Buying Guides · 5 min read
Home Gym Shed Size Guide: Floor Space and Headroom
Which shed size suits a home gym: floor area for a bench, dumbbells, a rower or a bike, and the real headroom for overhead work. With a 3D gym builder.
Garden gym
How big should a gym shed be?
Two things decide it: enough floor for your kit and room to move around it, and enough height for the way you train.
For most home gyms, an 8 × 10ft or 8 × 12ft Apex Shed is the right size. An 8 × 10 (80 sq ft) takes a bench, dumbbells and kettlebells; an 8 × 12 (96 sq ft) adds a rower or a bike alongside. Go to an 8 × 16 (128 sq ft) if you want kit at one end and space to stretch at the other.
Recommended gym sizes
Heights are internal, from each building's specification. Floor area is the nominal footprint.
| Building | Lowest inside | Highest inside | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 Apex | 1,757mm (eaves (sides)) | 2,285mm (ridge (middle)) | 80 sq ft (7.4 m²) |
| 8 × 12 Apex | 1,757mm (eaves (sides)) | 2,285mm (ridge (middle)) | 96 sq ft (8.9 m²) |
| 8 × 16 Apex | 1,757mm (eaves (sides)) | 2,285mm (ridge (middle)) | 128 sq ft (11.9 m²) |
Why an apex, and why 8ft wide
An apex roof gives you the height down the middle, which is where you train. On our apex buildings the ridge rises with the width, so the 8ft-wide sizes are the tallest: 2,285mm under the ridge, against 1,757mm at the side walls. A pent roof slopes from 1,887mm at the front to 1,757mm at the back, which is fine for storage but lower where you'd stand to lift.
All three sizes above have 42-inch (1,067mm) double doors and windows down one side, for getting a bench, rower or bike in and for daylight and fresh air while you train.
Overhead pressing and ceiling height
Standing overhead work needs the most height. Measure your reach with your arms locked out, plus the bar or dumbbells. If it's under 2,285mm you can press standing in the middle of an 8ft-wide apex, under the ridge. If it's more, press seated, or choose movements that don't go overhead. A power rack needs checking against the same figure.
Plan the floor before you buy
Lay out your kit on the floor at home with tape, then add room to move around it and to open the doors. Keep heavy kit away from the doors so you can get in and out easily.
Rubber gym flooring protects the timber boards and spreads the load of weights; it isn't supplied by us. Lights, a fan or a heater should be fitted by a qualified electrician.
Gym shed questions
Is Heavy Duty worth it for a gym?
Heavy Duty gives you 22mm loglap walls instead of 16mm shiplap. The floor and frame are the same as the standard building, so it's a choice about the walls, not the floor.
Can I see my kit inside the building first?
Yes. The 3D gym builder shows the real shed with the roof off. Drop in strength, cardio and stretch zones and walk in through the doors.
How quickly can I have it?
Order by 2pm on a working day and it's delivered free the next working day to the UK mainland, flat-packed to the kerbside.
Design your gym in 3D
Pick the size, drop in your kit and see what fits under the roof before you buy.
Open the 3D gym builderReady to put it into practice? Every building is in stock, flat-packed and delivered free to the UK mainland the next working day.
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