Shed/Summer house for a gym

[DriftKing]

Hi,

currently looking at getting a summer house built to put my weight bench, barbell, plates in and exercise bike.

I don't have any big machinery just the essentials. What side shed/summer house would you guys recommend?

Thought I would ask here to see if anyone else has done the same thing. Been looking at 12ft by 8ft.

Many thanks

[urbanlifter]

Unless you are highly skilled and can do most of the work yourself, the cost will likely outweigh the benefits. Especially if you want it to be a comfortable space with a little room to grow (like a detached 20x20 garage). Working out in a shed during the summer/winter would be brutal without an HVAC system and insulation. Mini-Split would get the job done ($3-5k), if you can handle summer heat then some workshop style heaters might be sufficient for winter (NewAir G73). But then again if you can afford to build all that I'd be tempted to suggest saving your money and putting it towards buying a bigger house.

[DriftKing]

Unless you are highly skilled and can do most of the work yourself, the cost will likely outweigh the benefits. Especially if you want it to be a comfortable space with a little room to grow (like a detached 20x20 garage). Working out in a shed during the summer/winter would be brutal without an HVAC system and insulation. Mini-Split would get the job done ($3-5k), if you can handle summer heat then some workshop style heaters might be sufficient for winter (NewAir G73). But then again if you can afford to build all that I'd be tempted to suggest saving your money and putting it towards buying a bigger house.

Thank you.

I currently train in a relatives garage all year round with no heating but then I suppose it's better insulated than a wooden shed/summer house. I do train with 3 layers on at somepoints in the year.

[urbanlifter]

Thank you.

I currently train in a relatives garage all year round with no heating but then I suppose it's better insulated than a wooden shed/summer house. I do train with 3 layers on at somepoints in the year.

That's what I did for a long while, garage gym training with fans in the summer and eventually installed a NewAir G73 heater for the winter. Heater did a great job, t-shirt weather within about 30-45 minutes depending on the temp outside.

Looked into building an addition onto the house for a gym, but to do it right it was going to cost us around $25k for a 12x20 space. Ultimately we decided to just sell the house and move into a bigger one, much nicer having it inside now.

[RestoringTally]

12 x 8 is way too small if you plan on using an Olympic bar and a rack. The rack will need to be along the 12' wall so that you have clearance to load the bar. If your rack is only 4' deep, you only have 4' in front of the rack to do floor work. Barely doable, unless you plan on having any dumbbells and/or machines. Don't forget about the weight racks. They take space too.

My gym is 10x12 and it is tight. I've banged my shins and knocked my head many times maneuvering around.

[gym62richard]

Hi,

currently looking at getting a summer house built to put my weight bench, barbell, plates in and exercise bike.

I don't have any big machinery just the essentials. What side shed/summer house would you guys recommend?

Thought I would ask here to see if anyone else has done the same thing. Been looking at 12ft by 8ft.

Many thanks

Agree with the other guys, 12,8 is just too small, however a fabricated timber building, properly constructed and insulated makes for an excellent location to place a home gym.
I did this about 14 years ago, concrete slab and the rest of the building is timber framed, with slat wall boards lining the inside and timber cladding on the outside. I initially started out with n area of 28x18, but even this area proved to be not enough for my needs, eventually I added an extension and now my space is 36x17.

I realise that not everyone needs or can manage a space of 36x17, but I was extremely fortunate to have the land and skills to house my set up, but I would suggest you go as large as you possibly can and would suggest an area of 12x12 as an absolute minimum. Good luck with your proposed project.

[urbanlifter]

Agree 100%. My space started out as 12x26 and I've had to continually add/remove equipment based on the limited space. Planning to expand my gym floor soon (pending wife approval) to roughly 24x26, which should give me the ability to pickup a few more machines that I've been missing.

[FrancisSoyer]

Space is valuable. You can never have enough of it.
If you’re looking to limit yourself that’s fine.
If that’s what you’re happy with, it will definitely work.
It’s a little bigger. It’s actually 50 hectares.

[radrd]

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[radrd]

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