A private equity director living in Cobham contacted us about building a gym in the grounds of his detached family home near Stoke D’Abernon. He had been commuting into the City and found it impossible to maintain a consistent training schedule. His property sat on a generous half-acre plot with a south-facing garden surrounded by mature hedging and established trees.

We built a 7m x 5m insulated garden gym with a polished concrete floor, floor-to-ceiling glazing across the full front and side elevations, and a sedum green roof that blends with the surrounding landscape. Inside, we fitted a dedicated zone for cardio equipment with reinforced flooring, a free weights area with wall-mounted mirrors, and a small recovery space with a treatment bench. Climate control is handled by an air source heat pump, and we installed an outdoor shower by the entrance for use after summer sessions.

He told us the gym has become the most used space on the property. He trains every morning before heading to the station, and his wife uses it for personal training sessions three times a week. Their children have started using the cardio equipment at weekends. He said the quality of the build is consistent with the standard of the rest of the property, which was exactly what he required, and that the green roof was the finishing detail that convinced his wife it wouldn’t spoil the garden.

An HR consultant in Reigate had been working from a dining room table since her company shifted to permanent remote working. Her Victorian semi on Bell Street had plenty of character but limited space inside, and she needed a quiet, professional environment for confidential video calls with clients. The garden was around 65 feet long with a slight slope and mature planting along both boundaries.

We designed a 5m x 4m Multi with a partitioned layout that includes a main office area and a small meeting room separated by a sliding door. The building is fully insulated with plastered internal walls, underfloor heating, and acoustic panels on the ceiling to improve sound quality for calls. We positioned it at the far end of the garden on a levelled base, with full-width glazing looking back towards the house and the flint wall of Priory Park visible above the treeline.

She said the office has made remote working genuinely viable for her role. The separate meeting room means she can take confidential calls without interruption, and the professional setting makes a real impression on clients during video meetings. She mentioned that the building has also increased the appeal of the property, and her estate agent neighbour told her it would add meaningful value if she ever decided to sell. The entire project, from first visit to handover, took just under six weeks.