Project man cave..

[Danube_3KGT]

So, My fiance brought up to me, the idea of making a spare bedroom we have into a man cave.. a room me and my friends can chill and play video games and what not.. Im kinda looking for ideas from people on what I can do.. Im Irish, and I want kind of an irish inspired cave but i figured getting a bunch of people thinking would bring a lot more cool ideas..

Im thinking about a dark green, almost black dark green or blue

and then putting a shelf around the top of the room, about a foot maybe to from the ceiling and putting liquor bottles on it around the whole room.. all kinds.. like Jack, Red Stag, Jager, ect.. possible with like an LED light rope behind the bottle to help light em up..

[stealthify]

Stripper poles. And the ladies to go with them.

Not for you... for your friends.

:suspect:

[ictponder]

TV, Couch (that you can sleep on), mini-fridge, a dog.

[Gamerse]

find a rear-ended 3S that is beyond salvage, take a cordless saws all, and cut it in half front to back. then cut the back off behind the door. Then cut the everything forward of the firewall off. Frame it all in, and mount a 32" screen. Gut everything not needed. Put a touchscreen in place of the cluster. Rig original controls to operate a force feedback wheel, shifter, and pedal set. Hook it all up to the gaming rig of your choice. Rig AC controls to operate a small indoor home air conditioner, route ducting to blow through original vents. Connect original door speaker to the home stereo for music. If you want to use any of the other 12V systems from the car, install a 1000watt PC power supply. Install cheap PC type 5 channel surround system for game/sim audio. Your 3S buddies will never go home...

[Boost4VR4]

I setup my larger half of the basement up with a complete theatre. I mounted a projector in the ceiling, wired in surround sound, hooked up everything to a receiver and then I put new drywall in and new drop ceiling. I am in the process of getting a new couch that is more comfortable and a decent size coffee table so I can have food, drinks, etc down there. I have my XBox 360 hooked up to it as well as a media PC and I have a table I can unfold if I want to do beer pong or whatever down there as well. Get some cheap flat screen TVs for the room. If you have ever seen those couches that are like a donut shaped where it's four pieces that connect to form a circle and in the donut hole if you can get a decent sized round table, you could have a place to sit and eat. Maybe get a beer tap off in the corner somewhere. How big is the room?

[UTRacerX9]

So, My fiance brought up to me, the idea of making a spare bedroom we have into a man cave.. a room me and my friends can chill and play video games and what not..

If your fiance is suggesting creating a man cave (rather than a nursery or some such nonsense) then you know she's a keeper. :)



and then putting a shelf around the top of the room, about a foot maybe to from the ceiling and putting liquor bottles on it around the whole room.. all kinds.. like Jack, Red Stag, Jager, ect.. possible with like an LED light rope behind the bottle to help light em up..

Nooooooo.... That idea smacks of cheap college frat house. Need to pick up your game. I'd suggest getting some custom cabinets made, with a granite counter top, and installing one of these:

Kegerator - Summit Under-Counter Beer (http://www.micromatic.com/keg-refrigerators/kegerators-pid-SBC490BI.html?AffiliateID=25847)

And on the plus side, then the room can't ever be turned into a nursery or "craft" room, or whatever the hell else a woman decides she needs a room for. :) If the room is large enough, a projector setup and fixed frame screen on the wall and a couch, and you've got a pretty good mancave going there.

[bluefox1081]

If you want a nice commercial grade beer tap, let me know. I know the owner of a company that makes them...and I might be able to get you a good price. I haven't checked their price lists in a while, but I think I might be able to do better than that $800+ model UT posted.

If you want to go with an Irish theme, why would you go with Jack, Red Stag, and Jager? Go with Irish things like Guinness, Jameson, Harp, etc memorabilia.

[sketch]

i'm not saying do all of these, just a brainstorm list:

bar with stools, minifridge (full fridge if this is a large room)
black leather couch (sectional?)
large screen TV (60"+) - do not use a projector unless replacing the bulb every 2 years is cool, eventually the bulb prices will increase as there are fewer bulbs and people still need them.
appropriately sized computer monitors next to the TV for keeping track of your fantasy teams
pool table
card table
kegerator
...more stuff that i'll think of later

[UTRacerX9]

If you want a nice commercial grade beer tap, let me know.

I'm going to remember this... I'm turning my game room into a bar next year. :) Cheapest I've seen for an undercounter, stainless steel one was about $1500.

[AdamVR4]

F yeah! I'll always have a man cave.

I should take pics of mine now that it's close to done. The previous owners painted it dark purple and black (media room)... I hated it at first, but the purple room has really grown on me.

What are the dimensions of the room in question?

[AdamVR4]

I'm going to remember this... I'm turning my game room into a bar next year. :) Cheapest I've seen for an undercounter, stainless steel one was about $1500.

Sometimes I think we're brothers with opposite political perspectives, LOL. We've REALLY toyed with the idea of turning the game room (which is currently just a tornado foose ball table and a mini fridge) into a bar. A nice built in bar (you can buy the stand-alone bars for like ~$1000-$2000) with a sink, some seating, a wall mounted TV... Of course, the purple room connects to the game room (upstairs living). I think we've ultimately conceded not to do it because it would undoubtedly be the play area for a future kid. Probably something negative about an infant being surrounded by liquor.

[vr4chick]

I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p

[Emilie@GZP]

watch the show on DIY network... mancaves. They have some really cool do-it-yourself project ideas. :)

I'm pretty sure you can watch episodes of the show online as well... www.diynetwork.com.

[Emilie@GZP]

I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p


That is AWESOME!!

[AdamVR4]

I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p



DAAAAAAAAMMMMMNNN.

Nice.

[HilbillyHomeboy]

I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p

Very cool!! BTW, call it a chick cave. :)

Jeremy

[UTRacerX9]

Sometimes I think we're brothers with opposite political perspectives, LOL. We've REALLY toyed with the idea of turning the game room (which is currently just a tornado foose ball table and a mini fridge) into a bar. A nice built in bar (you can buy the stand-alone bars for like ~$1000-$2000) with a sink, some seating, a wall mounted TV... Of course, the purple room connects to the game room (upstairs living). I think we've ultimately conceded not to do it because it would undoubtedly be the play area for a future kid. Probably something negative about an infant being surrounded by liquor.

Haha, if I'm lucky enough to be able to start construction early next year I'll post pics of the finished product. :) I didn't want to go with a standalone bar because... well, I think most of them look kinda cheap, and it really doesn't add any value to a home. Now, a built in wet bar definitely adds value, and convenience too. As far as future kids go... yeah, we've had the same conversation too. But, I think I've managed to convince her that the media room, downstairs family room, backyard, and park across the street is enough room for a kid to play. :)


watch the show on DIY network... mancaves. They have some really cool do-it-yourself project ideas. :)

DIY Network is a staple around here :)


I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p

Lucky! Here's the kit I am going to (eventually) build: How to build your own Arcade System (http://www.tmsoft.com/article-arcade.htm)

Already got most of the games and emulators loaded onto a hard drive, just need to buy a cheap tv, and buy/build the cabinet.

[IPD]

how big is the room? (i always wanted to turn my man-cave into the bridge of the enterprise D.) :suspect:

i like the shelf idea, but i'd probably end up going with lava-lamps & blacklights.

definitely a fan of a front-projector; and i will own one when i buy my next house. 1080p FP's are fairly cheap nowadays. sectional is a great idea. might want to get one of those with the cupholder armrest pieces. oh, and microfiber > leather for comfort. i have an L-shaped black-microfiber berkline sectional (4-section recline) that i wouldn't trade for the world. i game quite a bit in my AK rocker though.

be careful on color choice. dark colors have advantages and disadvantages. dark seems to work best if there will be a lot of other theming. on the other hand, dark colors can shrink the space--which is bad if the space is already fairly small. off-whites can be good if you want an open-look & you don't plan on putting in much decoration. i used to be a bigger fan of vibrantly colored walls, but i've grown to prefer off-white with picture accents.

[AdamVR4]

i like the shelf idea, but i'd probably end up going with lava-lamps & blacklights.

Some jorts and some bangs and we can call it the 80's room!

(LOL, sorry, I had to!)

[Boost4VR4]

I think the projector is a great idea because you can go much bigger than a tv and it's way cheaper. I picked up my projector, screen, and mount for 1200 out the door after pricematching and I have had it for 5 years, bought the extended warranty and had it completely rebuilt and they put a brand new bulb in it.

My screen is 110 inch diagonal on the wall, I have all Bose speakers on the walls and I have Advent-Heritage cabinet speakers in front with a yamaha subwoofer and Denon receiver powering it all. The receiver is on the other side of the basement on a shelf behind the wall. I have to walk around to the other side to change inputs, but that is fine. I would rather have it setup that way because I don't want people to be tweaking settings on the receiver. My media PC has a wireless keyboard/mouse so I can navigate, the mouse is a laser mouse so you can use it on any surface. The media PC has all kinds of console systems, emulators, etc. on it as well as music, videos, etc. It's very nice you would all be jealous lol.

[UTRacerX9]

Projectors are definitely the way to go for a man cave. The screen takes up no room, and if you wanted you could go with an electric screen that hides completely out of view if you wanted too. Bulbs don't cost that much, and the most you'd ever need to buy is probably one (because at that point, the projector is 5-6 years old with average use, and you can get a much better one cheaper.) I think my bulbs run around $200-250, Epson 8350.

Next up: 3D projector after a year or so, prices came down drastically this year.

[AdamVR4]

That's not exactly 'way' cheaper than a 50" TV, but it's way cheaper than 110" TV - LOL.

This thread needs more pics :)

[IPD]

if you are going to buy a front projector, look for one with an LED bulb. most conventional halogen/xenon/krypton bulbs cost an arm & a leg. LED bulbs aren't necessarily cheaper--but they last 10x as long. and honestly, i don't see the market shifting from 1080p anytime soon. that resolution has so stagnated development and progress that laptops currently for sale have LOWER resolutions than those sold 3 years ago. seriously.

[Danube_3KGT]

This rooms not really big enough for that.. Im by no means "wealthy" and the rooms probably 12-15 feet squared.. It will have to do until my mother inlaw empties out the top garage and I can take it over.. lol

[IPD]

This rooms not really big enough for that.. Im by no means "wealthy" and the rooms probably 12-15 feet squared.. It will have to do until my mother inlaw empties out the top garage and I can take it over.. lol

doubt you'd need > 37" tv for that kind of space. then again, you could just buy a front-projector now and have it for later when you do get more space.

[UTRacerX9]

12x12 to 15x15 is a good size room. Certainly big enough to do a projector set up, believe it or not. My room is 12x19, with the screen on the 12 ft wall, and I was able to fit a 110" screen. Ceiling height comes into play here about as much as width, an 8 ft ceiling will probably limit you to a max of 100 inches, with 92 probably being ideal. That also gives you plenty of room for a couple recliners or sectional, and you could still add a small wet bar at the least. :)

[Danube_3KGT]

i still like the idea of a shelf with empty bottles.. When I buy alcohol I like to try different stuff, and like wise save the empty bottles.. I figured I'd take all the bottles and just kinda line em up.. I know I said irish theme, but I think a shelf of more then Harp, Guinness, Baileys, and Jamesons would be better.. I am thinking a decent size TV, a futon, maybe a table and then just some cool decorations.. I have a big Boondock Saints board and a little how to say beer in different languages poster already..

[Danube_3KGT]

I accidentally won this

http://i.imgur.com/3GjNe.jpg

Its going in my she cave:p


wow, that would be sweet, how'd you get that?!

[Blackmount]

that is full of so much win.. where did you get that?..