-laws-are-here kind of thing, and perfectly big enough for a modest
BDSMgym installation.If you like I can find out who he used to supply it?
Yes please VV. You have my addy as our US friends say.
No we don’t.
Missive in the ether.
The late Mrs P had a purpose-built shed at the bottom of the garden for an office. (Very popular among the North London writing community.) They were able to get all the bits through the (terraced) house, though a friend of ours had to get hers craned in, adding to the cost obviously.
It was built on brick piers because she never did anything in it more energetic than pacing backwards and forwards – you’ll need a concrete pad for your activities, possibly a concrete floor even. I can’t remember how much it cost or who supplied it, so that’s not much use. Definitely worth getting power, though – I do remember that didn’t add much to the cost.
I got a log cabin from Costco. Paid £3,500 delivered and installed. I then spent 2 weekends putting £300 of wood sealer and a lovely light green/blue outdoor wood paint and it’s brill. Had to have a concrete base put in before (and don’t forget the electrics which should be 18 inches below the surface and armoured) but it’s brill. It’s 3m x 4m (on the outside so knock 40cm off for the internal dimensions.
It’s perfect for work but would make an equally good gym.
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/forest-garden-melbury-44mm-log-cabin-13ft-1-x-9ft-8-40-x-30-m-installed-166615
I thought of yours Leeds. Did you line it etc? Insulation? That looks the boll.
Did nothing inside other than give it a couple of coats of some kind of (expensive) oil. I became a Sadolin junkie. It’s a little fresh first thing in winter but very draft free and warms up quickly with a radiator in it. You can insulate it and plasterboard it but it’s fine for me tbh.
Ace. PM sent.
You don’t necessarily have to bury the electric cable if you have an overhead alternative route – my shed has a feed out through the side of my garage and along the top of a fence line inside waterproof conduit to a socket inside the shed.
I’m thinking of getting a builder involved if I can find one who is interested as there is a vile dead water feature in the space I need removing, and they can sort out the leccy and insulation at the same time.
Here’s the perfect solution if you don/t mind a bit of DIY. This has been posted on this sight in the past… or maybe it was the future?
Brilliant.
You could cheat though; buy a decommissioned Portaloo, and spray it blue.
I see a Portaloo and I want it painted blue.
I could not foresee these things happening to you.
Is this woman available to marry?
15:25 I need one of them bags, like all the time.
There’s an advert on the moment, which features a disembodied hand. The hand floats around, passing tools and generally lending a hand to our protagonist, as he goes about his d-i-y-ing, before passing him the phone to get some things from B&Tool, or whoever.
I want one of those – the floaty helping hand, that is.
I’ve tried growing an extra set of arms, which would be really, really useful.
Be careful what you wish for.
https://youtu.be/ENB0vn2Imfk