12 Man-tastic Man Caves

Men are not your “typical’ decorators. They don’t care about the drapes, whether you use lemon, maize or tangerine yellow paint for the kitchen and they don’t care if you get a throw for the sofa. But if you give them their own turf, they’ve got ideas galore, many of which involve the latest hi-tech gadgets, comfy leather chairs and a beer fridge.

A “Man Cave” is a room in the house (although some men have been known to renovate sheds), where a man can get away from the pressures of daily family life. It is his personal refuge full of his favorite things. Man Caves come in all shapes, sizes and themes but one thing they all have in common is loads of testosterone.

The “Man Cave” is no longer an elusive dream. According to a recent survey by Servicemagic.com, 40% of homeowners say that their home already has a man cave and another 13% said a man cave is either in the planning stage or in the process of being built.

“These aren’t ordinary recreation rooms,” said David Lupberger, a home improvement specialist with ServiceMagic.com. “These are rooms that fall solely under the jurisdiction of the man of the house.”

So what goes into the typical Man Cave?

• Flat screen TV (75%)
• Recliner (69%)
• Stereo (68%)
• Refrigerator (67%)
• DVD player (67%)
• Computer (65%)
• Bar (64%)

However, men need not limit their dream room to just these items. Many hobbies and collections have taken center stage when creating a personal Manctuary. Themes cover the gamut, ranging from favorite sports teams to favorite hobbies.  There always seems to be room for just one more piece of memorabilia… well maybe not.

Man Caves are so popular now; they even have their own TV show, called Man Caves, of course. The Man Caves team has renovated and built some spectacular Caves and any guy would drool at the prospect of getting these guys into their basement or garage.

Not all “Man Caves” are created equal. They start at one end of spectrum, displaying massive hi-tech, home theater glory, to the fantastically creative and less expensive but equally enjoyable DIY version. They span the ingenious depths of drinking, debauchery and self-indulgence. And some include such Man-tastic features that you will have to see them to believe them.

Golf Garage

With the help of Man Caves team, Tony Siragusa and Jason Cameron, this former garage has become a high-end golf practice area and lounge.

Key Features:
A media center featuring a beautiful flat screen
Sports Storage
Comfy seating

Man-tastic Feature:
An indoor virtual-reality driving range with a curved wall

Shea Stadium-theme

What major Mets fan doesn’t want to create a Shea Stadium-themed Man Cave in his basement?

Key Features:
2 side-by-side flat-screen TVs
A huge cutout of the Mets Apple and various other Mets memorabilia
A signed jersey
Dartboard

Man-tastic Feature:
Custom-made stand-alone bar complete with a built-in beer tap, hot dog machine and a glass-top display case full of baseballs.

Pool Hall

This enormous man cave is like a pool hall and lounge area all in one.

Key Features:
Leather couch
Entertainment cabinet
50-inch LCD TV
Pool table
Pool table lighting
Built-in bench seat along the back wall

Man-tastic Feature:
Recycled rubber tile flooring - no stray billiard balls are going to damage this spongy flooring.

Built-In MAME

This unique home bar is an arcade gamers dream.

Key Features:
Stand alone arcade game
Slot Machine
Touch screen jukebox
Custom Bar
Flat panel TV
Games table and chairs

Man-tastic Features:
The custom bar comes complete with built-in MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator - an emulator application that lets you play older arcade games) and a 4-player flip-out control panel. The control panel was designed to flip up into the bar to keep the controls safe from spillage when the game is not being used.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg’s old Man Cave was a shed with plastic chairs. So to get back his rep he enlisted the Man Caves team to help him build a new hang-out, more befitting of his Hip-Hop mogul status.

Key Features:
Hardwood floors
Two 50-inch flat screen TVs
Media storage system
An art homage to himself and his friends (including a custom painting of himself)
Security system with video surveillance cameras
Plush leather couch
Direct phone line to Denny’s, his favorite restaurant

Man-tastic Feature:
The Cadillac Couch - custom made from the bumper of a 1961 Cadillac.

Harley Bar

This converted garage is a great hang-out after a long ride on your Hog.

Key Features:
Humidor
Beer Fridge
46” LCD TV
Gaming System
Custom Bar with glass top

Man-tastic Feature:
Harley Davidson parked right next to you.

Rock-climbing Room

Not all Man Caves are built completely for relaxation.

Key Features:
Leather Theater Seating
Retractable Projector Screen
Projector
Dart Board

Man-tastic Feature:
Rock climbing handholds all over the place.

Stripper’s Pole

You just never know when your own personal stage and stripper’s pole are going to come in handy.

Key Features:
Fireplace
Dartboard
Flat screen TV
Leather Seating
Bar
Guitars and Amp

Man-tastic Feature:
6’ x 6’ Stage with Stripper Pole and Spotlight.

Sauna

Who doesn’t need a sauna after expending all of that energy watching the game on the big screen?

Key Features:
50” Plasma TV
Bose speakers
xbox360, WII and PS2
Red leather stadium seating
Gamepod chair
Popcorn popper
Bar
Poker table
Air hockey table
Stand alone video arcade

Man-tastic Features:
Hottub and sauna

Media Wall

Some people are sure that you can never have enough TVs.

Key Features:
72-inch Samsung DLP HDTV
Two 32-inch Samsung LCDs
Onkyo receiver
CD player
DVD player
All three TVs are on separate satellite receivers so you can watch three games at once.
42” Samsung Plasma TV in Poker Nook
Poker Table

Man-tastic Feature:
Urinal with Polaroid TV above it so you don’t miss a minute of the game.

The Earnhardt Room

Some collectors just love their collections.

Key Features:
50” Samsung DLP HDTV
Yamaha Amp and DVD
PSB Image Series speakers (5) with a 12” sub
Wall to wall Diamond Plate Flooring by www.racedeck.com
(43) 1/24 diecast cars featuring legends of yesterday and famous paint schemes on the Daytona Track
(195) Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. 1/24 scale diecast
Converted Craftsmen Workbench into a bar
Kegerator
Beer Fridge
6 Bottle Shot Steward
Race Fan Furniture
APX Home Security System

Man-tastic Feature:
Custom built 16ft 1/24 scale front stretch section of the Daytona Superspeedway.

Secret Man Cave

Some Man Caves are too good to share, so it’s best to keep them under lock and key to keep the riffraff out.

Key Features:
Video cameras to watch where the kids are
Computers
Projector and a giant screen that doubles as a virtual shooting range and a movie theater
Theater seating
Sound-proof walls
Refrigerator
Mini bar
A hidden door that leads to the all-important, never out-dated workshop

Man-tastic Feature:
The hidden keypad which opens the hidden entrance.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0109/585568.html

How To Build Your Own Man Cave

With all this talk of Man Caves, you must be wondering how you can build your own. It’s important to plan your project first and a great way to start is by following these tips on building the ultimate man cave.

For more Man Cave Inspiration:
http://mancaveforum.forumotion.net
http://www.mancavesite.org
http://perfectmancave.com
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?start=0&topicId=5282
http://www.boston.com/realestate/gallery/mancaves/