Summer House/Home Gym - Show Me Yours

[AllFurCoatNoKnockers]

We've just had our architects drawings through on a summer house/gym/laundry/bike storage and trying to get an idea of how other people have fitted theirs out?

Have attached a drawing below and would be really interested to see how you would use the space.

Our other potential option would be a roller shutter on the right hand side so that there doesn't need to be a door to the motorbike storage through the laundry room.

A laundry room is my dream (sad, I know!) and hoping for space to fit a washer and a drier that would potentially need to be stacked then a fold down iron and space to hang shirts.

All that would be in the gym is a cross trainer, free weights, swiss ball, yoga mat and TV. Plus space to store small garden toys for our 18 month old.

Any ideas would be great!! We'd love to go wider, but can't as our garden is only 8 metres wide.

I don't think access to the motorbike area through the laundry is a good idea. At all. Terrible in fact. What on earth is your architect thinking? Bonkers.

Goodness, ditch the architect.

It'll drive you mad that arrangement. Never mind the mess and dirt, you'll have to move everything out of the way to open the door into the bike room. Just imagine your white sheets covered in motor oil. Or muck all over the floor as your laundry tumbles out of the machine.

Motorbike area needs to be self contained.

I knew it needed another eye!!! DH is checking the turning circle on his bike tonight to see if it could go up the side of the garden and in through the roller shutter.

If I'm perfectly honest though, DH very much a fair weather biker and it's a hog so not much chance of it getting mucky.

But I'd be happier not having to access the storage through the laundry room.

In that case, put the laundry where the motorbike area is and have it accessed off the playroom/ gym. Then the bike room can have its own access.

I'd also suggest some big built in cupboards in your gym area for storage, e.g. Along the back wall.

Sorry my drawing is rubbish, but thinking of something like this?

Have just emailed to see if it would work switching them over with a door in the top right from the gym to the laundry room.

Down the left hand side wall would be the cross trainer facing in to the room, with weights and yoga mats next to that then some storage towards the glass wall, thinking along the lines of an IKEA trofast.

Have also popped in what I was thinking laundry room wise, there should be enough space along the back wall to work that out. Although potentially have a free standing ironing board to have more shelf space?

I agree with Deux - have the MBike storage at the front totally separate and a door from the gym/playroom to the laundry room.

I can't believe the architects suggested wheeling in the m bike thru the laundry room!

Can I recommend putting a sink in your laundry room? I got a massive one in my new utility and it's brilliant for the kids muddy shoes, anything that needs hand washing, big roasting tins to soak, etc, and maybe even getting a glass of water while in the gym. While you've got plumbers in anyway, it makes sense!

I have Algot hanging racks from ikea to hang above the sink/worktop in my utility, they're a great use of space

@Kokusai I think it definitely needs changing. The architect is a client of my DH and I'd imagine he'd knocked this up based on what DH had asked for (bit of a rush job, planning through on a loft conversion in one of our rental properties but waiting on the next door neighbours party wall surveyor who is now on holiday for 6 weeks so we have a team of builders waiting around to start something. Long story!) and DH hadn't thought of specifics.

@pinkpanda101 We'd thought about a sink but we'd lose so much work surface space by putting one in. Next on our list is our kitchen extension and I've put in a request for a double butler sink so might be alright but hadn't thought about rinsing or soaking! Water wise, DH has suggested putting in a permanent cooler in to the gym.
That's exactly what I was looking for rail wise! All I could find were units so thank you!!!

Oh yeah, sink! Do you need counter space? I'd rather have a sink and stacked washer dryer than worktop space in the laundry room I think.

If you kept the ironing board always up/open, you can use it as a worktop space, assuming you're only planning on using it for things like folding clothes on? The trouble with empty worktop space is that stuff gets dumped on it and you can't use it as you wanted to! Make sure you have sockets in handy place for the iron!

I have a huge double sink in my new kitchen but hate having it used for anything other than food/dishes so I insisted on the utility sink as well. And DH is really pleased with the utility, says he never realised how useful it would be! if he'd had his way it would be half the size so that he could have an even bigger study for all his crap

Understand the counter space argument, I'm not the tidiest of people and can imagine that becoming just another junk hoard.

DH on board with a sink and probably will come in handy as DS gets older for football boots etc.

We've had new plans in, which seem to make more sense....

I'll probably ask for the door to open in to the playroom not the laundry room but that can be finished off later.