A 47-year-old software engineer thought building a home gym would take two months. A year later, his DIY setup is complete and his family is thrilled.

Over the past year, he turned his house's woodworking shop into a basement gym. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I bought the five-bedroom house for $485,000 in 2019.

Learn the practical DIY fitness and home gym equipment solutions in our dedicated section. From crafting bespoke gym equipment to optimizing small spaces for workouts, our articles offer actionable ...

If you want to make the best use of your bonus space, the first step is to just start using it—without waiting for everything to be "ready." ...