DIY - Outdoor Workshop/Gym

[Devil_hakkA]

Hi,

I need some advice regarding the construction of an outdoor Workshop/Training Gym.

I have two types of construction in mind however the design needs some key points like easy access, electricity (possibly water later on..), heating, insulation and water-proofing.

I had a look at some prebuilt garden workshops but these looked like nothing more than oversized garden sheds. As I need to be able to store weight lifiting equipment as well as boxing punch bags and kick bags I need the design to be pretty solid to support the weight and have the necessary beams in place to provide the access for the punch bags etc.

Looking at the brick build option I find this to be great however it is very costly and mean a permanent fixture in the garden but it will provide everything I need.

I have decided go for a wooden construction as this can easily be taken down in the future if required and will look more like a garden shed than the brick built workshop. I have measured out the area (at the back of a long garden) which is currently part paved and has a patch of soil that is not being used for anything - I believe originally this area was used for barbecues or garden furniture.

The are I intend to use measures at 24 x 16 with a height of 10 to 12 feet, the plan is to tear up the paving and remove any underlay and restore the soil so its ready for any ground work that is required. The design I have in mind will involve the use square wooden posts to form a decking approx 1/2 foot of the ground with each main beam supported by concrete fill-in much like the garden decking design and on the top of this decking I intend build the workshop again using the standard preassure treated garden timber.

The inside of the workshop requires one or two strong beams (3" x 3" or larger) crossing the length and one central beam crossing the middle of the workshop to form a '+' for areas where I can mount hooks, punch bags, speed balls etc. Also this area will provide storage above the beams like you get in garages so I can safely put away the equipment when the use of a workshop is required.

The workshop will most likely have two windows on the sides with a large main door facing the house to provide ample room for moving large equipment in and out with the reamining lighting provided by elctrical points. The roof will be of some standard design most likely the prefab kits that you can by from DIY stores - I plan to build the workshop walls using 2 by 4's with standard flat cladding on the ouside, insulation on the inside and then plaster boards or something more weather proof to provide the walls for the inside of the workshop.

As you will have guessed the design has been planned to provide a quick build solution that is both structurly strong and weather proof but cheap to build.

As this is my first major outdoor project I would like some advice on the design;

Do you think its a valid design or are there better alternatives?

The garden ends at a fence which sperates the garden from a local playing field, will I need to get permission before I build the workshop in my garden and is there a height/size limit?

With the construction I plan to use raised decking as the base which will them have chipboards fixed to it to provide the base for a floor in the workshop, again is this a good idea?

With the decking am I right in assuming the timber that is set into the ground will require concrete bases - i.e I will need to place the timber several feet into the ground and fix them down with concrete fill-in?

And any other help will be greatly appreciated..

Thanks in advance ,

Mr Sleepy

 

[breezer]

I can only reply to what i know, so here goes.

Yes the support posts should be mounted in concrete to give stability.

I would be inclined not to use chipboard in the costruction in case it "gives"

I would also put fibreglass (rockwool" inwetween the outside and inside walls to give insulation.

I would check with your council as for planning permmission

Any suggestions / disagreements welcome

 

[skellem]

Hi there, I've just found the site, and being a keen diy'er myself I thought I'd put a few posts up.

I am currently building something very similar to what you are wanting to build. It's basicly an outside shed and utility room. The only difference is that it's attached to the house so that we can access the utility room from the kitchen. My local council don't require planning permission for extensions up to 70 cubic metres. I'll post a few pictures to see what you think. If you think it's for you then send me an email ([email protected]) or reply, and I'll go into more detail on the construction (I don't want to spend all evening explaining what I did and find you had something else in mind!!!) I've tried to keep the images as small as possible. Here goes:

The floor slab

The shell

A closer view

Another view

End view

And lastly, the windows I built to put in

Those pics are a bit old, I have already put in most of the windows and I'm going to start work on the big door on the one end. Let me know what you think!!

 

[DAZB]

I would skin the external face of the studwork in 8x4 sheets of 12mm ply or even OSB (Oriented Strand Board). It will give it much more stability and with the sizes you mentioned there will be minimal waste and cutting.Regarding the floor , I would just lay a T & G Chipboard floor on top of the joists spaced at 450mm centres and I would screw the floor down rather than nail it. Another consideration is your power supply.If you are to be hanging things from the rafters and ceiling beams then it would make sense to run all your cables for your sockets below the floor fixed to the joists during construction leaving the roof space cable free and safer for fixing to.I would also consider a VELUX roof window for extra light especially above a work bench or similar area.Hope these ideas are some use to you.

 

[Graeme]

Devil_haKKa said..

I have two types of construction in mind however the design needs some key points like easy access, electricity (possibly water later on..), heating, insulation and water-proofing.

Seen as your starting from scratch, would'nt it be easier in the long run to put water in as you build it?. A miniture sink installed also would be handy for future painting jobs..(going by the grief I get from cleaning brushes in the kitchen!).

 

[ChasesDragons]

Hakka,
First of all, I am am a complete DIY newbie, ("I know naaassing"). But i have just bought a crumbling hooch with ideas pretty similar to yours.

If you are going to fit kick bags, and rely on non-brick contstruction, mebbe some kind of frame could be built, isolated from the main construction? Like the block and tackle runners that you find in some garages? You could get these second-hand. Basically, the runner bar (horizontal) is supported on two H. Duty supports built into the ground and concreted in, by the walls). Nothing touches or transfers energy to the lightweight building.

They will isolate all the impacts of swinging 60Kg bags, the sliding tackle will allow you to slide the bags to the side of the wall when finished, rather than risk a hernia. I am going to hoist bikes up on mine, too, so they could be manipulated at standing height.

Just an idea. Let me know how you get on, pls.

Regards

 

[navgeeza]

I have a similar idea of doing exactly what your doing, but probably will commit to it in like 5 years from now.. but some things i have be advised or heard are to be sure that you consult your local council on the regulations for building this kind of structure.. usually its ok to build it without permission so long as it wont be used for dwelling purposes (ie. no one will sleep in it). Otherwise it would have to go through the standard house extension process of planning permission etc.

Also another consideration i have heard although i am not sure about this is that the stucture does not exceed 50% of your garden.