The client and the brief
Rafał is a structural engineer based near Warsaw, Poland — which means he knows exactly what to expect from a contractor and how to check workmanship at every stage. When he came to us, his requirements were precise: a garden gym that doesn’t look like an eyesore, works year-round, fits both weights and cardio, and — the hardest part — gets the approval of his wife Agnieszka, whose flower beds were just metres away.
That last condition turned out to be the real challenge.
Design starts with aesthetics
Before we touched the equipment layout, we talked about colour and form. The Gym Box 11×3 (model retired in April 2026 — the equivalent studio-level layout is now delivered as the Gym Box 7×5) features a full-width panoramic glass front — it’s the centrepiece of the design. Instead of a dead metal wall facing the garden, the owner sees a warmly lit training space from the outside. From the garden’s perspective: floor-to-ceiling glass, anthracite RAL 7016 metal cladding, and thermally treated timber cladding on the front fascia. The result looks like a modern garden studio — not a construction container.
Agnieszka approved the design at first glance.
Siting and groundwork
The Gym Box 11×3 (external dimensions 11 × 3.2 m) was placed at the far end of the garden, 5 m from the fence and 12 m from the house. The ground was slightly sloped — levelling and pouring the concrete slab took the groundwork team two days before module delivery. The module itself arrived and was positioned in a single working day.
In Poland, a garden structure of this type falls under simplified building notification procedures (similar in spirit to UK Permitted Development rights for outbuildings) — no full planning consent required, provided setback and size rules are met.
Equipment
Rafał trains methodically: five days a week, structured strength programming with tracked progressions. Cardio is supplementary, not the focus.
Strength zone: ➜ Multi-functional power rack with high/low cable attachments and pull-up bar ➜ 20 kg Olympic barbell + full plate set (300 kg total) ➜ Fixed dumbbells 5–60 kg in 5 kg increments (two of each) on a tiered rack ➜ Adjustable FID bench ➜ Kettlebell rack: 12, 16, 20, 24, 32 kg
Cardio zone: ➜ Commercial electric treadmill ➜ Electromagnetic resistance exercise bike
Fit-out: ➜ 20 mm anthracite rubber sports flooring, full coverage ➜ 3.5 kW split air conditioning with heating function — keeps the gym at 18°C in winter ➜ Electric underfloor heating in the warm-up zone ➜ Tri-zone LED lighting with colour temperature control ➜ Bluetooth audio with ceiling speaker ➜ Full-length mirror along the entire side wall (11 m × 2 m) ➜ Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery unit
Timeline
From signed contract to handover: 6 weeks. Rafał — as an engineer — was present at every stage and inspected each phase as it progressed. His verdict on build quality: “Finished to the standard of a good residential construction project.”
Year-round use in practice
The gym has been standing for 14 months. Rafał trains here five times a week throughout the entire year — in summer with the panoramic window open and ventilation running, in winter with the air conditioning maintaining a steady 18°C. He came back a year later to show us photos — and to order an additional cable pulley unit.