Cost effective garden gym suggestions?

AFF8879

I tend to work very long hours at my job and lately have been neglecting the gym (which is about 20 minute drive away) which has definitely had noticeable negative impacts. As such I want to get a small outbuilding to house a gym in my back garden, I only need enough room for a treadmill, folding bench and small weight rack, so nothing super extravagant.

However, being completely incompetent when it comes to any DIY related, I have no idea what kind of spec I need. For example- 

- would I need to get electricity properly connected, or would running an outdoor extension cord from the house be sufficient for the times I need to use it?
- would insulation be necessary (more to protect the equipment in all weather, less concerned about comfort/temperature etc)

when I go online to customise options I'm ending up with quotes in the £15-£20k range, which seems reasonable if you wanted a proper room you could use as if it were part of the house. But just wanting a place to work out and keep my equipment dry/in working order, do you think it’s possible to do for £10k or less?

stuart45

Have you looked at log cabins?

kimwp

It's not what you were asking, but I've created a little gym in the corner of my upstairs hallway - static bike and weights - it's a good use of otherwise unused space, already heated and lit and didn't cost anything to build.

Eldi_Dos

Do you need a outbuilding? Many local parks have outdoor gym area's that are well used.
Look up the type of equipment installed in them and see if some of the outdoor equipment would suffice if installed in your garden.

Brie

If you go for a outbuilding of some sort you'll likely need a concrete pad.  It is possible to build over a wood beam structure but that's going to rot and need replacing at some point.  You could then get a garden/summer house built that is sold at local garden centres.  Pleasant to look at and windows so you don't need too much electrics.  Easy enough to put in a bit of insulation if you do find it needs to be a bit warmer in winter.

Dedicated installed electrics are nice.  But you can quite easily do it as you state with a long extension from the house - assuming you have a socket outside the house or otherwise convenient.  My OH dug a shallow trench to drop the line in to keep it out of the way and had it plugged into the socket by our back door.  Worked well for 5 years but obviously couldn't be plugged in when we sold the place as not done properly.  

Albermarle

If you go for a outbuilding of some sort you'll likely need a concrete pad.  It is possible to build over a wood beam structure but that's going to rot and need replacing at some point.  You could then get a garden/summer house built that is sold at local garden centres.  Pleasant to look at and windows so you don't need too much electrics.

Or if something maybe bigger/more sturdy is required, most shed companies sell wooden workshops ( basically a big strong shed) . Usually the bigger the structure, the more a proper base is needed, like concrete, which will probably cost more than the building.

For a smaller building wooden supports should be OK ( they do not rot if treated properly) but still really need to be on some kind of solid base ( like gravel) and not just on soil.

Wooden Workshop Sheds | Garden Workshops | Tiger Sheds

MysteryWealth

Certain woods do not rot so quickly if directly on the ground. Certainly even if not treated such woods can last decades. Can't remember which ones but I think a type of Spruce is one type.

My partner has set up an office in the summerhouse / shed halfway up our garden. We bought the house with it and it isn't anything special. Not fully sealed and she would never leave anything electrical or valuable in it. She uses a long extension cable from the nearest rear bedroom through the window. Our external, weather proof sockets are not working as they were disconnected before we got the house it seems so that is why she used the wind up cable. Takes about 5 minutes to get set up and same to pack up at the end of the working day. This is what you could easily do until you can get a proper line put in if indeed you bother.

Why do you need a shed? I have seen a few gyms set up on reddit under a simple open frame shelter. Posts, framed out and clear plastic sheeting roof. With this you can get post supports in metal into which your wooden posts get concreted in. The metal is in the concrete and the wood is fixed into it I think. No rotting and no need for concrete. As to the base on which your kit will rest. I am not sure but I guess you could work something simple out. You could put it over a patio or whatever solid patch you have. Or technically you could frame out a base and get concrete to fill it yourself. There are companies that only charge you for what you use so prooviding you know how deep such a base needs to be you could frame that out and get it poured for yourself. Self levelling mix is available I bvelieve but you simply smooth it out with rakes and tap it down I reckon. Possibly a bodge job doing it yourself compared to a pro company charging you for their training and experience. A choice to make but you could probably do something that works for you. I would not do it myself but that is my choice.

There are companies that supply and install sheds. Our local garden centre deals in sheds from a few makes and have their own installation team. They can do the concrete base too. Their sheds go up to quite a lot if you get the Shoffice products that are effectively solid buildings possibly better built than your house (and certainly mine).

Do you have a garage that can be repurposed? A very good excuse to have a tidy up and clear out perhaps?? Our garage was completely full and no spare space. Then we got metal racking, got rid of stuff we really don't need or want. Sold off other things for extra money and put in long runs of homemade shelves (solid metal shelf angles and a cheap pine plank 2.5m or so). You could also have bikes winched up into the roof space if it is high enough. There are kits for doing that. Or just hang from back wheel on wall to give space for a garage gym. I mean nobody really puts cars in their garages these days do they? I mean many garages on older houses aren't even big enough for modern SUVs these days.

You can get folding up kit too. The stalwart of pro gyms up and down the country and indeed worldwide is the Concept 2 rower. This is possibly cheaper than decent exercise bikes, mine cost about £800 around COVID time. It is especially good because it separates into two pieces which are designed to be stacked on their ends to store out of the way when not being used. The heavy part that has the flywheel has a set of wheels that roll when it is held up close to upright to make it easy to move out of the way. The other section is lightweight being only the seat and rail section the  seat runs on. Rowers like C2 are very good forms of exercise for CV needs. Then there are weights benches can often be bought with easy storage compactness. The actual weights can be stored on solid walls such as loadbearing ones in garages.

There are ways to get a compact setup if you only need a piece of CV equipment and a simple weights bench. Such a setup could be put in a suitable corner of your esiting house or garage perhaps.

Rosa_Damascena

What I don't like about installing a gym in an outbuilding is having to share it with spiders and other insects. What puts me off having one at home is the potential for sweat odours to build up.

Exercise in the open air suits me best but I do accept that its a less attractive option when the nights draw in. If I had a suitable spot in my home and oodles of cash I would buy a Peloton / similar.

FreeBear

Albermarle said:

If you go for a outbuilding of some sort you'll likely need a concrete pad.  It is possible to build over a wood beam structure but that's going to rot and need replacing at some point.  You could then get a garden/summer house built that is sold at local garden centres.  Pleasant to look at and windows so you don't need too much electrics.

Or if something maybe bigger/more sturdy is required, most shed companies sell wooden workshops ( basically a big strong shed) . Usually the bigger the structure, the more a proper base is needed, like concrete, which will probably cost more than the building.

For a smaller building wooden supports should be OK ( they do not rot if treated properly) but still really need to be on some kind of solid base ( like gravel) and not just on soil.

Wooden Workshop Sheds | Garden Workshops | Tiger Sheds

Ground screws would keep the base off the ground without needing concrete. They have the added advantage of being removable, so you could take the whole lot with you when moving to a new home.

Any shed would need power and insulation if it is being used for anything other than storing garden stuff. Keeps it cooler in the summer, and slightly warmer in the winter. And having lights in there will be essential on a dark evening. Wouldn't recommend just running an extension lead out there - A disincentive to avoid using the shed, and extension leads are easily damaged. But burying armoured cable at the right depth and getting it connected either end will cost a few quid.