Jeremy’s gym is up and running. Or should I say up and lifting? Oh man, I got 99 problems but a joke ain’t one 🙂
Let me tell you…if there was an epic Father’s Day gift….a home gym is up there. And my main squeeze is pleased as punch that he has a new space that is just for him….because if you have ever talked to a CrossFitter….yeah…they never actually stop talking about CrossFit 🙂
So the area that we dedicated to all things Jeremy was the wall that has the freezer and the potting bench.
The Freezer still worked but we really didn’t need it anymore since we have the basement fridge for extra frozen goods. My mom had given it to us and I knew that she would prefer I keep it in the family so I gladly called my sister to have her and her husband take it off my hands. And the potting bench went into our basement storage area with the rest of the gardening items.
Fast forward through all the painting and new garage floors and Jeremy unpacking the new lifting rack….and here he is putting some final touches on the installation.
As you can see, the rack is attached to brackets that attach to boards that get lag bolted to studs. This thing ain’t going anywhere.
Once the holes were filled and the boards painted to magically disappear (kinda?) into the walls, he hung a flag and scored an affordable bench off Amazon. We went with this layout for a couple different reasons….
1 – we needed access to the door to the left because that is our main door to the house so nothing could stick out into the walkway.
2 – we needed wanted to have balance with the tall cabinets
3 – we wanted to tuck away the weights and we never use the center door (to the playroom) and rarely use the left door (to the driveway)
When a friend offered us these storage cabinets that she was no longer using, we first questioned her sanity and then jumped because we knew that they would be a perfectly sporty compliment to Jeremy’s zone and provide a ton of storage for all the stuff. #wehaveawesomefriends
So you may be wondering why the fuss over this big hunk of metal? Well….if you have ever talked to a CrossFit person, you know that EVERYTHING for CrossFitters cost an arm and a leg. It’s just an expensive hobby. We invested in a startup CrossFit in our favorite little city of Monroe years ago and it is doing REALLY well. The trainers there are amazing and the box is beautiful. And the best part is that Jeremy doesn’t need to pay the monthly fee to be a member 🙂
BUT we have been swamped with work lately and him driving the 20 minutes there and back and then having an hour long workout is a real time suck….so saving that extra 40 minutes is REALLY helpful. Basically when he mentioned a rack for our house, my first thought was YES! That will save us so much headache! But then my second thought was CRAP! This is gonna be pricey!
Then Jeremy did a lot of research and contacted this company that is designing these racks that are a good price and FOLD AWAY. It’s all in the hinges. It’s called Titan Fitness and this particular rack is 41″ Fold Back Wall Mount Rack. And it is only $350 vs the competitors who charge at least $550 for a comparable one! As a CrossFit owner, he contacted them and they sent him one to review (this was his first time getting something to review and there was no ‘blog’ mention required so of course, this post is not sponsored or anything!).
So the top bar is locked into place with pegs. You simply remove the pegs and slide the bar off.
Then you lift the pin at the hinge and swing the door in and replace the pin to lock in place. You repeat with the other side….
And BOOM….one space-saving muscle-building rack that is perfectly put away. Jeremy likes to put that bar across the top, tucked behind the pin and the side support. And we slide the bench in front to create a spot for putting on shoes. It’s dual-purpose people 🙂
It’s kinda like a giant hashtag….#Merica
When it is tucked away, it doesn’t swing out or anything like that and only sticks out about 8″ (that includes the 2×10 depth)…so it’s definitely a space saver. Having a smaller footprint is nice because we can put it away and the walk to exit the garage is clear. Also, Jeremy can still access his stuff and when he wants to break out the rack for weightlifting or pull ups, it is no problem.
This is Jeremy’s cabinet. He gets an entire one just for himself and his gear….although he is insistent that I put my weights in there as well.
See the little tiny red ones? yup. My muscles are in the fitness protection program 🙂
The other cabinet is more sports related stuff (Will’s baseball bag!) and our baseball fan gear (chairs and mister fans!). It’s not completely organized….but it’s on it’s way 🙂
And of course, my favorite part is that all the cabinets are lockable – so we know LJ won’t be fooling around with the fishing lures 🙂 Thanks again Whit!
Jeremy also wanted this Titan weight tree and at first, I was not a fan. I thought it took up way too much room but now that I see it up and see how easy it is for Jeremy to access his stuff, it makes it way easier. And to baby-proof the weights, he just puts the bar clamps on the ends of the tree ‘branches’. That way nobody is pulling a 50 pounder onto themselves. (also you can see here that there is clearance to the door on the far right….so if needed, we can still slip out…although that rarely happens.)
Jeremy acts like it is the best thing ever….who knows, maybe it will even inspire me to get into shape! A girl can dream right?! Ha!
And if you are a CrossFitter and ever want to visit the box in Monroe….please let me know! I would love to hear what you think of the trainers, equipment and facilities! We are CrossFit At Monroe Mill. And you can check out the website here.
Oh and to get everything shown in our garage gym…here are the links…
Now back to the grind….I’m making a sign for the boy’s room today and need to shoot the final images for this garage (which we will be revealing this week!) Hooray! What are you doing?!
Hi Katie. The garage is looking great. Couple of quick questions. Do you park you cars in your garage, or is it strictly for DIY/working out now? I live where it gets cold and snowy, so attached garages are a Godsend in the winter. Also, why not put the gym in the basement where it would be much cooler? I imagine the garage gets pretty warm in a Georgia summer.
It’s so cool that Jeremy gets his own space. I often see home tours that have zero guy space and no mention of the guys’ involvement in the design or decision-making process. I like that you guys are a team AND that Jeremy has a designated space for his hobby!
Question on all the locking cabinets since you have quite a few – do they all use the same key? How do you keep the keys organized/not lost/easy to find and use and not get mixed up with one another?
Serious question. So you only consider sponsored posts posts where money is exchanged? but if you were given something free (like in this case or the free hotel) or when you make money from us clicking links/purchasing something from your link (like the rsytle and amazon links you posted last week) you do not consider those sponsored? Even though you got free equipment sent to you from a company? I ask because I know this is a hot topic. You wrote a post wanting to be authentic and never want people to not trust you but I think this is where it gets shady. You have to understand that when people look around your garage they just see things you did not pay for and things most of us can not afford. The definition of DIY is doing it yourself but how many of these projects could you have done yourself if in no way shape or form something was given to you discounted or free. Maybe sponsored is the word you have an issue with and I can get that but I think it is very important you understand why you are no longer relatable to the average joe (because lucky for you, you are no longer the average joe!) . I wish only the best for you and your family and I hope you know everyone does but you have got to get a clue.
I noticed the two piece of wood under the swing arms while the rack is out, are those necessary or more for floor protection? I would also love to know how the stability is on the pull up bar. I have a wall mounted and like that there’s not much movement to the bar, I would be concerned with movement.
It’s big enough for us to park in there but we don’t. We considered putting it in the basement but our kids play in the driveway a lot and I work in the workshop section…so this way we can be together during those times. I think if we heard a big storm was coming we would park in there but otherwise we are driveway people.
xo kb
The two big cabinets for the work out zone are separate keys and on one key ring and the other three cabinets are on one big key ring. Then we keep the drawer keys in the units.
xo – kb
Sponsored posts are where money is paid to us to post a review of an item or service. People send us things all the time as gifts and we are not required by law to post about them or send them a formal review in return. There are times when companies negotiate a form of payment in product….like if they were a cabinet company and we needed more than one cabinet, we would negotiate more cabinets in leiu of payment. The fact is, you are right….I am not the average joe…I am a blogger and EVERY single hint I do gets scrutinized and judged and that includes how I get paid. And that is part of the job. In the disclaimers and disclosure page it clearly states that this is a for profit blog…and I receive items for payment and other forms of payment. Disclaiming those payments…including affiliate links and sponsored posts is only required in one section of your blog…not on individual pages or posts but I share that anyway because I feel like my family and friends can celebrate those victories with us. However technically speaking, if I am not paid to post about something it is not sponsored. Does that make sense? And I clearly disclaim all free items and perks not because I legally am required or because readers can continue to relate but because I feel like that is the morally honest thing to do. Anyone can contact companies and negotiate product for a review. Anyone. We have friends that do it as a living. I think your comment has interesting questions that the average joe might not understand but I think your approach was off. People don’t need to say rude things to get points across. And I think we all agree that respect is important on both sides of the blog 🙂
xo kb
I can admit when I am wrong so I apologize for being rude. I am now intrigued how your friends do this for a living? Surely anyone can ask anyone for anything. I could ask you right now to transfer me $50 so I could buy my children food. However, chances are you wont do it because you don’t know me. Companies are not going to hand over exercise equipment or free hotel rooms to an average person with 25 instagram followers. Anyway bottom line is I think it is hard for people to relate to a DIY blog that gets discounts or free things in every post. It is also hard to trust a blogs word because you wonder… is this because of the perks or does she actually like this product? I do appreciate your answer. Thank you.
Go Katie!
I’m so tired of people writing rude stuff about how they can’t relate to your blog anymore. If they can’t relate they should just not visit your blog! Good for you for doing this beautiful garage makeover that you both worked very hard on. It looks great and gave me a lot of ideas even if I can’t/ won’t do all of them (my garage is a 2 car and I park in it). I still get inspiration from you and I am in no way jealous of your garage or free stuff you got for it!
Thank you for apologizing. I really do think it’s good for people to ask questions and inquisitive minds don’t automatically make someone a “hater”. As for your point…that is true, a random person asking for random things is not likely to get a freebie from a company. But if you are an owner of a certain kind of company, with access to members who are looking for at home products (I am specifically referencing jeremy in this case because that is what he is) then companies would be likely to send promotional items or even larger products (especially new ones for a formal review – Jeremy used my review template and it is exhaustive!) then it is in their benefit. My friend did it as a laptop expert…new companies would send him new to market items and all they did was review the performance capacity and all the details. Another friend did it for photography props and would get freebies in exchange for one picture of the product. In fact, I know probably close to a half dozen people who do it for partial to full income in different ways – the key is to find what you have what other people want. And as far as truthfulness in the blogosphere, I can only speak for myself and my position is that we get sent things every single day and we always disclose when something we love is a gift or something we got paid to promote. I won’t talk about the “bad” products because that doesn’t serve the company well…and every one and every thing always has room for improvement 🙂 so if I say I love it, I actually do. And when I say that we wanted something and we pitched the company for a freebie, then it was something we really did want and would have spent our money on…whether we got a discount or a freebie or a big fat No (which has definitely happened and we had to buy it) then it doesn’t mean less work from us or less DIY power or less honesty. I am honest to a fault…even when it doesn’t serve me well…like admitting we got something for free when I’m not obligated to and when people like yourself are saying you are mad I got something for free 🙂 I hope I answered everything and if there are any other questions, let me know.
xo kb
We have the wood there because our garage floor is sloped. The edge of the concrete is actually higher nearest the wall than the floor itself. It’s not normal so we are gonna get a scrap 3/4″ mat for under it. The movement – I don’t know. I will ask Jer and let you know!
xo – kb
This isn’t a jibe, personally I do find your blog unrelatable (but it was unrelatable in the first place for me, because I don’t have money for power tools or a nice big house to diy and decorate). I probably am jealous of all of your daily freebies and negotiating skills because lets face it it is madness (on their part – i am with you that I probably wouldn’t say no to a lot of it) that companies just keep handing out stuff to someone who already has a lot of material goods. But i suppose that is why I read. I don’t personally *love* your writing style but I am English and culturally America is very different. I read because it is nice to pretend and imagine and explore someone elses life a bit. I pin things on pinterest I will never make too…
Sometimes I love the things you make and sometimes I hate them. If I thought I could make a living doing it I probably would.
I think the nonsense about being true to your readers and not being shady is a bit BS. At the end of the day if you now make enough to have Jeremy home full time and you are making a steady figure you are probably doing alright for readers. It is a job and you have made success of it despite what some of the haters say.
If I was going to tell you to run your business from my arm chair the only real criticism I could give is that maybe you could use your negotiating power to score more giveaways and discounts for your readers and get better sound recording equipment for your garage videos….
Likely, I will keep reading.
I truly do not understand how people keep complaining or getting mad over you getting products or getting paid for the work you put in as a blogger!!! I know it is so much work to do all the projects and keep the blog running smoothly- you should be getting paid! I understand this is your job, and just like everyone else, you deserve payment for your job. You deserve the money or products in lieu of money because of the work you have put in for years. Your blog is interesting, informative, and I constantly reference your ideas as I redo my own home. I appreciate your honesty and information and love seeing your continued success, because I understand you have worked so hard! Keep at it!!!
Hi Katie – Love your blog!! Is the garage air conditioned? Or do you use those bucket fan misters to keep it cool for working out? We are in NC and we’ve considered a garage gym but it’s so hot in the summer that I know I would use the heat as an excuse not to workout:) Thanks! Rachel
Hi Rachel! No – the garage is insulated but not air conditioned. We don’t use the buckets but we do use the fans that are on our garage door openers 🙂
xo – kb
More giveaways? I can do that.
xo – kb
Hi Katie! Love your garage make over very much! And your blog is always a big inspirationfor me ! Please keep your good work going on and on and on!
A big thank you for this blog to Atlanta GA from Germany
LG Elisabeth
What an awesome Father’s Day gift! I love how you guys are using your garage for so many different things and in ways that you will truly USE it! I feel like ours is a great big storage facility and every day I want to go all Marie Kondo on it and throw everything out! 😉
Also- how in the world is Maxi ONE??! Wasn’t he just born?
I KNOW. I am dying over here.
xo kb
My husband and I have been talking about doing something like this for a while. I’ve been looking and this is my favorite setup that I’ve seen! Thanks for the inspiration! <3
I agree Jillian. Blogging is all about building relationships and I see transparency here on the true cost of items. And whether a blogger gets products in exchange for a review is based on their longevity and commitment to their blog. If people are so worried about who is getting what for free, they should remember that they are getting access to all of this DIY content for free on this blog.
Wow! As a fellow CrossFitter, I think this is AWESOME!! Go, Jeremy! And, yeah, Katie, you should be lifting, too! It will help you grow super strong bones to prevent osteoporosis when you are older, and it will also help you get mega strong for kid-toting and DIY. Just sayin’. But, of course, I could talk about CF all day!!! :):):)
My husband would absolutely love this!!! As would I for that matter. We do Crossfit together, also a 20 minute drive each way….he is the quintessential Crossfitter- very competitive and strong, and talks about CF constantly. I am not, I scale everything to fit my strengths and get excited about running WODs. I hope you give it a try now that you have the ultimate setup in your garage. Then you and your boyfriend can talk CF together. 🙂
As for the previous poster, I totally disagree about her comment on the blog not being relateable.. I have been reading for years and I still enjoy every single post, the diy ones, the clothing ones, the family ones. All of it. Would I love to get discounts and free things for my house? Absolutely! Would I like to be able to quit my job and spend my days with my kids, crafting and diy’ing? Hells Yeah! Am I mad or jealous that you are able to and I am not? No way! I am happy for you and your success with the blog, because that is the normal person’s response to someone else doing well, they are happy for them. I am sorry that some others can’t see that.
Hi Katie 🙂 After noticing Jeremy lifting that concrete slab for your new deck side table, I say YAY, keep on working out! He’s got great arms 🙂 It’s nice that he’s able to have a space dedicated to him, and your garage is looking terrific.
haha! You are a true CrossFitter 🙂
xo – kb
Maybe you should do a “day in the life” post to let these people know how hard you work for the blog plus having 4 kiddos on top of it! (Plus I’m curious lol) I can’t imagine how you get it all done! I don’t believe for a second that running a full time blog is easy. So try not to feel bad about rude comments because what you are doing is so great! I love your blog. Look forward to reading every post. And the way you write is (I imagine) how you talk.. And it cracks me up lol anyways! Keep being awesome! And I’ll keep reading!! 🙂 🙂
Yes! I definitely have that on the list. Once baseball stops I will try to do it!
xo – kb
#1 MERICA <3 <3
#2 this is amazing. i have an at home gym – but this is what i dream of!
#3 go jeremy for getting his first product to really review! i think it is excellent and he did a great job setting it all up
#4 you're so inspiring with how you have responded to the negative (and completely un-related) comments people have had about getting free items. Personally, if i had a question i would email you and hope for a response, instead of being sassy in a comment. I think how you've been able to make this a career for yourself – and being able to be home, make money, raise your children, and create something that is gorgeous and inspiring to others; people will get a little jealous and you're handling it well.
Thank you Amy! I appreciate your comment 🙂
xo – kb
I love this! I am a long time reader, non-commenter and wanted to give my feedback as well.
I LOVE the garage makeover!!! I don’t feel any less connected because of it. My husband and I operate a wheat farm in the Northwest and our shop is also an “office”. We also have a TV in our shop, as well as a wall of tools (mostly matching! Makes sense battery-wise) and some workout equipment for my farmboy. I do love when he uses his pull up bar!
It makes so much sense to invest what you have into this space, and you are running a business.
There’s a large difference in the mentality of being an employee and being a business owner. You and your husband are two very smart business owners! Of course you should get some freebies–so many people go out and purchase products that you love and mention on this blog, far beyond the links that are clicked. Additionally, you have provided your readers with multiple FREE tutorials on a wide range of projects that we can access 24/7, heaven forbid you receive compensation for the services you render here by way of intellectual property. Making money seems to have become associated with evil in our culture these days and that’s a shame.
Thanks for being here and being genuine while you grow your platform. I’m excited to see the new videos you produce in your new beautiful space!
Thank you Samantha. You are right. I think there is a big difference in that mentality and investing in your business is a good thing. Excited to hear that you have matching tools too 🙂
xo – kb
Makes sense… Knowing my garage it would hit at one of the channels in the floor and need the same. 🙂
Thx!