Most people assume: Gym Box = gym. Weights, a treadmill, a sweaty session. And yes — that’s the main job. But more and more customers are planning something broader.
A private activity hub. A space you step into not only “for a workout”, but to play, to move, to take on your brother at table tennis or your son at darts. A room the whole household uses — not just the one person with the gym habit.
Where the idea comes from
A customer near Birmingham asked us for a Gym Box 7×5 built around a concept that pleasantly surprised us: the recreation zone as the main function, with functional training as the supporting act. Table tennis, darts, foosball — plus a wall ladder and rubber flooring.
Not a gym with a few recreation extras. An activity hub with a bit of training built in.
That shift in thinking opens the Gym Box up to a completely different kind of user — the one who’d never buy “a gym”, but absolutely wants somewhere for the family to spend a rainy Sunday.
What fits in a Gym Box when you write “activity”, not “training”?
Gym Box 8×3 m (24 m²) — the entry-level options
Keep a 15–16 m² strength zone and you still have 8–9 m² for recreation. Enough for:
➜ A table tennis table (folding, 274×152 cm — 4.5 m²) — and with the table folded away you free that floor up for something else
➜ Darts (board zone 2×2 m + a safe throwing run of 3–4 m) — yes
➜ A heavy bag plus room to skip — yes
➜ A wall ladder fixed to the unit wall — yes
Gym Box 6×5 m or a custom 9×5 m (30–45 m²) — full flexibility
At this footprint you can split the space into two independent zones with no compromise:
| Zone | Area | What goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | 20–25 m² | Cable rack, free weights, cardio |
| Recreation | 15–20 m² | Table tennis + darts + foosball, or a combat-sports corner |
Gym Box on a custom 12×4 / 12×5 footprint (48–60 m²) — the premium activity hub
The larger custom modules allow three zones: strength, recreation and a chill-out corner (sofa, TV, mini fridge). Something close to a private members’ club in the garden.
A quick note on sizing: 7×5 m is the largest standard catalogue unit; anything beyond it is built as a custom Gym Box up to 96 m².
Which activities fit? Dimensions and requirements
| Activity | Minimum space | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Table tennis | 5×9 m (full play) / 4×7 m (casual) | A folding table is the smart move |
| Darts | 2 m wide × 4 m deep | Board on the wall, oche at 2.37 m |
| Foosball | 1.5×2.5 m | No ceiling-height requirement |
| Heavy bag (60 kg) | 2×2 m + ceiling fixing | Ceiling height min. 2.4 m |
| Wall ladder | 0.8×2 m against a wall | Steel, fixed to the module wall |
| Console + TV corner | ≥ 2×3 m sofa + screen | Ideal for a wet British afternoon |
| Pull-up bar | In the doorframe or wall-mounted | Cheap and convenient |
Flooring for a mixed-use activity hub
In a classic gym you’d lay 20–30 mm rubber throughout. In a mixed activity hub it pays to zone the floor:
➜ Combat-sports / floor-work corner: 40 mm EVA puzzle mats or tatami
➜ Recreation zone (table tennis, darts): a hard surface — laminate panels or LVT vinyl
➜ Strength zone: 20–30 mm rubber, same as standard
A well-designed activity hub = a floor split into zones by both material and colour. There’s more on this in our container gym flooring guide.
Who’s it for — activity hub vs straight gym?
| Profile | Straight gym | Activity hub |
|---|---|---|
| Trains seriously 4×/week | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Family with children | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Couple — one trains, one doesn’t | ★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Business / staff on a break | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Holiday let / resort | ★★★ | ★★★★★ |
The activity hub is the argument that wins over the whole household — not just “the one who goes to the gym”. That matters when you’re justifying a five-figure spend to a partner.
Worked example: a custom Gym Box 10×4 m activity hub
Customer: family with two teenagers, budget around £33,000 ex-VAT
Layout:
| ← 6 m gym → | ← 4 m recreation → |
| cable rack + dumbbells | table tennis (folding) |
| treadmill | darts + climbing board |
| 20 mm rubber | laminate floor |Gym kit (24 m²):
➜ Multi-function cable rack
➜ Dumbbells 5–30 kg + kettlebells
➜ Treadmill
➜ Adjustable bench
Recreation kit (16 m²):
➜ Folding Cornilleau 400X table tennis table
➜ Dartboard + lighting
➜ Fold-down climbing board
➜ 55” TV + bracket + console
Total cost: from £31,000–34,000 ex-VAT
For comparison, the same brief built in Poland (where we manufacture) runs from around 155,000 zł net — the UK figure already factors in delivery and a UK install team. Final pricing depends on spec and groundworks; your quote confirms it.
A few UK-specific notes
➜ Planning: a garden activity hub usually falls under permitted development, but boundary distances, height and floor area thresholds apply — worth a quick read of our garden gym planning permission guide, and confirm with your local planning authority before you order.
➜ Use it year-round: with insulated sandwich-panel walls and a small AC/heat unit, the hub stays comfortable through a British winter — no need to mothball it from October to March.
➜ VAT and business use: if the hub is for staff or guests rather than the household, the VAT and capital-allowances treatment differs — check with your accountant.
Want to design a family activity hub everyone in the house will actually use?
Free consultation, reply within 24 hours.
➜ Get in touch with Gym Assistance
➜ Build your quote in the configurator
➜ Gym Box with table tennis
➜ The recreation zone explained