Garden gym

A garden gym, ten steps from the kettle

Train when it suits you, with the kit left set up and the garden through the glass.

Never needs painting30-year manufacturer warrantyEPDM rubber roof includedFree UK mainland delivery

Design yours· from £1,628.87 Shop Composite full-height summer houses

Home gym: our Composite Pent Full Height Summer House in a garden, styled visualisation — Styled visualisation of our Composite Pent Full Height Summer House — furniture and fittings not included.

Planning your home gym

How much room does a gym need?

Start from your kit, not the building. An Olympic bar is 2.2m end to end and needs space to load plates at both ends, so a rack and bench want a width of around 10ft before you add a cardio machine or a mirror wall.

Height matters for overhead work. Inside, a pent stands 1887mm at the high front wall and 1757mm at the low rear wall, so put the rack towards the front. Sizes below are the ordered nominal sizes, and the real external footprint is a little different, so lay your kit out on the lawn first.

Light, doors and mirrors

Floor-to-eaves glazing across the front gives you daylight and a view out, and double doors let you wheel a bench or a rower straight in. Keep one long solid wall free for a mirror, racks and shelving.

Think about who can see in from the lane or next door. In the Build Studio you can swap any glazed panel for a solid one, and add toughened double glazing to the panels you keep.

Inside our Composite Pent Full Height Summer House, styled as a home gym — visualisation — Styled visualisation of our Composite Pent Full Height Summer House — furniture and fittings not included.

Floor, air and power

Put rubber gym flooring over the floor. We do not publish a floor-load rating, so stand a loaded rack on a mat that spreads its weight and talk to us before planning anything heavier. The optional composite floor runners are a rot-proof upgrade under the floor.

Training makes heat and moisture, so open the doors and add a fan. Our sheds and summer houses are supplied without wiring, plumbing, heating or insulation; have any power and heater fitted by a qualified electrician.

Composite floor runners

Planning permission

A garden gym is normally treated like any other outbuilding: the limits are on height, position and how much of the garden it covers. Our guide sets them out. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, check with your council before you order.

Do I need planning permission?

Buildings that do the job

Composite full-height summer housesFloor-to-eaves glazing across the front and a composite shell you never paint. The building in the picture.From £2,008.73 Composite summer housesWide glazing and zero upkeep, with more solid wall for racks and mirrors.From £2,084.38 Pent shedsThe lower-cost route: tanalised timber, with windows only where you place them.From £479.99

Suggested sizes

8 × 6 ft

A rack or a bench, with free weights alongside.

From £1,628.87

10 × 8 ft

Rack, bench and a cardio machine.

From £2,360.15

12 × 8 ft

A full home gym with room to move.

From £2,595.99

Sizes are the ordered nominal sizes; the real external size differs a little and is shown on each product and in the Build Studio.

Ready to order: Composite full-height summer houses

20% OFF30-year warranty

12x7 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£3,352.01£4,190

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

20% OFF30-year warranty

8x9 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£3,302.60£4,128

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

20% OFF30-year warranty

20x7 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£5,047.32£6,309

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

20% OFF30-year warranty

12x8 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£3,528.02£4,410

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

20% OFF30-year warranty

14x8 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£3,926.38£4,907

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

20% OFF30-year warranty

14x5 Composite Pent Full Height Summer House

Internal height 1887mm front · 1757mm rear

Breathable membrane included FREE

£2,861.02£3,576

FREE mainland delivery in 3–5 days

Design it your way

The Build Studio prices any size instantly — doors, windows, even internal rooms — and opens here at a size to start from.

Open the Build Studio

Good to know

What size shed do I need for a home gym?

It depends on the kit. A rack and bench wants a width of around 10ft; a bench and dumbbells will fit in less. Sizes are nominal, so check your kit against the real external size in the Build Studio.

Will it be warm enough to train in winter?

Our sheds and summer houses are supplied without wiring, plumbing, heating or insulation, so it is a shelter rather than a heated room. Hard training warms a small room quickly; if you want a heater, a qualified installer should fit it. The Total Cabin has an insulated warm roof if you want something closer to a year-round room.

Can I put heavy weights on the floor?

We do not publish a floor-load rating. Use rubber flooring or a mat to spread the load, keep very heavy items off the middle of the span, and ask us about your kit before ordering.

Do I need planning permission for a garden gym?

Usually not, if it stays within the permitted-development limits for outbuildings. Read our planning guide, and check with your council if your home is listed or in a conservation area.

Does it need painting?

Composite never needs painting: the colour runs through the board, and it carries a 30-year manufacturer warranty. Timber is tanalised and carries a 20-year anti-rot guarantee.