Garden Gym & Sauna Cabin, Stone

This is our own garden gym and sauna cabin in Stone, designed and built by us to replace an old shed. We built it the way we’d build one for you: on solid foundations, with a fully insulated SIPS panel structure, a rubber roof, big windows and low-maintenance composite cladding. It’s the first project in our new garden rooms and offices service.

Built with the same system as our own home

The cabin uses the same SIPS (structural insulated panel) system that Pete used to build his own self-build home. SIPS panels have a solid insulation core bonded between two boards, so the walls, floor and roof are strong, airtight and very well insulated. That means a room that stays warm in winter and can be used all year round, not just in summer.

What we built

Removed the old shed and cleared the area
Set in composite support posts for the foundations
Built the floor, walls and roof from SIPS panels
Fitted a rubber roof and guttering
Installed uPVC patio doors and three floor-to-ceiling uPVC windows to flood it with light
Clad the outside in dark grey composite decking boards for a modern, low-maintenance finish
Electrics installed and certified by a qualified electrician
Built an electric sauna into one corner, with the rest of the room set up as a home gym

The cabin is roughly 4m × 4m, and the build took about three weeks from foundations to finish. Inside, we left the OSB face of the SIPS panels exposed, which gives a hard-wearing finish that suits a gym.

A gym today, an office tomorrow

This one is a gym with a built-in sauna, but the same building works just as well as a garden office, studio or garden room. Swap the gym equipment for a desk, and the insulation, light and power are already there. If you work from home, a garden office gives you a proper space to work, away from the house, without the cost and disruption of an extension.