If lockdown has you longing to be back in the gym getting a sweat on, you might want to take inspiration from a couple who created one in their own back garden - for a knockdown price.
Mum-of-one Jodie Foulger, 34, was originally given a quote of £12K to build a state-of-the-art gym, but she and her partner Andy, 32, managed to save a whopping £11K by doing the job themselves for just £900.
Complete with a chic painted exterior, mirrored wall and weight lifting equipment, it's everything the couple wanted for a fraction of the cost.
The pair began planning the project when Andy - who is a gym fanatic - was left without his usual fitness refuge during the pandemic.
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Luckily, the pair already have plenty of gym equipment at home. What they needed was a separate, welcoming space for it.
Jodie, who works in the scientific and medical research industry, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "We decided to build the gym because my partner Andy is a huge gym fanatic.
"When lockdown hit and the gyms were closed he was not pleased. So I said 'let's build one!'"
The pair had added motivation to use the gym for their "pre-wedding build-up" too.
"We were meant to be getting married in Greece on the 2nd July 2020 but unfortunately, our wedding is postponed until next year now due to Covid-19," explained Jodie.
At first, the couple looked at pre-built options online.
"They were ridiculous prices ranging from £5k up to £10k for the same sort of height and size," said Jodie.
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In the end, the dynamic duo designed the gym around the height of the gym equipment that Andy had purchased.
Jodie insists there wasn't "a huge drawn-out plan" and that she and Andy simply "measured as we worked".
All-in-all, it took the family two to three weeks in total to complete the project, working between Andy's shifts, Jodie's home-working, and home-schooling their daughter.
"Teamwork was certainly important - thank goodness Andy's strong!" said Jodie.
"I have a really good idea eye for design and I deal with all of the details. Andy is most certainly the muscles behind everything we do!"
Together, the pair measured out a space to fit specifically to their garden, that would be tall enough to house Andy's weight lifting equipment.
To create the structure, they used recycled doors and windows from a local scrapyard along with wood from Maplin.
"We purchased all of the wood and screws from our local wood yard called Maplin. The UPVC windows and doors were only £80 from our local scrapyard.
"They were originally brown and white but I painted them grey with Rustoleum universal slate grey paint."
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Final touches came in the form of giant mirrors and gym mats.
"The external paint used was Cuprinol Dusky Gem and was from B&Q. The gym mats were £10 a pack from B&Q also. The huge mirrors were from IKEA for £100.
"I then added all of the added finishing touches outside too.
"The 4x2 wood cost around £300, the shiplap wood cost about £350 and the paint cost £60.
"The roof felt was £60 and the facias were free from a roofer friend."
Jodie and Andy are delighted with their new summer gym and found the project to be a great distraction from the stresses of lockdown.
"Building this in lockdown gave us a welcome distraction from all that was going on outside our home, especially for Andy being a very busy key worker," Jodie adds.
"Our daughter Ariana also helped me paint - she's actually really good! Teach them young, I say - I'm certain it counted towards her homeschooling.
"I absolutely love home interior and garden design - my Instagram account is my hobby really.
"After receiving extortionate quotes, we thought 'why not do it ourselves - what have we got to lose!?'The couple are thrilled with the money they've saved along the way, too.
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"To be able to do it for only £900 was crazy. The end result was beautiful and it was a great learning curve for us both!"
What an incredible result!
Can we have one of these installed in our back garden?
Featured Image Credit: Latestdeals.co.ukTopics: Life News, lockdown, Home, DIY, Fitness, Interiors