Roller garage doors for workshops and home gyms

In short

A garage workshop or home gym is a garage you spend time in, for making, fixing or training, while it stays a garage with a vehicle door. A roller garage door suits it because the ceiling stays clear for lighting and storage. Insulated laths, vision laths for daylight and vent laths for air all help, but the door is not a substitute for a habitable-room wall.

Garage set up as a workshop and home gym with a white roller door at the back

Computer-generated image

Is a roller door suitable for a garage workshop or home gym?

Yes, a roller door is well suited to a garage used as a workshop or gym, because it frees the ceiling and opens the full width of the garage when you want air and light. Nothing swings out over the drive, and the curtain coils neatly into a box above the opening.

The important distinction is that the space stays a garage. A workshop or gym with a garage door is different from a garage converted into a room, which is covered by building regulations in its own right. We explain that difference further down this page.

Will insulated laths keep my workshop or gym warmer?

Insulated laths make the garage less cold and draughty, but they won't make it as warm as a room in the house. Insulated laths are double-skinned aluminium filled with polyurethane foam, and they reduce heat loss, draughts and noise compared with single-skin laths.

The door is only one part of the building. Heat is also lost through the walls, roof and floor, and a roller door isn't part of an insulated envelope. If you heat the space, insulated laths help hold that heat, and they reduce how much noise from tools, music or weights carries outside. See insulated roller garage doors for sizes and prices.

Can a roller door let in light and air?

Yes, through vision laths and vent laths. Vision laths have small clear panels that let daylight into the garage when the door is closed, which makes a workshop or gym feel less enclosed. Vent laths have small openings that let air move through the door.

You choose which rows of the curtain they go in, and vision or vent laths are £145–£345 inc VAT on a new door. Bear in mind that vent laths let in cold air as well as fresh air, and that vision panels show when a light is on inside. Our vision lath roller garage doors page shows the options.

How do I stop condensation in a garage gym or workshop?

Condensation is controlled mainly by ventilation, not by the door. It forms when warm, moist air meets a cold surface, and exercising, using a gas heater or drying things in the garage all add moisture to the air.

Insulated laths tend to stay warmer on the inside face than single-skin laths, so less condensation forms on the door itself, but the moisture still has to go somewhere. Vent laths, airbricks, an extractor fan or simply opening the door after use all help. If damp is a problem, deal with the cause, such as a leaking roof or poor ventilation, before relying on the door.

Can a roller door form the wall of a converted room?

No. A roller garage door is not a substitute for the external wall of a habitable room. If you convert the garage into living space, such as a bedroom, office or family room, building regulations apply to the walls, insulation, ventilation, fire safety and escape, and the garage door opening is usually built up with a wall and window.

Planning permission can also apply, particularly on estates where permitted development rights have been removed. If that's your plan, speak to the local authority's building control team first. A roller door is the right choice when the space stays a garage that you also use for work or exercise.

Questions

Will the door close on someone training or working near it?

Electric roller doors have safety devices, a pressure-sensitive safety edge on the bottom rail, photocells across the opening, or both, that stop or reverse the door on contact or obstruction. We commission every powered door we fit to BS EN 12453 and hand over the paperwork. Test the safety edge and photocells monthly, and keep equipment clear of the opening.

Can I open the door from inside if the power fails?

Yes. Most electric roller doors have a manual override, usually an internal crank or winding handle, so you can open the door by hand during a power cut. Keep the handle somewhere easy to reach. A battery backup unit, £149–£279 inc VAT on a new door, can run the door for a limited number of cycles while the power is off.

Will a roller door stop noise from my gym bothering the neighbours?

It will help, but it won't soundproof the garage. Insulated laths reduce noise compared with single-skin laths, and brush seals in the guides close some of the gaps. Sound still travels through the walls, the roof and around the edges of the door, so dropped weights or loud music can still be heard outside. Rubber flooring and keeping the door closed while training also help.