A basement home gym in Northville, MI for a couple who ran a marathon together last year and lift four days a week. Sarah was about to trade working from home for an office five days a week, and she did not want her strength training to be the thing that got squeezed out. Forged handled the whole done for you project, from design to install, and finished it the day before she left to run the New York City Marathon.
At a glance
- Location: Northville, Michigan (basement)
- Who it is for: Sarah and her husband Dustin, both runners and lifters
- The goal: A full body strength setup at home, without turning the basement into a powerhouse
- Investment level: A serious, low five figure basement build
Before: Foam Tiles and Dumbbells That Stopped at 30
Sarah and Dustin already trained in their basement. They had foam puzzle tiles on bare concrete, a basic bench, a dumbbell set that topped out at 30 pounds, a budget treadmill, and a spin bike. It was enough to get a workout in. It was not enough to get a full body workout in, and they both knew it. The basement itself was semi finished, with black painted walls, exposed joists, and a ceiling right around seven feet. Sarah had tested it. She could press overhead without touching anything.
The Goal: Keep Lifting When Life Gets Busier
These two are not casual. They lift four days a week and run two. Last year they ran a marathon together in Grand Haven. This fall Sarah was training for New York. Strength work is a big part of how they stay healthy enough to do that. The problem was time. Sarah was switching jobs at the end of September and going from working at home to being in an office four or five days a week. The drive to a gym was about to become the thing that did not happen.
She was clear about two other things. This is not their forever home, so she did not want to "make a powerhouse" in the basement. And she did not want to put a squat rack together herself. Dustin found us through Instagram, they talked everything over before the call, and Sarah told us he was good with whatever she picked.
The Blueprint: We Design It First
Before any equipment showed up, we came to the house, measured the room to the inch, and placed every piece on paper. That is the Home Gym Design & Fit Blueprint. The gym footprint came out to 14 feet by 16 feet 4 inches, bounded by two support posts and the water main. The layout put the all in one trainer against a mirrored wall, the treadmill in the far corner, the leg press along the left side, and the dumbbells and kettlebells flush against the right wall, which is exactly how Sarah wanted them.
The Blueprint also settled the small stuff that wrecks a basement gym later: run the flooring from the top wall exactly ten tiles down, keep it flush to the posts, and leave the strip in front of the water main open so nobody ever has to pull up rubber to reach a shutoff. The Blueprint is a paid design step. If you move forward with a build, the full cost goes toward your project.
Want to see what fits in your basement before you buy anything?
Building a Basement Home Gym in Northville
Our crew installed the whole gym in one day on October 29. Sarah and Dustin flew to New York the next morning. See our home gym design and install process.
- Cut and laid gray speck rubber flooring from the top wall to the second support post, with a clean cutout at the water main
- Hung a mirror behind the rack and built the all in one trainer in front of it
- Set the dumbbell rack and kettlebells flush to the wall so the floor stays open
- Loaded the leg press and racked the bumper plates on the trainer so nothing sits loose
Sarah and Dustin's build included:
- A Forged Crucible all in one trainer with a Smith bar, a free bar rack, and dual cables
- A leg press and hack squat machine
- A new treadmill
- An adjustable bench
- Dumbbells from 35 to 60 pounds to extend the set they already owned
- Kettlebells from 26 to 80 pounds
- An Olympic bar and bumper plates
- Gray speck commercial rubber flooring
After: A Real Gym Under a Seven Foot Ceiling
Same black walls, same exposed joists, same low ceiling. Now there is a full strength setup, a leg press, and room to move between them. Brendan texted Sarah a before and after that night. Here is what she sent back.
"It looks amazing! Thank you so much. We love it!!"
Sarah, Northville
FAQ: Basement Home Gyms in Southeast Michigan
Can you put a real gym under a seven foot ceiling?
Often, yes. It depends on the exact height and the equipment. We measure first and choose pieces that clear the ceiling with room to press, which is what the Blueprint is for.
Do I need to finish my basement first?
No. Sarah's basement has exposed joists and painted block walls. Rubber flooring and the right lighting do most of the work.
Can you work around a water main or support posts?
Yes. We planned the flooring to stop flush at the posts and left the shutoff fully reachable.
How long does a basement home gym install take?
Most Forged installs are done in one to three days. This one took one day.
Want a gym like this? You don't have to manage design, contractors, flooring, deliveries, and install yourself.
We've helped over 3,000 people build their home gym, with a 5.0 star rating from our clients, and we work within about 90 minutes of Novi, Michigan. Read what our clients say.