Workout room musts? Possibly buying house

[EileenS]

I know some of you all can give me some ideas We may very likely be buying our first house in a few months, and one of the "must haves" is a workout room. We already own a rowing machine, a step, balance ball, and a bunch of weight equipment, plus I'll want to have a tv, vcr, and dvd for videos.

How big a room do I need? I'm guessing I'll need a clear space about 8 x 10 feet in order to do step and hi-lo -- is that a good estimate? Plus some room around the edge to hold the rowing machine, weights, tv, etc. I know bigger is better , but I've got to be realistic.

If my workout area ended up being the "bonus room" above the garage, would having sloped walls over part of it be a real problem?

Will I go nuts if this space doesn't have the best heating/air conditioning? In the few houses we've seen so far, the best room for my exercise is often in an odd spot. If it comes to a choice of who gets the better air handling, my husband's music room will win out due to the needs of the instruments. We live in central NC, so it can get pretty hot and pretty cold, but only for short periods.

Anything I'm overlooking? We're taking this slowly and carefully, but it's so easy to overlook something basic!

Thanks for any help!

Eileen

[adrien_73]

Let's see, I haven't perfected a specific "workout room" in my condo so it's become more of a "workout house"! All of my cardio equipment (treadmill, elliptical & spin bike) is in a room upstairs, and I do aerobics & strength training in the living room in front of my BIG TV! So, my first tip would be...don't neccessarily limit your workout area to one room only! (Easy for ME to say...I live alone so no one can complain about all of my fitness clutter!)

I have been looking for a new house & have turned down many because they cannot accomodate all of my fitness equipment for one reason or another. so here are a few suggestions:

-The height of the ceiling is very important for cardio. (step or bouncy moves with your arms in the air need lots of free height space!) If I can touch the ceiling while standing on my tippy toes-it's a no-no! (I always set my step at 8 inches and I am 5' 7. )Lots of older houses and basements have low ceilings, so be sure to check this out .

-Sloped walls might be a problem...if there is a high point in the room you might need to plan your layout so you could stand in that area while doing step workouts.

-Consider the flooring. I have burbur (?) carpeting where I do my aerobics & noticed that they were wearing very quickly. I bought a cheap area rug to put on top to help protect it. If you'd be working out in a basement with concrete floors, you would want to have some sort of cushioning to save your knees while doing step & other cardio. (Such as puzzle mats.) Also, the sound of dumbells hitting concrete can get really annoying after a while!

-If you do strength training, you will probably want some sort of large mirror so you can check out your form while exercising. This is something I don't have now, and really wish I did!

-Just a suggestion...I have a rotating wall mount for my TV & DVD player in my workout room. I love it! Saves a lot of space.

-I just bought a Reebok dumbell rack from Target. WOW! I can't believe I waited so long to get this! Makes storing weights so much easier!

-Ventilation/climate control is VERY important to me when I work out. Obviously a room with windows that open would be ideal. Fans & air conditioners are helpful, and I have seen some AC's that do not have to be set up in a window. Space heaters are great if you have an unheated work space.

I might come up with some more ideas, but I hope these help a little!

[marie]

We just bought a house, also in NC , with a bonus room above the garage that I claimed as my exercise room.

The sloped walls are not a problem. When I workout I do have to be aware of where the sloped ceiling and ceiling fan is so that I do not hurt myself when raising my hands over my head, but it has not been a hard adjustment. The room has its own heating/cooling system, seperate from the main house. So far I have only needed to set the heat to 65 degrees on really cold nights (if it is really freezing cold in the AM I will retreat with haste). If the room is just a bit cold I run the space heater till I warm up then cut it off.

Just be sure the room is big enough. The way I see it, the exercise room had to have space for working out (10x10 ft) PLUS equipment storage. I don't want to be rearranging my exercise room every time I decide to exercise.

marie

[FitBoop]

Congratulations, Eileen! Becoming a homeowner is a wonderful experience. Are you planning to buy additional equipment, like a treadmill or other heavy pieces? The reason I ask is that when you think about where equipment is going to be in a house, you have to think about structural support for the weight. I have some heavy pieces of equipment, and was unable to put them into the attic due to the lack of adequate structural support for the weight, so I had to put them in the basement. There is no climate control in my basement, but it is usually fine for working out in terms of temperature.

I use an extra bedroom for my DVD workouts, treadmill and smaller pieces like the step, Bosu, and stability ball. The room is about 13 X 13, and feels like a nice size; not too big or too small. I also use the room for a guest room (there's a convertible sofa), and for watching TV at night.

[bzar]

congrats on the house hunting!

word of advice: take note of the flooring at whatever home you choose.

we moved last year from a townhome built on "stilts" w/wooden floors to a single-family home built on a slab.

the one thing i miss is my wooden floor from the old townhouse - it had carpet and padding on it and was very kind to my knees (i don't have knee issues).

however, i really noticed the difference when i worked out on my new floor. the carpet and padding were from the 70's in the "new" house, so i got puzzle mats within a week. we recently got new carpet and pad, and i still use the puzzle mat on it.

[EileenS]

Thanks for the replies! I'm making notes to take with me as we look.

Good point, Abbe, about additional equipment. Since we'll be buying a house, I have a sneaky idea I won't be buying much else for awhile -- No Buying Challenge, here I come! -- but it would be nice to have an idea where to put it, if I did.

adrien and bzar, you're right about the flooring. I work out on carpet over concrete slab right now and have put special tiles over that. I've opened the topic of putting in new flooring for my workout room (maybe not Taraflex, but something good), and it hasn't been shot down yet. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping

marie, I'm glad you've found a bonus room to be ok. One house had a great bonus room -- something like 15 x 23 feet! -- but I don't think that's what I'll end up with. I'll just have to see what the air system is in whatever we get.. hopefully I won't have to compromise.

Please keep the ideas coming -- I'm getting pretty excited about all this and what to like whatever exercise room I end up with.

[J'Ann]

One wall of my exercise/multi purpose room slopes. I like it. I store my equipment underneath and I don't feel like the space is wasted. I like having windows in mine. I prefer exercising with natural light. We have a rack to hold our DVDs on next to the TV.

J'Ann

[icey]

I know what you mean!!!

I have a workout room. My spin bike is there along with my weights, medicine ball, stability ball, high step and step and of course the racks for dumbells and dvds/vids.

Since I purchased my bike, I do my step routines in the family room downstairs. I am able to do HSC in the workout room since that does not incorporate the large step. I also like to do plyo and kickboxking workouts in the family room because of the room factor.

When you start purchasing this equipment, it does ZAP up the space and hey, we just have to be creative. Oh and having a mirror does help so you can check your form, I have one and it does make a difference.

But definately get a room with high ceilings and preferably no carpet.

JMHO

[Helen]

I really like natural light and fresh air, so I NEED windows that can open, and more than just one. Personal preference there. More than just a single power point might be a thought too - depends on what you want in there.

[sjazz78]

A good size closet for 2.5 reasons:

1. With good organizers inside you can maximize your workout space and still have your things near by. In fact a nice double closet with sliding doors and the right shelving arrangement can store your videos/dvds, some equitment and place your TV (on rolling cart) in there as well.
Also consider what rooms you will have your cable/satellite going in so you can get FIT TV. With long enough cable/ electric cord, you can have the option of keeping the TV set up in the closet and ready to go when you open the doors or moving it around to other areas of you room as needed.

2. I bought a house in SC and plan to close in my carport in the near future
and was told by a real estate friend that while a workout room can be a good selling point, putting a closet in said room will technically make it count as a bedroom much better selling point. And can increase the home's value.

2.5. In the event that family comes in from out of town to visit. Being able to stow things away is a great plus. Just get some inflatable mattresses and
and you're good to go. Or not. Remember, the workout room is your baby, you can make folks feel welcome but not too comfortable (nudge, nudge) and "nice" youself out of workout space.
How you use those options are up to you use it wisely