How To Turn Your Garage Into A Mancave

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Before getting into the fun stuff, the power tools and frequent trips to the hardware store, you’re going to want to go through your garage and take an inventory of all the things currently housed inside and what can stay and what can go. Take out seasonal items if you can or move them into areas of your house that might have some extra room. Make a trip to Good Will or the Salvation Army for things which are of no use anymore. See if there’s space outside for things like bikes and lawnmowers.

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Next, you’re going to want to insulate the garage to keep the space comfortable and conserve heat/air-conditioning. The insulation options will be different for every garage but basic drywall should work for just about any garage. Remember to seal cracks with extra drywall tape and caulking,especially around windows and doors. Depending on where you live and what your HVAC limitations are, space heaters and window A/C units are probably going to be the cheapest and easiest methods of climate control for your man cave. You might have to do some work on the ceiling to maximize the insulation. Dry wall will work again but if you can try to go for something a little more eccentric like a textured ceiling or tin ceiling tiles.

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For the floor of your man cave there are multiple options. Epoxy is a great way to protect the concrete and your feet while providing a good aesthetic and easy cleaning. If you go the epoxy route, keep in mind that you’ll have to know what was used on the floors prior and which epoxy to use,using the wrong one will result in peeling floor or the hot-tire effect. Snap tiles, exterior tiles or simply a series of rugs also work well.

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Once you’ve taken care of these primary measures the real fun of setting up your man cave can begin. To maximize space and organization, consider using fold-up tables and shelves that remain vertically parsed against the wall until you’re ready to use them. This is great for making workbenches and can be done as easily as securing a board of plywood with a hinge and wire or chain. You can use a spare dowel to secure the board in its vertical position or a small magnet. This technique can also be used for beer pong tables, shuffle boards, extra seating or your garage movie theater or turning your man cave into a casino with craps, roulette, blackjack or poker tables.

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Flat-screen TVs make it very easy to incorporate an entertainment center into your man cave. Swiveling mounts make it easy to adjust the viewing ease for anywhere in the garage. Mount the speakers to the wall, or, for added affect, suspend them from the ceiling with wires or chains.

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Remember: to maximize space, go vertical, especially if you’re man cave still has to function as a garage on the side. Using walls effectively gives you more space and freedom for things than can’t be hung on a hook such as a refrigerator, couch or car. Prioritize your man cave, see what things need to be on the floor, and what can be moved, or re-imagined, to the wall. Old bookshelves can be converted very easily into man-cave cabinetry.

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About the author: Jerry Davidson has written for over two decades as a freelance journalist. When he’s not covering home and garden topics, you can find him doing anything from reviewing Chicago garage door installers to building his own sailboat in his backyard.

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