Prefab Home Yoga Studios and Backyard Gyms

Having a home yoga studio or a backyard gym shed might feel luxurious, but it’s actually an easy addition to many properties and provides many advantages to boutique studio gyms.

In this article we’ll outline a few ways you can use an ADU as a home yoga studio or backyard gym, the benefits of a backyard gym, the differences between an ADU and a shed, and pros to opting for an ADU to use as a home fitness studio.

Use a backyard gym shed as a yoga studio, fitness space, cycling studio and more

If you’re a fan of boutique fitness studios, then adding a shed gym or ADU to your backyard is the perfect way to bring studio fitness classes to you.

From individual fitness trainers to larger fitness brands, there’s plenty of home fitness classes and memberships out there. Whether you’re interested in having a space to cycle at home, want to do HIIT or weight training classes, or want a space to do yoga flows and meditation, there’s so many options out there to stream fitness classes right at home.

Online fitness classes you can take in your backyard gym

• Cardio: HIIT, dance, boxing, trampoline, cycling, treadmill, bootcamp

• Strength training: sculpt, pilates, weight training, barre, ballet, plyometrics

• Yoga: Vinyasa yoga, yoga sculpt, restorative yoga, and meditation

• Active recovery: stretch and foam rolling classes

Having a fitness studio space right in your backyard means you can squeeze a sweat or yoga flow in between meetings, early in the morning, or right after work — all without having to get into your vehicle to drive to the gym.

The benefits of a backyard gym

While gyms provide a dedicated space to workout, having a home gym offers more flexibility and is often more efficient. Here are some other benefits of working out at home:

• It’s convenient

• Flexible and versatile — workout between meetings, before work or dinner

• Availability is never an issue, unlike popular boutique fitness studios

• Don’t have to worry about cleanliness or germs

• You can enjoy the privacy of working out alone

• You don’t have to worry about being uncomfortable

• You can focus on your fitness and don’t have to share machines or equipment

• It’s budget friendly, once you pay the upfront cost of building a space, it’s there for you to use without paying every time

The difference between a shed gym and an ADU

Once you’ve decided you want to build a dedicated backyard gym, you need to decide whether you’ll build a shed gym or opt for an ADU. The difference between a shed and an ADU comes down to what you’re using it for and the size.

ADUs — or accessory dwelling units, granny flats, or backyard homes — can have multiple rooms and are considered a livable space. ADUs add value to your property and do not depreciate in value like a shed does.

Shed gyms are much smaller, and can be up to 120 square feet without a permit and up to 500 square feet with a permit. They are not considered livable space and only have one room.

The pros of an ADU

• ADUs appreciate in value over time, just like traditional houses.

• ADUs add to the value of your property and to the square footage.

• ADUs have multiple uses, like an outdoor office, guest house, rental unit, or backyard gym and home yoga studio.

The cons of backyard gym sheds

• Sheds depreciate in value over time and poorly maintained sheds can deter future home buyers

• Sheds typically only have one use and aren’t multi-functional

• Sheds generally only have one room, which limits what you can use it for.

• Sheds cannot be used for a rental unit or dwelling.

Using an ADU as a home fitness studio

While an ADU might seem excessive for a fitness studio, they offer so much more functionality and potential that it’s important to consider what else you can use the space for that you couldn’t use a shed gym for.

While you only use a home gym periodically during the day, you might not be able to justify a detached space. But when you consider the flexible space an ADU provides, it makes adding this space a great option.

Many homeowners with ADUs use the separated space as both short and long-term rentals for extra income, as backyard offices, and backyard guest houses for friends and family — including aging parents that are ready to retire close to family.

What size should a backyard gym be?

The size of your backyard gym depends on what you want to use it for. A smaller size would be perfect for those looking for a space to cycle, run on a treadmill or do yoga, while a larger space could potentially fit weight racks or fitness machines, free weights and more.

The Abodu Studio comes in at 340 square feet, and would be enough room for a yoga studio, cycling and treadmill room with some free weights.

The Abodu One is 500 square feet and offers dedicated spaces to split up uses. The living room is large enough for a full free-standing weight rack with room for functional movement as well. Additionally, you could use the bedroom as a cardio room with a murphy bed for any potential guests, which creates a truly functional space.

The Abodu Two is 610 square feet and offers two bedrooms in addition to the main living room and kitchen area. With this size ADU, you can create dedicated fitness zones, including a cardio room, a weight room with a full size rack and dedicated yoga studio as well.

Multi-room ADUs provide plenty of space of flexible use, including backyard gyms

ADUs can either be studios or they can have multiple bedrooms, in contrast, sheds only have one space. So if you want to install a backyard gym, you should consider other ways you’d want to use that space and opt for making the most out of your ADU.

You could add a one bedroom ADU, like the Abodu One, and have your home fitness studio set up in the living room and then have space for a backyard office or a guest room.

Adding more bedrooms to your space only increases the amount of flexibility and functionality to the space.

Homeowners like Joyce use the flexible indoor-outdoor home style of our Abodu’s to workout inside when the weather is questionable, and then use the deck for yoga when the sun is shining.

Because Joyce opted for an ADU instead of a shed, the space can be used for whatever she wants. While she initially planned to use the space as a long term rental, as her life and goals changed over the years, she’s now considering moving into her ADU, renting her main home, and traveling while using the smaller space as a home base.

Joyce currently uses her ADU as a home yoga studio, meditation space, art studio, and backyard office — which just goes to show the flexibility and adaptability ADUs provide.

If you’re ready to add a home yoga studio to your life, reach out to our sales rep to have a no strings attached call about your project and see what Abodu can do for your life.