Backyard Barn gyms offer a variety of benefits and challenges. Barns provide an environment that is less expensive, more private, and offers protection from the elements. Backyard Barns also have the potential to be used for other purposes such as storage or living space while still providing a gym area. Backyard Barn gyms can be built in stages over time, allowing you to add equipment as it becomes available or affordable. Barn gyms should take into consideration your current fitness level and future needs to avoid injury by using the improper form when lifting weights.
Today we are going to show you what it takes to build a Backyard Barn Gym. It’s a fairly simple project that you can complete on your own, but first, we need to talk about a few things. While a typical gym membership for some may not be of concern next month or even next year, there are others of us who have either been forgoing the monthly dues or have been pinching pennies so hard they’ve almost turned into dimes.
Site Selection for Backyard Barn Gym
Selecting the site for your Backyard Barn Gym is one of the most important steps in building your gym. You want this space to be special, so why not think about where you plan on building before starting construction? For example, if you live in an area with snow during the winter months and you don’t mind working out indoors at some times, then picking a site that is relatively close to your house could be a good idea. You’ll be more likely to visit the gym if it’s close to home, and it will save you time driving back and forth.
If you prefer to only work out in bad weather, then an excellent option could be a pole barn located at your hunting camp during deer season, for example. Chances are, depending on where you live, you will eventually want to work out outside even when conditions aren’t ideal, so building your Barn Gym near where you spend most of your time is probably your best bet.
Foundation Preparation
Barns are not known for their subtlety, so you’ll need to make sure your ground is level, square, and strong enough to support an average-sized structure. You can hire a professional or do it yourself if you feel confident in laying the foundation.
If you’re hiring out, then just tell them what size of building you want, and they should be able to provide an estimate on the price. If you’re doing it yourself with help from friends or family, then make sure everyone knows exactly how big this thing’s going to be before starting! You don’t want someone digging up half of your yard because they thought the barn wasn’t going to be as big as it was.
Clean up any tree stumps and rocks, make sure the ground is as level as possible, and layout bricks or stones to prevent grass and weeds from growing up underneath your foundation.
The Frame
Once everything’s been prepared, we can start building the actual frame of the barn. If you’re using wood, then it’s easiest to follow the instructions on the plan that you’ve purchased but if you’re doing a stone barn, then take a look at our guide to making stonework. I’m going to be demonstrating with wood for this guide because it’s probably what most people will do.
Start by laying down two rows of 8×8 inch beams (68 inches), making sure they’re all level and square so that everything fits together tightly and neatly.
Once all of the beams are down, use 4×4 inch beams to fill in any areas that need support and build up the walls and corners. The angle should be 45 degrees (or as close as you can get it).
Beams should be placed about 1 foot apart from each other.
Flooring Considerations
The floor for your Backyard Barn Gym plays an important role because it will provide shock absorption during heavy lifting as well as cushioning if you accidentally drop a weight on your toe. You could just cut boards or flags to fit but making them into interlocking tiles allows easy removal and cleaning. Plus, it looks way better!
If you’re putting weights directly onto the bare ground, then make sure there’s something protecting your feet and joints. We recommend rubber flooring tiles because they’re relatively cheap, durable, and cut, so you can shape them to whatever size and shape you need.
The Roof
Barns are held together by their roof beams which help direct weight down into the walls as well as provide support for rising heat. You’ll want to pay careful attention to the sizing of those beams if you live somewhere with high snowfall or plan on using this space during the winter months. If it’s just going to be used for exercising, then following the local building codes should ensure that everything is safe no matter how much weight is being tossed around inside!
To save construction time, try turning your frame into an A-frame barn where two of the walls angle down towards each other to form the roof as well as the back wall. This cuts out one whole side of your barn and saves a lot of time!
Support Beams
Depending on what you’re planning to do in this Barn Gym, you’ll need different support beams throughout your workspace. If it’s just going to be used for exercise, then you shouldn’t need more than 2 or 3 firm support beams running length-ways across your gym space, but if you plan on having things hung from the ceiling, then you should construct some beam shelves and mount them securely into wall studs, so they don’t come loose under pressure.
Of course, we can’t forget about adding lighting around the place either, which is entirely up to you! Just remember that you’re building a barn, so it’s better to err on the side of caution and add in a couple more support beams than not enough.
Flooring
Unless you have a rubber-coated floor, we suggest laying down some kind of matting over your Barn Gym floor to prevent slipping and provide comfort when lifting weights. We recommend either interlocking mats or just using puzzle mats which are easy to cut and install. If you choose carpet, then make sure it’s firmly attached around all corners and edge with adhesive nailed down from underneath if possible or held in place with dowels when being used for exercising… otherwise, they’ll slide around during use!
Add Your types of equipment to the Backyard Barn Gym
Now you’re finally ready to start adding in your exercise equipment. For this example, we’re just going to be demonstrating how to build a small home gym space, but the same principles can be applied for larger or smaller areas as necessary!
You’ll need to screw, glue or nail all weights directly down, so they don’t slide around during use. This also prevents injury if you miss the target with your swings! The flooring should have already been added before the final installation of equipment.
Decorate Your Backyard Barn Gym
Whatever kind of theme you want can be customized however you like. You simply cannot go wrong with constructing a rustic barn gym because everything fits together perfectly and looks amazing! If it’s not what you were looking for, you can also paint it to suit your tastes or even add in a little grass surrounding the area. It’s all up to you!
Barns are well known for being durable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, which makes them ideal for home gyms. Once construction is complete, there isn’t much more to do other than adding in weights, hanging things from the beams, and making sure nothing gets too hot. If this sounds like a fun project, then head on down to our showroom today, and we’ll be happy to help!
Maintenance [optional]
Make sure that any excess dirt under mats is cleaned out before adding new equipment, so everything doesn’t get weighed down. We also recommend checking over beams around the backyard barn gym regularly for signs of weakness or rot, so your equipment doesn’t get damaged due to poor support!
Barns are solidly built structures that are used for storage and housing animals. With construction being more straightforward than you might expect, building a home gym in the form of a barn is an awesome weekend project that will pay dividends for years to come!
Make sure to check out posts on:
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