Man cave chat!

highlandsflyer":134xuqod said:

I see. Well you can always extend it at the front or side later.

Main thing with making it good is the roof, so I would have that ready to lift on before killing the old shed. Corrugated bitumen works well, as you can incorporate clear panels for light. Depends if you want an insulated, warm in winter shed though.

Depends on what you plan to use for the floor, but one option to get a roof up fast is to use Postcrete to erect corner posts, hanging joists to tie them in. That would take less than a couple of hours, then you could lift the roof on. I used this approach to make a pal's bike shed, as we had only a few hours of daylight to get the job done.

You could use prepped panels to finish the job, or a nailgun and cladding. My favoured option would be prepped panels, windows, doors and all done ready to go.

If you use T&G cladding, you can expect it to be fairly weather tight from the get go. Once you have capped the corners and finished the doors and window voids it should work.

If you wanted it snug for winter you would need to insulate it, but that is a long way off.

How are you taking your power to it?

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Power will only be via extension lead for the time being because I'll need to trench across the path and garden to get to it.

I'm quite keen on the idea of putting the slabs along one side and putting a bit of a veranda on. This could come at a later date I guess. The problem is budget again - I can get a tanelised 10x8 complete shed delivered (but not erected) for about £720 (pent and pitched roof pretty much the same price). Making my own shed to my spec is going to cost way more I would've thought - unless I go with the pallet shed idea

Pallet shed idea is amazing!

I would be well up for having a blast at some pallet work, but i am currently renting a property with a standalone garage/man-cave so i have no need for one at the moment.

Mine is the one on the left.



The missus HATES me being in it, i can see her looking out of the kitchen or bedroom window watching.

Top left of the garage door has 2 little solar panels that power the LED lights inside, the man cave has no domestic power supply, but i have a healthy selection of battery power tools and i can fill the compressor up in the morning and wheel it back across to the man-cave if needed.

Bikes on hooks along the left wall (hooks for four bikes, just got rid of one)



Hooks along the right side for spare tyres (innertubes just out of shot) garden tools and car bike rack, the shelves at the rear are home to my car valeting supplies (i owned a car wash for 6.5 years), diy stuff and ARC Welder, also a set of riged forks on the floor next to the bin as the blue revolution trailfinder (mrs bike) has just receaved a set of refurbished RockShox Judy T2 (the ones that came on the FSR)



I have a little wooden chair next to the door so i can sit next to the bike on the workstand and stroke it (or work on it)

The bamboo style chair at the rear annoyingly was on the inventory when we moved it (it was in the conservatory) its horrible but we need to keep it for when we move out :roll: and it would dissemble and fit in the loft :roll:

This is my second home since moving out of my parents about 8 years back and my first man cave (lived here a year now) couldn't live without it!

When i closed the car wash down i lost my man-space, going back to a factory job seamed a great idea at the time, but fook me, SWTSMBO really started to get on my tits and i could not escape

Now i disappear into the man-cave, usually getting a text around dinnertime when she trys to lure me from the cave with offers of food.

No matter how big your shed, bikes and gardening tools just don't mix... :?

I have a 10x8 shed which now houses five fully built bikes, one part built, one frame, far too many forks, and shelves crowded with all the various crap one accumulates in a very short space of time once you join this Forum...

...and all the gardening crap has been relegated to the gazebo!

It amazes me when people spend huge amounts of money inside the house on kitchens and bathrooms, and more on cars and holidays then won't spend more than £200 on a shed...

I have a great cellar but in my next house I may have to make something in the garden if I don't have a cellar. I've already told my wife it will be something substantial and may cost a bit but it's important to me. She understands this as it's my passion and she supports it!

S-M":1gw7cu9w said:

The missus HATES me being in it, i can see her looking out of the kitchen or bedroom window watching.

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Why does she hate it when you are in there??

Rob Atkin":35i7cmv6 said:

It amazes me when people spend huge amounts of money inside the house on kitchens and bathrooms, and more on cars and holidays then won't spend more than £200 on a shed...

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I for one would not spend that sort of money on a Marin.

Rob Atkin":2ifplpol said:

S-M":2ifplpol said:

The missus HATES me being in it, i can see her looking out of the kitchen or bedroom window watching.

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Why does she hate it when you are in there??

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Because i am away from her and unable to answer her stupid questions

I have 3 man caves

One for my car and all the gardening crap and stuff thats rarely used, I rent it off the council and its 100yds from where i live. The other two are a brick shed attached to another garage at the back of my house, Shed houses my tool boxes and vast collection of useless crap and garage has a small work bench and all the bikes in there

Tool shed is currently having a makeover and ex kitchen cupboard re fit then a re paint

This would be mine, my 2nd home, like all the rest of you, a place the misses will rarely venture.





Love my garage that I cant get a car too :? But the upside is a space I can use for work and bikes!

stellaboy":pnbdiroi said:

Lucky enough to have a double garage, bench down one side with a large vise and a parts washer sunk into the other end. Shelves and cabinets above with tool boards inside. will try and get some better pics.

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Nice work space! I can only dream of something like that