The Man Cave

Remember back in October when I told you we had started building a new garage that was also going to house Hubby’s man cave? Well, it’s done. I had plans to do this big old post featuring before and after shots, but golly gee, that would take a long time to dig out those pictures and put that together, and I really don’t see that happening any time soon. So I’m just gonna slap up a few photos and give you a little look see with promises of before and after pictures sometime in the near future. When no one in my house is recovering from surgery. Or graduating from high school. Or buying prom dresses. Or having kidney stones removed. On second thought, let’s just say I’ll get to it when I get to it. In the meantime, here ya’ go with the down and dirty.

The garage was built mostly for storage, and the entire second floor and half of the first floor are used for that. Half of the first floor though is the man cave. Well, really it’s the whole family cave. Hubby designed it, but we will all use it. We wanted a space near the pool where people could relax, use the bathroom and generally hang out without worrying about wet bathing suits or keeping the floor dry and clean. We also wanted it to be a space for entertaining and to be utilized as an apartment or spare living area if ever needed. We enjoy having friends over and plan to use it extensively for get-togethers.

We had a really tight budget for this project, so we had to get creative with some aspects of it. Like the poker table.


It was actually a large round dining table from a local hotel that was being torn down. (Executive Inn for you locals.) We covered it in a $30 piece of laminate, cut some holes in it and dropped in cup holders ordered from the internet. We also added cheap chairs from Overstock.com. Voila! A poker table the size of Minnesota. One of Hubby’s poker buddies gave him a free microwave that was being tossed during a kitchen remodel. All of the microwave carts we priced cost more than we wanted to pay, so we ended up buying a tool box from Lowe’s that was discounted because of a dent in the back. It’s actually perfect because the microwave fits the top, and we can use the drawers for storage of silverware, plastic ware and paper plates and napkins. It was actually one of the better ideas I’ve had in a really long time. What can I say? Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then.

We shopped around extensively for lighting (internet), a refrigerator and fixtures like the sink, shower and toilet. There is a very small bathroom to the right of the kitchen cabinet area, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I wrote this, and taking one now would require getting up out of this chair and going out back, and honestly, I’m pretty stuck to this chair right now. You’ll have to use your imagination regarding the bathroom. Just picture something small and basic with lost cost fixtures.

The leather sofa and loveseat came from a discount furniture store, and we negotiated a good price for those. The barber chair actually came from the shop where Hubby and I get our hair cut. They were getting rid of it because it didn’t hold air pressure anymore, and since Hubby found it quite comfortable, he bought it for a nominal price. I have to admit I thought he was a little crazy when he bought it, but it works perfectly in that space.


The neon signs are a collection Hubby has had for more than twenty years. He started buying them before they got expensive, and he actually has about twice what you see on the walls.


A few are in the garage portion of the building, and others are in storage upstairs. If we put them all on the walls it would look like Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas. And please ignore the fact that I just dated myself with that Urban Cowboy reference. We have one more to hang, and it’s being repaired right now.

While I did advise Hubby on the décor, he made the decisions and planned the whole thing himself. He allowed me to add my margarita maker and my Jimmy Buffett magnet, so it’s not totally without a woman’s touch. So far, we’ve hosted two poker nights in the man cave and a Homecoming after party for Teen Angel’s friends. That one required a zip tie lock on the liquor cabinet for the night. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good kids, but I’m no fool. I remember what I was like at that age. Teenagers do stupid things. We will have a Bunco get together there next month, poker night has been moved to our house permanently and a whole passel of folks have invited themselves over this summer to swim and have a good time. And that’s okay with us. That’s why we built the darn thing. We hope to have many good times out there in the years to come. We’ll have to. Now that we’re broke, we won’t be going very far from home. Ha!