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This Guy Turned His Daughter's Basement Into the Ultimate Home Peloton Studio

From Popular Mechanics

  • Cara Casson wanted a better place for her home gym than simply using her office, so she asked her dad to help out.

  • Cara's dad, Ray, finished her basement and turned it into an impressive Peloton studio.

  • Here, the father and daughter reveal how they pulled off the renovation—and how you can follow their lead.


At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts native Cara Casson found her exercise routine upended by stay-at-home orders and gym closures. As a result, she—like many others around the country—invested in a Peloton.

For the first few months of riding, Cara stuck the bike in her spare room, which was also her makeshift office space. But eventually, she began exploring Peloton’s catalog of classes, adding in strength training and yoga into her routine. Suddenly, that small home office was feeling pretty cramped.

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Cara quickly thought of a solution to her small-space problem. She had a dry, unfinished basement with high ceilings just begging to be converted into her very own Peloton studio. And, luckily, she had a handy dad to make it happen.

Photo credit: Cara Cusson
Photo credit: Cara Cusson

Check out how Cara and her father Ray converted the space with handyman skills, patience, and liberal amounts of swearing.

What exactly did you tell your dad you wanted?

Cara: Honestly, I didn’t give him much to go on. I asked him if it would be possible to finish a section of the basement so I had a dedicated area for working out, and he ran with it.

All I knew is that I wanted an enclosed room (so I wasn’t looking at the rest of the unfinished basement) with foam mat flooring that was big enough for the bike, and to spread out while doing strength and yoga classes.

Walk us through what you did to convert the room.

Ray: It was an open basement area that had two outside corner walls with paneling on them and some crudely-wired electric outlets. I left the old paneling, as it was solidly attached to the concrete foundation, but removed the existing wiring and outlets and some old moulding.

Then, I studded out two new walls and framed for a 32-inch door. Next was the wiring and the outlet boxes, starting with a new circuit breaker just for that room, then running new wire for the wall outlets and an LED light fixture and switch.

After that, it was time to sheetrock the two new walls, then tape and joint compound all the seams and screws. Sand and repeat couple time until it was smooth, then prime and paint all four walls.

For the suspended ceiling, you have to measure out, cut, and attach all the ceiling tile rails, the edging, and the wire hangers. I put in the LED light fixture first, then added all the 2’ x 2’ ceiling tiles and that finished the ceiling. After attaching the door frame and door, I covered the cement floor in 2’ x 2’ square EVA foam floor mats. Then, finally, nail the already stained and polyurethaned pine trim for the baseboard and door trim.

Photo credit: Cara Cusson
Photo credit: Cara Cusson

What was the most difficult part of the conversion?

Ray: The suspended ceiling is the trickiest. There’s a lot of measuring and no room for error.

How long did the project take?

Ray: It’s hard to say. It was at least a 40 hour work week in labor—not accounting for trips to the building supply store!

If someone wants to undertake a similar project, what would you tell them?

Ray: Plan out ahead of time exactly what you are going to do, check out websites on how the pros do things the right way—and it’s OK to curse out loud if you mess up something! Electrical work is probably the only thing that should be left to a licensed electrician, if you don’t have experience with it.

Photo credit: Cara Cusson
Photo credit: Cara Cusson

How do you like the space so far?

Cara: I’m really pleased with how it came out, and I absolutely feel like it fosters better workouts. There are no distractions—I’m not looking up from a ride or workout and seeing my work computer. The foam flooring makes it super easy to jump off the bike and go straight into any of class that might require being on the floor without being confined to a tiny area of mat.

When I’m in that room, all I’m focused on is working out. And because I know have more space, I’ve been able to add some more exercise and yoga equipment to my arsenal.

What is your absolute favorite part of the studio?

Cara: I love the quote I put on the wall: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” It might seem a little cheesy, but it’s an unavoidable reminder when I’m in there. I’m not doing myself any favors if I phone in a workout.

I also love that there’s plenty of room for my ever-present dog and cat to hang out in there without getting underfoot while I’m trying exercise.

Photo credit: Cara Cusson
Photo credit: Cara Cusson

OK, I have to ask. What are all the medals for?

Cara: I was an athlete in high school and college—I ran track and played field hockey, and continued playing field hockey in college. The medals are mostly from sprints or pole vaulting at track meets, and the awards on the shelves are various field hockey or general athletic recognitions. They had all been tucked away in boxes for the last decade or so, but this room finally felt like an appropriate space to display them.

Any future plans for further additions?

Cara: No immediate plans. I’m pretty content with how it’s functioning now. I might eventually like to add a wall-mounted TV so I can stream my workouts to a bigger screen, but that’s just a wish list item.


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