The client and the space
Michał lives in a detached house in Raszyn, just off the Warsaw–Katowice road. His single-bay garage had been running at 10% utilisation for years — one old bicycle, leftover paint tins, boxes no one had opened since the renovation. A classic case of a room doing nothing useful with its square metres.
Dimensions: 3.2 × 7.8 m, 25 m² total, 2.55 m clear height. Direct access via sectional garage door plus a side door connecting to the house. The garage was already insulated with 80 mm polystyrene and had a post-renovation electrical circuit from 2021.
Michał had one clear requirement: a gym that looks like part of the house, not a workshop. Finished to a standard where guests can be walked through without apology.
Scope of works
Three decisions set the tone: the floor, the lighting, and one accent wall.
20 mm rolled rubber flooring — covering the full 25 m² in black. Rather than interlocking tiles we went for a glued-down roll: cleaner finish, no visible seams, and enough load capacity to drop a 180 kg loaded Olympic bar without damage.
Oak slat accent wall — the front-facing wall opposite the entrance finished in oak timber slats on a sub-frame with concealed LED lighting behind. The back-lighting produces soft warm light that completely changes the character of the room at night — the garage reads as a boutique strength studio rather than a converted garage.
Panoramic mirror installation — 2.8 × 1.9 m on the rack wall, with a side panel for lateral form checks. In a narrow room the mirror does double duty: technique reference plus apparent space expansion.
Built-in plywood storage — full-height cabinetry running along the right-hand wall. Houses straps, foam rollers, TRX, towels, water bottles and a Bluetooth speaker. Upper shelves finished with plants — a visual counterpoint to the heavy equipment below.
Two-zone LED lighting — ceiling panels at 4000K for training (400 lux) + 2700K LED strip in the slat wall for ambience. App-controlled, one button for “training” and one for “cooldown.”
2.5 kW split air conditioner — mounted above the slat wall, practically invisible. Heats in winter (the garage runs on its own thermal circuit, separate from the house) and cools in summer.
Equipment
Michał has been training four times a week for twelve years. He knew exactly what he needed — and, more importantly, what he could skip.
➜ Freestanding power rack with safety arms — finished in RAL 9010 (white) rather than the standard black, to match the bright interior. Two pull-up grip widths, high and low cable with 90 kg stack, folding arms. Occupies 1.8 m² of floor space ➜ 20 kg Olympic barbell + 140 kg of bumper plates — 2 × 20, 2 × 15, 2 × 10, 2 × 5 and 2 × 2.5 kg. Plate tree stored underneath the rack to keep the training area clear ➜ Dumbbells 2–40 kg — rubber hex set on a 120 cm two-tier rack tucked under the storage cabinets. 2 kg increments to 30 kg, 5 kg increments above ➜ FID adjustable bench — positioned mid-floor facing the mirror wall. Folds to four positions plus flat. Stored vertically against the side wall when not in use ➜ Battle rope 12 m × 38 mm — anchored to a floor hook by the entrance. Used 2–3 times a week as a cardio finisher ➜ Yoga / mobility mat — rolled under the mirror wall. Warm-up, mobility, post-session stretching
Timeline
4 weeks from contract signing. Oak slats and plywood cabinetry — 10 days of joinery work. Flooring, electrics and lighting — 4 days. Equipment delivery and installation — 3 days. Photography — 1 day.
The financial breakdown
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Conversion (flooring, slats, cabinetry, electrics, AC) | approx. £5,000 |
| Equipment (rack, plates, dumbbells, bench, accessories) | approx. £4,500 |
| Total | approx. £9,500 |
Fully turnkey, no need to coordinate multiple trades. One contract, one company, one point of contact.