Basement Gym
Basement Gym Ideas
The popularity of home gyms have skyrocketed in the last few years. New technologies such as Peloton have made it possible to get the group workout experience without leaving your house. With majority of fitness centres being closed for the bigger part of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, basement gyms have become vital for many people.
The first thing to decide on when it comes to designing your basement gym is your overall basement layout. Will your gym be in its own separate room with a door? Will it be completely open concept with an open area of the basement dedicated to the gym? Or something in between with large sliding doors or a glass wall?
Basement Gym Entrance
If your basement gym design calls for a door, you have a few options to consider. A popular approach is to build the largest possible opening, usually achieved with double doors. This will allow for the best flow with the rest of the basement, make it easier to bring gym equipment in and out and let light into your home gym. Double glass French doors, double barn doors or even double pocket doors are all great options. There may be reasons to avoid double doors leading into your basement home gym. For example, the ease of entry may be something you want to avoid if you have young children that you want to keep out of the gym area. A large opening will reduce the wall space of the room, reducing the options of mirrors, posters, wall mounted TVs, etc. If you are planning to sell your home in the near future and you want to present this room as a spare bedroom, a single standard door will be a more common option in a bedroom.
Basement Home Gym Mirror
A custom floor to ceiling mirror is a popular option for a basement gym. It will give the illusion of a larger room and will help you keep an eye on your form while working out. Our mirrors start at $15/sqf installed and the pricing depends on the size and thickness of the mirror.
Basement Gym Lighting and Electrical
As with the rest of the basement, you will want to make sure that your basement gym has plenty of light. Recessed LED pot lights and wall scones will work best here. Basements already have low ceilings and hanging light fixtures off the ceiling could get in your way when working out. The best lighting for a home gym is natural light, let in through lots of windows. However, since in a basement this is not always possible, we can mimic natural light by installing multiple fixtures evenly across the entire space. They should use daylight temperature bulbs (5000k) and provide a bright and energetic space to train in.
Other than lighting it is important to consider all other electrical requirements for your basement gym. Location of a treadmill and other electrical exercise equipment should be decided during the electrical design phase. You may have a structural post in the area that could be used to add an outlet or two. If you want to add a plug in the floor to avoid loose cables, this is certainly an option but it will require a foundation trench and conduit and will raise the basement gym cost. If you plan on having a TV in the room, you will need an electrical outlet for it, as well as a CAT6 cable, if needed.
A built-in speaker system is a popular addition to any basement gym. There are countless options on the market today, many are wireless so you can avoid the speaker wire but remember – these speakers will still require power.
While you’re thinking about the sound system in your gym, consider the need to soundproof the room. Your gym may be under an office or living room and you want to make sure that sound is contained to the basement and isn’t disturbing others in your home. Rockwool Safe’n’Sound is designed specifically for sound dampening to help prevent noise travelling from one floor to the next, providing the peace and quiet you desire. There are new products on the market now that offer additional soundproofing options, if the budget allows, such as SONOpan soundproofing panels that are installed behind the drywall.
While you’re planning out your basement gym think about any other in-wall requirements you may have. Clients that want to hang a punching bag, for example, need to tell us where they will hang it so that we can add the additional structural support to hold the hardware and carry the weight of the bag. The same applies for pull up bars, weight racks, or any other wall or ceiling mounted equipment or hardware.
Basement Gym Flooring Ideas
Interlocking rubber mats are a great way to protect your basement flooring in your gym. Heavy equipment and dropped weights can damage your basement floor. While we do recommend continuing your basement floor into the gym area, it is a good idea to invest in some kind of a protective surface on top of it if weights are involved.
Like in any custom building project, planning ahead is the key to a great basement gym that’s built to your specifications, style and vision. Our team at Bedrock Basements have the experience to ask the right questions during the design phase of the project so that all the little details of your basement gym are worked out prior to construction. Our 3D basement design will help you visualize the space so you can make the decisions that are right for you. Give us a call or fill out the form below to arrange a free, no obligation consultation with one of our basement designers. At Bedrock Basements we are a team of design, construction and renovation professionals with decades of combined experience working together to provide basement bar, basement kitchen, basement gym, basement bathroom & basement theater finishing solutions.
