Building Your Own Man Cave Bar
Basement Man Cave Bar
There’s been a rash of new DIY TV programs showing how to build your own Man Cave. Brief but informative, they cover things fast. Room prep is always your first order of business, but once you get to adding the bar, you wish the show could slow down because the details can fly by fast. Unless you like the remote and the TiVo, a set of bar plans can help with a solid documented construction path. Our bundled collection of home bar designs is the first step in any man cave project.
Man Cave Bar Considerations:
A bar is not simply a box or a crate, although, for some of my friends, that would do just fine! The bar should be built in the proper dimensions for maximum comfort, access, and usability. Considerations in our designs take into account possible future basement flooding and raised flooring to prevent items from being water-damaged. I never thought that was important until one giant thunderstorm flash flooded my basement. We can show you how to build your bar using a variety of proven designs. If you’re into feng shui design, we take into consideration some design basics based on the numerical laws of nature using the golden ratio. It’s why our bar dimensions naturally please the eye.
Man Cave Bar Details:
While building the bar is key, your man cave should include essentials like bar stools (no kidding) a bar back, and a jukebox. The completed man cave bar space will impress your drinking, card playing & pool-shooting buddies for years to come. Depending upon the condition of your basement, the process of converting that space is not difficult for the ordinary handyman. Our goal is to help you better understand the construction process and complete it on a budget. Construction will still require a modest investment of your time. Still, much cheaper than a contractor-built job. Before getting started, read up on preventing basement bar mold problems that could make your man cave less than enjoyable.
Classic basement man car bar
Basement Man Cave
The sample Man Cave bar shown at left is only a small portion of the entire room which can include a pool table, dart board, poker table, and complete home theater system furnished with comfy reclining chairs. The sky is the limit for what you can do with your unused space and our site can help you with cool design ideas. Check out our home bar photos for many more examples.
Join the Barplan.com site and get instant access to all our plans to help build your ultimate man cave.
By the way, Man Cave’s are not just for men, women love them too!
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3 Steps to Create the Ultimate Man Cave
Whether you call it a sports bar man cave, a garage man cave, an outdoors man cave, or any other variation on the man cave idea, space where guys can hang out, watch sports, maybe play some pool, have a few drinks, and just kick back and relax is a great addition to any home.
Step 1: Plan Your Man Cave
The first step to get started building is to think about what inspires you. If you’re not sure, go online to look for inspiration and clever man cave ideas.
You’ll also want to figure out where it can go: garages are popular, as are basements. But you can also use an office or an unused room. The space you have will determine the best layout but most of the main dos and don’ts of and common mistakes will apply to whatever kind of space you have to work with:
- DO think about how you’ll use the space to determine your layout, furniture choices, and theme.
- DO consider hiring a pro to help with a bigger conversion in garages and basements.
- DO try to keep your man cave away from bedrooms to prevent noise and sleep disturbances.
- DO think about how to involve the rest of the family for movie nights, board games, etc.
- DO feel free to use a portion of a room used for another purpose. For example, a man cave garage or an outdoor gardening equipment storage could actually be a very fun place to hang out.
- DON’T think you need to spend a lot of money, especially if you’re on a tight budget. As long as you have space, you can re purpose furniture and accessories already in your house and build on it slowly as your time and budget allow.
One of the funniest parts about planning a man cave is choosing a theme. Popular man cave themes are rustic, garage-style, bar or tavern-style, old-time, and modern steampunk. You’re limited only by your imagination when it comes to choosing a theme for your man cave, so have fun with it!
Make the most out of your man cave space:
- Small spaces: just because your man cave is small doesn’t mean it can’t be a relaxing place to hang out. Take a less-is-more approach and choose only the focal points that matter most and will actually fit in the room. Select furniture that’s comfortable while still staying on the small side (think chairs instead of sofas, for example). Use light paint colors to make the room appear bigger, mount your TV on the wall, and use overhead lighting rather than floor and table lamps to save space.
- Garage and garage bar ideas: Garages are popular spaces to convert into man caves. There are some specific questions with a garage conversion you’ll need to answer, however. Is the garage weatherproof? Does it need insulation, heating, or air conditioning? Does the garage already have power? What about flooring? Do you want to install a bar or bathroom, and if so, is plumbing and water available? Do you need to get a permit for anything related to your garage conversion?
- Basements and rustic basement ideas: Basements can also make an ideal place to create a place to escape. Like garages, however, basement man cave ideas will depend largely on the space. Is the basement waterproofed? Do you need to add insulation, heating, cooling, or flooring? Is there enough headroom to stand comfortably? What about emergency exits, windows, and other legally-required features? When in doubt, be sure to consult with a pro if you’re not sure about what you need to turn your basement into a killer man cave.
Step 2: Choose Your Man Cave Features
Once you’ve decided on the placement, layout, and theme, you can start thinking about what to include, the best furniture, best accessories, best features, and best materials to use. No matter your budget, you can still create the man cave of your dreams:
Focal points
Next, figure out the decor want to include: Are you a gamer? A big-screen TV, comfy seating, gaming systems, and the right lighting and sound system is a must. You could even go all out with some standalone arcade games. Love to entertain the guys? If you have space and the budget, why not include a bar? (Do a web search for man cave bar ideas to get inspired.) If there’s no space for a bar, you could instead get a small man cave refrigerator. Or if you love to work out, why not include a weight bench and other workout equipment in the space?
Just try not to cram everything in, even if you have space and the budget for it. There’s no point in having a pool table or a ping pong table if you’ll never use them. Think about what’s important to you, how you want to use your space and choose the focal points that matter most to you.
The best man cave furniture
It’s important to select furniture that suits your space and is comfortable and welcoming. It should also be plentiful enough to allow for guests and parties. Different types of seating such as sofas, overstuffed man cave chairs and recliners, bar stools, and table seating will offer versatility to the space that you can use for parties, watching the big game, playing video games, family board game night, or just kicking back with a beer.
The best man cave accessories
Art: Art is a great opportunity to show off your personality and include a little humor and playfulness with the room decor. For example, some man caves feature literal caveman drawings as a fun play on words.
Lighting: the right lighting can go a long way in creating the right ambience in a room. Make sure you have proper lighting for your cave, such as a hanging light over a pool table, ambient lighting for gaming, dimmable lights for watching TV and movies, and spotlights for art.
Signs: a man cave sign, such as something outlining your man cave rules is a fun touch to add a little personal touch to your space.
Wall decorations: decorations are an easy way to show off your theme and your personal interests and hobbies.
Bar ideas and accessories: many man caves will feature some kind of bar or beverage station. You can go rustic or modern; simple or more elaborate: try to find barstools, glasses, and other bar accessories to match your theme to tie the bar area in with the rest of the room.
Step 3: Build It Out
Once everything is planned out and you’ve done your research, the next step is to build out your man cave. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated: there are a lot of DIY man cave ideas on the web that offer tips, tricks, and advice for building out a great space. But if your plans require permits, moving walls, or other bigger construction or remodeling, consider hiring a pro to do the work for you.
One Last Step: Enjoy Your New Space!
This is the most important part of the entire process. If you followed the process, you’re more likely to end up with space you’ll enjoy for years to come. A great man cave will be a place where you can relax with friends, enjoy the game, and have a whole lot of fun.