Hello dear community,
I am new here and hope this post is in the right subforum.
We have purchased a plot of land (2000 sqm (21,528 sq ft) building land, 1000 sqm (10,764 sq ft) green space) and are now in the planning phase. We have agreed that it should be a prefabricated house using timber frame construction. We are only allowed to build a single-story house, so it will end up being a one-and-a-half-story with a gable roof. Currently, we have requested quotes from Bien-Zenker and Okal Haus, but we are not yet 100% convinced.
Now to my question today:
I have been working on the floor plan for several weeks and keep wondering how and where to best accommodate our fitness area. We are both passionate amateur strength trainers and would like to finally fulfill the dream of our own small fitness space. We estimate needing about 30 sqm (320 sq ft) of floor area.
We have been advised by the construction companies and an architect against a basement (one large room finished as a living cellar, the rest as storage cellar). Currently, the fitness area is planned as an extension (costing around 30,000 euros), accessible through the utility room. I actually prefer a basement, since we could also place the technical installations and utility room there, which would allow for a generally smaller main floor area of the house.
With the extension, the house currently has a size of 195 sqm (2,098 sq ft).
Do you have other ideas or suggestions? Or have you planned a fitness area inside your house yourselves?
I look forward to your feedback!
I am new here and hope this post is in the right subforum.
We have purchased a plot of land (2000 sqm (21,528 sq ft) building land, 1000 sqm (10,764 sq ft) green space) and are now in the planning phase. We have agreed that it should be a prefabricated house using timber frame construction. We are only allowed to build a single-story house, so it will end up being a one-and-a-half-story with a gable roof. Currently, we have requested quotes from Bien-Zenker and Okal Haus, but we are not yet 100% convinced.
Now to my question today:
I have been working on the floor plan for several weeks and keep wondering how and where to best accommodate our fitness area. We are both passionate amateur strength trainers and would like to finally fulfill the dream of our own small fitness space. We estimate needing about 30 sqm (320 sq ft) of floor area.
We have been advised by the construction companies and an architect against a basement (one large room finished as a living cellar, the rest as storage cellar). Currently, the fitness area is planned as an extension (costing around 30,000 euros), accessible through the utility room. I actually prefer a basement, since we could also place the technical installations and utility room there, which would allow for a generally smaller main floor area of the house.
With the extension, the house currently has a size of 195 sqm (2,098 sq ft).
Do you have other ideas or suggestions? Or have you planned a fitness area inside your house yourselves?
I look forward to your feedback!
If the extension is really only supposed to cost 30,000 EUR, you will hardly be able to get a (partial) basement for that amount. Therefore, on that plot of land, an extension or even a separate small building would probably be cheaper. Whether it can actually be done all-in for 30,000 EUR is another question.
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fach1werk16 Sep 2020 08:16We have a small sauna area with a few fitness machines. It requires between 25 and 28 m² (270 and 300 sq ft), but it could easily accommodate more.
For us, the location worked well: it is on the ground floor (not surprising in a bungalow) and has a terrace door facing north without any onlookers. Overall, the house is divided into a public area accessible to everyone and a private area. The private area includes our bathroom, bedroom, and the sauna space. The path to the shower is short.
Whether to have a basement or not is a matter of personal taste. However, if you do have a basement, it should be well-appointed, including proper lighting. From experience with wellness areas, I know that people tend to stop using them sooner or later if they feel like it’s a basement environment. I know of several such unused facilities. For a basement, I would consider installing a ventilation system. Also, I would recommend choosing flooring appropriate to the use, possibly something with shock absorption.
Best regards,
Gabriele
For us, the location worked well: it is on the ground floor (not surprising in a bungalow) and has a terrace door facing north without any onlookers. Overall, the house is divided into a public area accessible to everyone and a private area. The private area includes our bathroom, bedroom, and the sauna space. The path to the shower is short.
Whether to have a basement or not is a matter of personal taste. However, if you do have a basement, it should be well-appointed, including proper lighting. From experience with wellness areas, I know that people tend to stop using them sooner or later if they feel like it’s a basement environment. I know of several such unused facilities. For a basement, I would consider installing a ventilation system. Also, I would recommend choosing flooring appropriate to the use, possibly something with shock absorption.
Best regards,
Gabriele
We have a basement sauna/wellness/fitness room of nearly 40m2 (430 sq ft). It includes a shower, a sauna (3x2.5m / 10x8 ft), a suspension trainer, a rowing machine, a hammock, and a TV. With all that, the room feels nicely filled.
The advantage of the basement is that even when it’s 35°C (95°F) outside in summer, it stays a comfortable 22°C (72°F) for training. The room has a ventilation system and, including the hallway leading to it, is finished like a living space—so there’s no “basement atmosphere” on the way there. For the view, there’s the TV. Since I usually train after 9 pm, it’s dark anyway during the winter months.
On a 3000m2 (0.74 acre) plot, I’d also love to have a fitness room with a view of the garden—but in our case, too many neighbors would watch me while I’m training.
A wellness room with a sauna, whirlpool, a view of nature (ideally lake or sea view), and a private terrace with a pool featuring a counter-current system would, of course, be a dream. But for that, I’d first need a bigger lottery win.
The advantage of the basement is that even when it’s 35°C (95°F) outside in summer, it stays a comfortable 22°C (72°F) for training. The room has a ventilation system and, including the hallway leading to it, is finished like a living space—so there’s no “basement atmosphere” on the way there. For the view, there’s the TV. Since I usually train after 9 pm, it’s dark anyway during the winter months.
On a 3000m2 (0.74 acre) plot, I’d also love to have a fitness room with a view of the garden—but in our case, too many neighbors would watch me while I’m training.
A wellness room with a sauna, whirlpool, a view of nature (ideally lake or sea view), and a private terrace with a pool featuring a counter-current system would, of course, be a dream. But for that, I’d first need a bigger lottery win.
Whether the basement, the ground floor, or even the attic conversion is used depends, as with any floor plan considerations, on the plot itself, its location, the occupants, and their budget. If the plot is only 400 square meters (4,305 square feet), the planning will be different than for 1,509 square meters (16,237 square feet). The number of occupants—whether 2 or 4 people—also influences the decision about the basement. Budget-wise, there is no question: a basement is and remains a basement, and it costs accordingly. If triplets arrive or the house changes owners, you can’t simply convert a basement into living space. For activities such as weightlifting or other fitness routines, I would also consider the ceiling height, the possibility of a sauna, and having an outdoor entrance... I am against basements.
11ant schrieb:
I don’t see anything. If you don’t show the unsuccessful attempts, we can’t help improve them. hanse987 schrieb:
Why were you advised against having a basement? From my point of view, the downside of a basement is that you don’t have a view. If you train often, I think having a view is important. Another issue with basements is often the ceiling height. What ceiling height do you need?
We had a longer discussion about this here some time ago. If I remember correctly, the pitched roof was extended downward on one side and the room was placed in that side area. That provided the required ceiling height. I would clearly separate the training room from the rest of the living space, as I think you might want it a bit cooler. If it’s all within one thermal envelope, then the difference won’t be big, but every degree counts. I’m not a strength athlete myself—I prefer cycling indoors—but I think it’s similar.
Please share your floor plan ideas so we can evaluate them. Thank you very much for the helpful advice!
We were advised against it because it would be a significant additional cost compared to a simple extension. With the slightly higher ceiling and the conversion to a living basement, it would probably be wasted money.
Yes, the advantage of an extension is definitely the better view, but then we really only have space for the fitness area and no extra storage like in a basement. The point about temperature is also good to know... I got a bit of inspiration from the Americans and originally planned a simple double garage where all the fitness stuff would be kept.
I’ll upload some ideas this evening.
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