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Building a training space at home: smart investment or planning headache?
As cost of living rises and rents in some postcodes spiral, many fitness professionals are considering creating a client training space at home. But such a big investment comes with a lot of questions. Ultimately – is it a smart financial investment for the long-term? Or should you ride the ups and downs of renting space?
How much does it cost to create a personal training gym?
The idea of having a home studio or PT gym for training clients is great. Until you look at the costs of equipment and flooring. Not to mention insurance and music rights. And if you don’t currently have a suitable space, you might need to have a structure built from scratch.
The upfront costs of creating a home gym can be aggressive as you will likely need to buy or hire kit, and sort flooring, fans or air conditioning, cleaning kit, wall banners, and signs. However, once you’ve bought them, they’re yours. And some of these items will hold their value over time.
Is it better to rent PT space or build your own?
It’s definitely cheaper to rent space to train PT clients out of, but there are lots of potential downsides to this. You don’t own anything you’re paying for, and whoever does own it can put the rent up – or end your agreement – with very little notice. You also have no say over internal changes to the space.
Benefits to creating a home gym for PT clients
Control over equipment: you can choose exactly what equipment you have, there’s no need to share it, and no risk of it being damaged by someone else.
Privacy: your own space means ultimate privacy for you and your clients (whether 1-to-1 or small group). This may be a big selling point for some clients. They can discuss sensitive issues without fear or being seen or heard. And you could even create space for them to bring babies, small children, or pets!
Bills: you will have no rental costs and will retain control (as far as is ever possible) over heating, lighting, and water costs. You won’t face eviction or changes to the lease.
Risks to creating a home studio for PT clients
Responsibility for equipment: you will have sole responsibility for equipment, including research, initial purchase, and maintenance over time. If anything gets damaged or needs replacing, that falls to you.
Increased costs: you will have to pay insurance costs (including buildings and public liability), and copyright fees for music you want to play.
Work/home boundary: you are welcoming clients into your personal space, and will need to find ways to separate your home or garden from this new professional site.
What to think about before building a PT gym at home
Planning permission
If you need to erect any kind of structure (even temporary) to create a home PT gym, you may need Planning Permission. Check with your Local Authority’s planning department. Be aware that this can be a long process, so get your query in ASAP. Planning regs depend on the height and square footage of the planned space, and may take into consideration potential noise. If you are converting an existing structure, you still need to let your Local Authority know. They need to be aware that the purpose of this space is changing to a commercial fitness facility.
Mortgage conditions
If your home mortgage is based on your property being purely residential, get in touch with your lender. Your mortgage may be affected by conducting business at your home.
Insurance
You will need to insure the new building and its contents, but you’ll also need Public Liability insurance. It’s worth talking to a broker to make sure you have the right types of insurance and adequate cover.
Client logistics
Think about client parking, and people coming and going. If you run small group PT or 2-to-1 sessions, what happens if there are four cars outside your property at the same time. Consider the impact on your neighbours – there’s nothing worse than causing a rift.
