The floor has to take the load, not just look good
A treadmill, a rack and a stack of plates put far more point-load and impact through a floor than furniture ever will. We specify a reinforced floor structure sized for the equipment going in, not a standard domestic joist spread with a rug over the top.
On top of that structure we lay closed-cell rubber flooring, usually 15mm to 20mm depending on whether Olympic lifting is planned, bonded down so it doesn't creep and edged so it doesn't trip anyone at the door.
- Reinforced floor structure specified against your actual equipment list
- Rubber gym flooring, 15-20mm, bonded and edge-trimmed
- Full-height mirror wall on a rigid backing board, not plasterboard alone
- Reinforced wall fixing points for wall-mounted racks or TRX anchors
Ventilation and ceiling height, not an afterthought
A closed insulated room with two people training hard fills with heat and moisture fast, and condensation on a mirror or a cold wall is a maintenance problem within a year. We fit mechanical extract ventilation with humidity control as standard, not just a window you're supposed to remember to open.
Ceiling height matters more than people expect - a standard 2.4m internal height is fine for most kit, but anything involving overhead press, rope climbs or a squat rack with a pull-up bar wants 2.6m or more, which we build into the roof design rather than trying to add later.
Power, cost and what's included
Treadmills, screens, sound systems and cooling units all want dedicated circuits, so every gym build includes a certified armoured supply, its own consumer unit and enough sockets placed where equipment actually sits, not just around the skirting.
A fully finished garden gym starts from around £25,000 for a compact single-room build with reinforced flooring, mirrors, ventilation and power included. Larger rooms with a shower, sauna or separate stretching area typically run £35,000 to £55,000 depending on size and fit-out.
Where we build garden gyms
Our workshop is in Mid Sussex and most of our garden gym builds sit within Sussex, Surrey and Kent, close enough that we can survey the plot, agree the equipment layout and come back to install without a long drive eating the day.
- Haywards Heath
- Cuckfield
- Lindfield
- Burgess Hill
- Horsham
- East Grinstead
- Reigate
- Oxted
- Tunbridge Wells
- Sevenoaks
Garden gym questions
- Do I need reinforced flooring for a home gym?
- For free weights, a rack or anything involving dropped bars, yes. A standard domestic floor build will flex and eventually fail under repeated impact loading, so we size the floor structure to the equipment before we design anything else.
- How do you stop condensation with mirrors and heavy breathing?
- Mechanical extract ventilation with humidity control, run continuously at low speed and boosted during use, keeps moisture off the mirrors and out of the wall build-up. A window alone won't do this reliably through a Sussex winter.
- What ceiling height do I need?
- 2.4m internally suits most kit. If you're planning overhead lifts, a pull-up bar or rope work, we design for 2.6m or higher from the outset, since raising a roof after the build isn't realistic.
- Can a garden gym include a shower?
- Yes, subject to foul drainage being available or a macerator connection being practical on your plot. We assess this at survey and price it as part of the build rather than a bolt-on.
- Does a garden gym need planning permission?
- Usually not, under the same permitted development rules as other garden rooms - single storey, under 2.5m within 2m of a boundary, under half the garden covered. We check your specific plot before quoting.
What our clients say
Reviews from homeowners across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
"Best in class. None of my specific requests were any trouble at all. The team were polite, professional, smart, and accommodating throughout. A perfect example of how professional tradespeople should be."
"Alistair understood exactly how we wanted to use the garden. The finished space feels like a private retreat and we use it every day."
"Our garden office has completely transformed how we work from home. The quality is outstanding and the process was seamless."
Areas we cover
Designed and built by our own team across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
West Sussex
East Sussex
Not on the list? See the full coverage map - we travel further for larger projects.
Read next
- How an insulated garden room is actually built
- Garden games rooms: cinema, pool and sim setups
- The full garden room collection and build process
- Download the brochure
Building a garden gym?
Tell us your equipment list and we'll size the floor, ventilation and power around it, then draw a room worth training in.