Garden/Home Gym for treadmill and/or cross trainer

[chukwe]

I moved into a new house 3 weeks ago with a big garden 9m X 31m. I need an outbuilding gym house for my cardio (treadmill etc) no weights.
First, I'm 6ft tall so I need a house with more than 2.5m high which is above the boundary permitted height. So I'm planning to apply for planning permission or build it 2m away from the boundary which may fragment the garden area. Will the council approve my application?
Secondly, should I use a local builder or buy from a company like Green Retreat?
Finally, brick or wood?

You could build away from the boundary under permitted development, but then put a separate shed in the 2m gap that is under 2.5m for garden stuff / bikes. Or plant trees to screen it from neighbours.

You could ask the neighbours if they would abject to a taller structure nearer the boundary, if they would be OK then worth putting in a basic planning application to see if the council would approve it. Some areas are more likely to approve than others so its a local variable.

Brick walls would be thicker than wood ones (300mm vs 100-150) so affects inside space, but brick should last longer.

With regards to headroom, I wouldn’t feel that 2.5m is enough for a tall person on a treadmill. I’m just shy of 6ft and DH is 6ft4. We had to move our gym to a room with higher ceilings to be more comfortable and not hit the ceiling when you extend your arms up on the treadmill.

And 2.5m is external height from the ground level to the highest point of the roof. You have to allow for the roof slope, thickness of the roof (at least 100mm I expect, usually a bit more) and the base thickness. So realistically the best headroom under permitted development is 2.3m at the highest point of the roof, but for larger structures the slope of the roof can bring that right down to 1.8m.

See the specifications on this one for an idea of headroom of a larger garden room (no affiliation or recommendation - I was just looking at it after an ad popped up):
dunsterhouse.co.uk/terminator-pent-log-cabin-w6-0m-x-d4-0m

@Rollercoaster1920

You could build away from the boundary under permitted development, but then put a separate shed in the 2m gap that is under 2.5m for garden stuff / bikes. Or plant trees to screen it from neighbours.

You could ask the neighbours if they would abject to a taller structure nearer the boundary, if they would be OK then worth putting in a basic planning application to see if the council would approve it. Some areas are more likely to approve than others so its a local variable.

Brick walls would be thicker than wood ones (300mm vs 100-150) so affects inside space, but brick should last longer.

Thanks Rollercoaster. That I very good idea. I'll leave the storage shed at the back of the garden. Maybe plant trees as well.

I'm leaning toward wood so that it can be moved in the future just in case.

Which do you prefer? brick or wood?

I would prefer brick because wood cladding will need maintenance, and I think in 15 years time there will be a surfeit of knackered wood garden rooms to be disposed of.

But brick is more expensive, and has thicker walls, and in my case I will be stuck with a flat roof at 2.5 m.

Money is an issue so I'm looking at covering my side passage first. For that I am looking at a wood based wall construction (possibly cement board cladding) because it is thinner, so keeping as much width to that space as possible.