PRJ.014 · 12 km
Paignton, Devon
The Pavilion
A wide-format architectural studio set against an established hedge line — cedar cladding, full-height aluminium glazing, sedum roof.
Arden & Oak — serving Garden Gyms
Garden Gyms in South Devon.
Garden gyms are our second most-common South Devon brief. The difference between a good garden gym and a useless one comes down to three things: the internal ceiling height (2.4 m minimum for standing lifts), the floor structure (reinforced sub-frame for weighted equipment), and the ventilation (proper cross-flow, not just an extractor fan).
Local context
Designed and installed across Garden Gyms.
We build garden gyms in the 4.2 × 3.2 m and 5 × 4 m footprints most often — enough space for cardio equipment along one wall, a lifting area and a mat floor. Reinforced sub-frame is a small spec upgrade that handles serious weighted equipment (up to 400 kg loaded rack in the middle of the floor). Rubber gym-mat flooring goes over the standard laminate on request. All the electrical spec — extra sockets, cardio-equipment feeds, TV points — resolved at the design stage.
Year-round comfort matters more in a gym than in an office. The heat pump we specify handles cooling as well as heating (reverse-cycle), which matters when a heavy session pushes the internal temperature up in summer. Considered ventilation is the difference between a room you use every day and one you avoid in July.
Why us
Why Garden Gyms clients choose Arden & Oak.
We’re a small, architecturally-led UK studio. We don’t subcontract, we don’t volume-build, and we don’t sell finance. What we do is design and install premium, year-round garden rooms that earn their place in your garden.
- 10-year structural warranty
Backed by SIP manufacturer cover and our own installation guarantee.
- Architectural, not catalogue
Every drawing is for your plot, your aspect, your sightlines — not a brochure size.
- Our crew, never sub-contracted
Same team designs, manufactures and installs. Single point of accountability.
- 6–8 week typical lead time
From signed quote to handover. SIP off-site manufacture means weather doesn't stop us.
What people build
Popular garden room uses in Garden Gyms.
The brief varies — a Clifton home office, a Plymouth music studio, an Exeter therapy room, a Truro yoga retreat. The architecture adapts. These are the most common briefs we see in the South West.
- Garden offices
A separate, year-round workspace with proper acoustic separation and UK building-reg-grade insulation.
- Home gyms
Reinforced flooring, mirrored walls, dedicated power and ventilation — designed around the equipment.
- Golf simulator rooms
Year-round practice — ceiling heights, projector mounts and floor build-up specified for trackman or SkyTrak.
- Garden bars
Entertain in a stylish, weatherproof retreat — bar back, integrated lighting and bifold openings as standard.
- Yoga & wellness studios
Generous glazing, polished or engineered timber floor, calm palette — designed for movement and stillness.
- Therapy & treatment rooms
Quiet, private, professional. Often used by counsellors, beauty therapists and personal trainers.
- Music & recording studios
Acoustic insulation upgrades available — vocal rooms, podcasting and home studios.
- Creative studios
Photographers, painters, makers — high ceilings, north-light glazing options on request.
SIP construction
Built like a house. Insulated better than one.
Every Arden & Oak garden room in Garden Gyms uses Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). It’s the construction method chosen by Passivhaus architects for a reason: factory-precision tolerances, continuous insulation and zero cold bridges.
Full specification →- U-value 0.17 W/m²K — better than UK building regs
- Manufactured indoors in a controlled environment
- No structural cold bridges through the build-up
- Outer skin can be cedar, Thermowood, Accoya or charred
- Vapour-controlled inner layer — no condensation risk
- Installed in a single day with zero excavation spoil
- No concrete cure time — build starts immediately
- Reversible — leaves the garden almost untouched if removed
- Suitable for sloping plots and clay-heavy ground
- Engineered for the building's load case, not estimated
Ground screw foundations
No concrete. No mess. No waiting.
Every Garden Gyms install starts with engineered ground screws — the same technology used for telecom masts and architectural glass houses. Installed in a single day, with no excavation spoil and no concrete cure time.
How the process runs →Service area
Working from Paignton — building across Garden Gyms.
Studio base
Paignton, Devon — serving Garden Gyms as standard route.
Coverage radius
We cover every postcode in Garden Gyms as part of our standard service area. Transparent travel surcharge applied only where genuine logistics warrant it — always shown on your quote before you commit.
Gallery
Recent builds near Garden Gyms.
Real photographs from real installs — not renders, not stock. The full gallery has more across the South West and Home Counties.
Recommended reading
Planning garden gyms? Read this first.
Four articles from the studio's garden gyms casebook — the spec, the running costs, the planning conversation and the design detail worth resolving before your consultation.
Specification · 6 min read · 29 August 2026
Home gym garden rooms — floor, ceiling height and equipment spec
The three dimensions and one floor detail that separate a garden room you can train in from one you can't. Real numbers for cardio, weights, mat-work and pull-ups.
Read the article
Build detail · 6 min read · 21 August 2026
Garden room flooring — engineered oak vs microcement vs polished concrete
Three floor finishes we specify most. What each is, how it wears, what it costs, and which brief it belongs in. Real numbers from real installs.
Read the article
Specification · 7 min read · 30 August 2026
Garden room heating — heat pump vs infrared vs electric radiator
Three heating routes we actually specify, compared on running cost, install cost, comfort profile and the plots each one suits. Real UK numbers.
Read the article
Specification · 7 min read · 1 August 2026
How to choose the right size garden room — a room-by-room brief guide
The three footprints we build most often, what fits inside each, and the sizing mistakes clients regret. A working brief for the specification stage.
Read the article
Local FAQs
Common questions from Garden Gyms customers.
Do you build garden rooms in Garden Gyms?
Yes — Garden Gyms is part of our active service area. We design, manufacture and install across Garden Gyms from our Paignton studio. Discovery visits are free, with most consultations booked within 48–72 hours of enquiry.
Will I need planning permission in Garden Gyms?
Most Arden & Oak garden rooms in Garden Gyms fall within Permitted Development Rights — height kept below 2.5 m at the eaves, set back at least 2 m from boundaries, and under 50% of the original garden footprint. We confirm this in writing as part of the consultation, and handle full applications where listed status, AONB or conservation-area rules apply.
How long does a Garden Gyms installation take?
From signed quote to handover, the typical lead time is 6–8 weeks. Ground screws install in a day. SIP factory production takes around three weeks. Site assembly, glazing, electrics, cladding and finish take a further 5–10 working days depending on size.
What's the starting price for a Garden Gyms garden room?
Our entry studio (The Snug) starts at £11,995 fully installed. A typical mid-spec garden office or gym lands between £18,000 and £32,000. See the full pricing breakdown for what's included — or explore the funding guide for the common ways customers pay for their build.
Are foundations included in the Garden Gyms quote?
Yes. Ground screw foundations are included as standard on every fixed-price quote. There are no surprise extras for typical UK garden ground conditions — we survey first.
Begin your Garden Gyms project
Plan your Garden Gyms garden room.
Talk to the studio. Site visits across Garden Gyms are free and unhurried — we’ll bring drawings, samples and a clear sense of what your plot can support.
Fixed-price quote
10-yr warranty
6–8 wk lead time
UK install crew