UKC

Hi all.
I'm in the early stages of getting an architect to design a house. I'd love to have an area for bouldering and training.
What I'd like to know is what size space would you want for a home wall? (Height x width x length)
Also what would be the minimum size that still lets you practise decent moves?
This will be a modern house so there probably won't be a handy attic I can convert.
Basically I'll go back to the architect and ask him to include a space for my wall.
Alternatively since the house will be in the countryside with lots of space around it, am I better off building a purpose built shed away from the house for my wall?
Any thoughts welcome especially any gotchas you've encountered.
Thanks

In reply to johnmctighe:

That would seem to be the most obvious solution, rather than trying to build a training area into your living space - particularly since during the Winter, when you're most likely to be using it, you'll want to keep it considerably cooler than the rest of the house.

In reply to johnmctighe:

I put a moonboard in a stable on the farm when I was growing up back in 2005. It was amazing. Nice to escape the house to train and nice to be a bit cooler and better ventilated with all the chalk dust.

For some reason UKC won't let me post links to the 'how to build a moonboard dimensions page. However if you click below and then the top search result, then 'how to build a moonboard' on the right hand side, then open the pdf. All is in there.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=moonboard&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-GBGB539GB539...

In reply to johnmctighe:

My house includes what used to be the village shop, and my wife and I have turned that room into our bouldering room. It's accessed off the porch so is separate from the rest of the house, but you still get to it without going outside. Having had a woody in a garage at a previous house, I can say that this arrangement is far, far more pleasant - no issues with it being too cold or damp to use, it's got windows to open for ventilation if it gets too hot, a wee central heating radiator for winter (personally, I like the temperature to be around 10 deg C so that I can still feel my fingertips when I boulder!) and I can shuffle back and fore between the wall and my kitchen for drinks top-ups!

It's quite a big room - we have a 45 deg board, a 30 deg board and in the last couple of weeks, we've just finished building a Moonboard to replace another section that we weren't using so much, but any one of those boards would work if you had more limited space. The Moonboard instructions include details of the space you'll need for one of them so I'll second the recommendation to have a look at that.

The Moonboard does require you to have a ceiling height of just over 3 metres, which is pretty high for a modern house. You can get away with a lower ceiling than that (my garage woody had 2 metres height) but if you can get the architect to come up with the extra height, it makes for much better boulder problems.

In reply to Stuart S:


True - but if the OP is building something from scratch, then it can be built specifically for purpose taking both dimensions and climate control into consideration. I'm interested in this as I may be doing something similar next year, but I don't have the option of building something into the living space.

In reply to johnmctighe:

Surely if you're at the early stages of having the house designed and you want an attic then you can have an attic. Anyway, I wouldn't put a wall in the attic, it'll potentially cost you a fortune in extra fire doors and the like. Anyway, I'd design the house you want to live in and build the wall in your spare room/garage/outhouse/shed, whichever of those best suits your needs.

A 12'x6' shed is adequate to build a decent training wall with some creativity. It really depends what you want from it, how much space you have and how much money you want to throw at it. You could get beast-strong training on a very simple small board if that's your goal or you could build a huge and varied cave to play in if that's more your thing.
jk

In reply to johnmctighe:

Is it possible to build a shed big enough for a moonboard? I was under the impression outbuilding had to be 2.5m at their tallest at the eaves?

In reply to johnmctighe:

Hi All,
Thanks for your replies.
I think that a external shed/outhouse is probably the best plan - Its a lot cheaper to build per m2 and will allow for a bigger wall with more angles.
Anyone know if a wooden structure would be strong enough or will I need Steel RSJs?
Some good points around temperature etc.
I might even be able to make a kickboard from some local stone to make the footwork a bit more realistic.

Cheers
J

In reply to johnmctighe:

Wood is fine if you use it sensibly. No need for steel.
jk

In reply to Dennis999:


For an outbuilding not requiring planning permission, yes. But since it's part of an entirely new build, that shouldn't be a problem.

Also, the height limit only at the eaves. It can be up to 4m at the apex, so a full height moonboard could be mounted in various ways ( as an extreme example, the eaves could be the same height as the kickboard and the moonboard could form part of the roof ).