What if Your Garage Was the Perfect Home Gym? Read this Step-by-Step Guide

For many homeowners who have gym memberships, an alternative to their expensive monthly commitment exists right under their noses.

A garage is a perfect place to convert into a fitness center. There’s ample space, usually plenty of hookups, and harder floors to accommodate the equipment.

If you have a gym membership and are actively working out, you might want to consider the things highlighted in this article and put your garage to use as an active fitness center.

The First Step: The Whole Area or Just a Portion?

Your garage is usually a graveyard for the discarded items in your home.

Install an elliptical trainer in your garage? What a great idea!

For starters, converting the entire garage to useable fitness center space gives you a chance to go through the ancient items you’ve been storing.

If you decide to use the whole area, don’t be afraid to go all out. Make all the floor space you can for modern fitness equipment.

If you have bikes for you and the family, use this vertical bike rack to continue storing the bikes, but keeping them off the floor.

Before purchasing any upgraded gym equipment, you need to have a clear picture of how the area will look. Are there any major obstacles in your way?

What to Do with That Giant Wall?

Here’s an idea. Keep the wall and add a bench to one side. Put the bench on the side opposite the fitness equipment. You can use the wall as a divider and turn this space into a shower/locker room area.

The Second Step: Draw Plans

This picture shared by BoxJunkies shows an in-garage gym. The owner decided to install a TV and other conveniences.

This is the part where you draw plans and use your diagram to decide whether you’ll need the services of experts.

If you go with the locker room area, do you need a plumber?

Sometimes drains are already installed on garage floors. You could even use a portable camping shower to save money. If everything looks good to go with this element, move on to the electrical diagram.

If you need electrical work, we recommend using the services of a professional. You don’t want t to run the risk of compromising your electrical circuit or injuring yourself.

Smaller jobs can be done by you and the family. Maybe you have friends who would come over to assist you.

If your ceiling has beams, you can use this to your advantage. Convert the ceiling area to storage and use it to hang a heavy bag for workout purposes.

This blog by BLACK+DECKER explains how to install different storage options based on the ceiling you have.

Flooring

A lot of flooring options exist. You need to decide what works best for you based on the shape of the old floor, and the direction of your gym plans.

An epoxy garage floor. Picture by AllGarageFloors.

The floor in the garage is concrete already. Let’s assume you’re not going to stray from this, so we can work with what we have and add some cost-efficient elements.

1. Refinish the concrete or seal it

   Refinishing the concrete is a great idea to add years to the existing floor. After refinishing the old surface, you can use a simple concrete paint and sealer to add a beautiful shine.

   For an added visual element, choose a color theme for your gym. Use the concrete paint to coordinate the whole area and bring your garage back to life.

2. Foam Mechanics Mat

   Have you ever seen or used the foam mats mechanics use to lay on when they’re under cars? These mats have a lot of useful purposes.

   These mats snap together like jigsaw puzzles. They add a layer of protection to the floor, but most importantly, they add padding underneath your feet.

   They have enough thickness to help them bring safety to your garage in case you fall. These mats also add another cosmetic element to the gym. If you’re running electrical cords across the floor, these mats can be used to hide any cords.

   The Best Flooring Options for Your Home Gym by Men’s Health has some great mat options for your home gym.

3. Carpet

   Carpet may not be the best decision at first thought. However, after doing some research, you’ll find that some newer carpet designs have industrial patterns that could match a gym theme nicely.

   You can’t use any thicker carpets, so if you’re looking for comfort or safety, the carpet element won’t bring much of either.

   Carpet for the garage or any concrete surface normally is installed using a glue-down method. The carpet is extremely thin and doesn’t have padding like the carpet you would see in your home.

Equipment can weigh a ton. You need to have solid flooring if you don't want to break it after only a month.

Ventilation

This garage ventilation system from Humidex is a great option for regulating humidity in the area using an all-in-one ventilation system. You can add a few other appliances to make the garage comfortable and cool.

Adding a window unit air conditioner or a floor model goes well with the above ventilation system. Alternatively, you can use a smaller dehumidifier, especially if the air conditioners you’re using are rated high enough.

If winters tend to be cold, you can also use a space heater. A smaller heater should be sufficient, coupled with a fan to spread heat throughout the gym space.

You don’t want the heat too extreme in an area where everyone will be working out

Insulation

If the garage isn’t insulated properly, your equipment will suffer the consequences.

Freezing conditions can damage electronic equipment permanently. Fitness equipment with electronic interfaces as well television and cable equipment are at risk for this type of damage.

The walls and areas surrounding the doors and windows should be given extra attention.

If your garage windows and pipe areas are fully winterized, but the door isn't so well insulated, you’re not getting much protection from winter conditions.

Would you like to add a modern touch to your home curb appeal? This garage door is perfect for you. It is Vog design, 9' x 7', Black color, with a window layout: Left-side Harmony.

An R-value is given to every area of the house that requires insulation. The roof and ceiling are around R-40, while the walls in your home fall between 13 and 20. The higher the R-value climbs, the more efficient the insulation is.

Insulating the garage door is the most important requirement when it comes to sealing your garage. This is the largest space that cold and hot have to enter your garage area because of compromised insulation.

There are easy ways to reduce your electricity and heating bills by making some simple changes to the doors in your garage.

You need a door that is energy efficient. There are different types of weatherstripping you can use to ensure your garage stays at a comfortable temperature. The bottom seal is the rubber portion at the lower edge of the garage door. This rubber piece ensures no unwanted air, debris, or rodents enter your gym space.

You can also add a visual element to the outside of the door to match the interior. Vinyl panels are a great way to highlight the beauty of our garage door.

These components act to seal the area around the perimeter of the garage door while adding a visual component that matches the rest of your house.

InterLok^TM joints by Garaga offer a design that makes doors sealed against cold winds, among other things. These joints seal and weatherize the panels inside your garage door. This means that if freezing temperatures, rain, snow, and other harsh elements impact the door, they won’t damage the inside of the door.

Storm Shield thresholds are similar to the rubber mat and foam we mentioned earlier. These are placed directly above the threshold area of your garage, beneath the rolldown door. These thresholds can cover wires, fill in damaged pieces of your concrete floor, and assist in keeping rain and standing water out of the garage.

These thresholds are elevated, which deflects water and allows it to drain down the hill.

Windows

Direct sunlight is attributed to an overall feeling of wellness, as well as elevated physical health. Windows that allow in more natural levels of sunlight can be a great option for a gym conversion.

Different types of windows are offered. You just need to make a decision as a homeowner on whether you want to focus on privacy, insulation, security features, or natural sunlight.

See this article about adding windows to an existing garage door. This can be a perfect idea if you decide to have windows installed in the rest of the garage that allows for naturally high levels of sunlight.

Adding brand new windows to your garage door that otherwise doesn’t allow sunlight can have mental benefits, boost the energy rating, and increase the security of your garage all at once. Ask about windows that are shatterproof while still maintaining a level of transparency so that can add to the room's natural-lighting theme.

Want a new garage door to complete the look?

Here at A‑1 Overhead Door Systems, we offer a Design Centre tool that allows you to make your gym and garage project completely custom from start to finish. You can sample our gallery that has an assortment of windows, doors, and other highly rated energy options.

Ask for a free quote by email once you’ve established an outline for the type of garage you want!

Do you prefer the timeless beauty of the Traditional Style? This garage door is perfect for you! It is a Classic CC design, 9' x 7', Ice White, with 4 lite Orion windows.

Contact us at 1-800-409-3667.

We have experts standing by ready to help you design the garage of your dreams. They can even help you choose elements that will benefit your home gym. The levels of experience of our technicians are unmatched, and our customer experience is like no other!

Finalize your home gym and invite us over once the finished product is unveiled!