Garden Office & Gym with a Mono-Pitched Roofline
First Published: 26 August 2022
Refreshed: 29 November 2024
Reading Time: 3 minutes
This stylish two-roomed garden building by Swift Unlimited has been designed as a home office and gym space, with the flexibility to evolve for other uses in the future. It features a mono-pitched roofline, providing increased headroom for users of the gym space.
When buying a garden room to use as a home gym, many people opt for a taller building than the standard 2.5m to increase the internal ceiling height. The extra height offers greater headroom when using gym equipment.
Under Permitted Development rules, you can build a garden room taller than 2.5m if it is positioned at least 2m from any boundary. A mono-pitched building is allowed to have a maximum eaves height of 2.5m, sloping up to 3m at its highest point.
In this case, the mono-pitched roofline slopes from front to back, with the building measuring 3m tall at the front and 2.5m at the rear. This design ensures plenty of headroom for activities like using treadmills and cross-trainers.
A Partition Wall Divides the Building into Two Rooms
The building is 7.87m wide overall. The larger of the two rooms, the gym, is 4.37m deep, while the office is 3.37m deep. This creates a stepped front elevation, which adds an attractive visual dynamic.
Each room has independent external access. However, if you prefer the option to move between the rooms internally, the Swift team can include a door within the partition wall during the design process.
Indoor-Outdoor Living
Both rooms feature high-spec Aluminium powder-coated bi-fold doors on the front elevation. These doors slide effortlessly to one side, seamlessly extending the indoor space onto the Charcoal Grey composite decking that wraps around the building. This easy connection between indoor and outdoor spaces is one of the many reasons people choose a garden room.
Skylights Create Naturally Light-Filled Rooms
The interior spaces feel naturally light and airy. This effect is due not only to the bi-fold doors and a small window on the rear wall but also to the inclusion of skylight windows.
The office features a 1m x 1m skylight, while the gym has a larger one measuring 1m x 1.5m. Skylights are often underestimated, but they have a significant impact on the ambience of a garden room. The addition of LED downlights around the skylights, specified to high Collingwood standards, further enhances the effect.
The Garden Gym's Electrical Specification Includes Floor Sockets
Swift Unlimited offers a bespoke electrical package tailored to each client’s needs. The floorplan of this garden room shows red boxes indicating power points. During the design process, your Swift designer will work with you to identify the most practical positions for sockets based on how you intend to use the space.
Notably, the design includes floor sockets in the gym room—an excellent feature for powering equipment like treadmills without trailing cables across the floor. While not all garden room companies provide this option, it’s another example of how Swift Unlimited personalises each element of the design.
Underfloor Heating in One Room, Air Conditioning in the Other
The bespoke approach extends to heating systems too. The office features underfloor heating, ensuring a cosy workspace even on the coldest days. Meanwhile, the gym is equipped with an air conditioning system, allowing the owners to maintain their preferred temperature for workouts year-round.
A Simple Palette of Materials That Complement Each Other
This project showcases Swift Unlimited’s eye for combining finishes that work beautifully together, inside and out.
Internally, crisp plastered and decorated walls are paired with wooden floors, creating a clean yet warm aesthetic. The natural hues and textures of the Western Red Cedar cladding on the exterior complement this interior style. The Charcoal Grey composite decking provides a striking contrast, resulting in a simple but cohesive palette of finishes.
Learn More
To learn more about this project, chat with the Swift team on 01625 875 588 or email them at support@swiftorg.co.uk. To learn more about their approach to bespoke garden room design, explore www.swiftorg.co.uk.
