3 Essential Factors of an Epic Man Cave
As a guy, there are a few things in life that are absolutely essential. First, is to care and provide for your family. Second, is to work hard and succeed in life. Third, well, that’s to have an awesome man cave. Of course, in the same way that ideas of traditional masculinity have evolved in recent years, so too has the traditional man cave.
Not everyone desires a grimy man cave full of tools and beers, but everyone wants a private space they can truly make their own. There are so many different routes you can take, themes you can have, and places you can build that you can almost spend more time planning than executing.
So to help you help yourself, here are some epic ways to get creative with your modern man cave.
Location
Even though you’re already stuck in planning mode, you might be overthinking it. Essentially, there are three factors you need to consider when building a man cave: location, ideas, and accessories. The location of your man cave may be the most important factor in execution, especially if you have limited space in the house. Most guys (or gals, they can have their own caves too) opt for the basement since it tends to have a cooler temp and makes for a nice safe haven from the kids. However, you might use the basement for something else entirely, or just don’t have the means to go the basement route. No worries, there are plenty of other options.
Do you have a garage or outdoor space you can use? Outdoor man caves are great for getting past the isolation-aspect of a man cave. If you don’t have an existing space, consider building one or buying one. You can actually buy a steel shipping container with prefabbed windows and route electricity to it. Steel shipping containers are great because they’re durable and have an average of a 25-year lifespan with minimal maintenance. You can also make your man cave portable. There are plenty of options available, too. In fact, if every shipping container in the world were lined up end to end, they would circle the earth… twice.
Theme
What do we mean by theme? If you’re a car guy, then maybe your man cave is a fully equipped garage with all the toys and equipment you’d need to get greasy in your free time. Like movies? Maybe you build a luxury home theater with a few plush leather recliners and a professional grade projector system. Likewise, a grill master could build an outdoor kitchen with BBQ smokers, grills, meat tenderizers, and everything else needed to make your own BBQ to perfection. You certainly wouldn’t be alone. Even in our health-conscious times, meat eating is on the rise.Research firm Rabobank projects that meat consumption will top 200 pounds per year, per capita sometime this year.
Accessories
The furnishings and accessories you end up choosing will almost always pair with the theme that you chose. If you wanted a bar theme, then you might have bar stools, patio tables, and maybe even a commercial beer fridge behind your fully stocked bar. If you went the movie route, maybe you install surround-sound speakers as well as reclining chairs and an old-timey popcorn machine. Whatever your theme is, your furnishings and accessories will tag along with it. That doesn’t mean you have to follow suit with everything, but a theme will get lost if it isn’t played upon in the majority of features. However, if you have a car garage theme, then there’s no reason you can’t have a fridge stocked with your favorite beverages. You might want a pool table, dart board, game table, or other things that would be good for when you have guests over. Once you figure out your theme, you can start coming up with some creative accessories and furnishings.
Of course, your man cave is subject to a few restrictions. If you’re building one outside, you might have to get permits and city authorization. If plan exceeds your current budget, your project might need to stretch the project out so that you add things as you go. Your man cave is really only there to help you relax, but if you’re most relaxed when you’re with your family or friends, you might prefer building a better outdoor space or living room. The best part is — it’s entirely up to you.