Help for the Needy
Are you a man who is in desperate need of a man cave? Do you have a place in your home that you can call your own? If you aren’t even offered the amenities of a peaceful bathroom experience, then you are in the same boat that I was once in.
My Home is Hardly My Castle
Ever since my wife and I moved into our home, I have had dreams of one day obtaining a room with a ping-pong table and a big screen TV to watch whatever sport I dreamed of. I envisioned St. Louis Cardinals gear adorning the walls, and a baseball glove couch to lounge in while I eat Buffalo wings and enjoy my sport of choice.
Well, about ten years have passed and all I have is the big screen TV that is constantly playing Disney movies for the kids. On top of that, my Cardinal decorum is neatly packed away in boxes that consume much of our garage. Needless to say, the plan was diverted before it began.
Resorting to Plan B
Since I knew there was no claiming the basement that my wife made me finish, “for the kids,” I had to come up with another plan; a plan that would keep prying eyes away from the TV screen as I struggled to be quality team player on Call of Duty. I needed an escape from the dreary world of diapers, dishes, and discipline. I needed an improvised man-cave, and I needed it to reclaim lost sanity.
Since literally every square foot of my home is taken with sewing machines, crochet needles and toys, my plan was to move my cave outside of the regular living area and into a place so unlivable that no-one would want to invade: the garage.
Making Room
I knew the garage was stuffed full of boxes and little space was available, but my plan was to take advantage of the wasted space above my head to make room. I decided that I needed to move the boxes higher, but how?
Building Ceiling Shelves
I came up with a plan that could work for just about any homeowner in need of additional space. I built suspended shelving units that attached to the frame of the garage’s ceiling.
When I began the process, I wondered how I would do it. But, once the wheels started turning, I got more and more excited about the prospect of having my own man-space. All I needed from the hardware store was a few basic items:
- Heavy duty chain to hold each corner of each shelf
- Heavy gauged L-brackets to attach to the shelves and ceiling braces
- Nuts and bolts to hold it all together
Once I had all of the items I needed, I set to making the shelves out of spare 2 x 4’s and plywood I had lying around.
No Regrets
After building my shelving system, I brought out a space heater, my ping-pong table and a big screen TV. There is plenty of room for all of it, and it is far, far away from the noise of a house full of kids.
If you’ve got the time and resources available to create a man-cave of your own, my advice would be to just get started. Try to think of an area of your home that goes unused, and make use of it. In the end, you and your friends will thank you as you enjoy making new Super Bowl memories.
By Bart Vale
Author Bio
Bart Vale writes on wide variety of topics regarding home improvement. He likes writing for businesses like A+ Garage Doors, who sell products to improve a home’s value. His personal experience in the home improvement industry inspires the many topics he writes about.
