Make a Man Cave – 5 steps to transform your shed

After a gruelling day of work, all men dream about having their very own happy place! A place where you can plonk yourself onto a recliner chair, chill out with a drink, and re-charge your batteries. A place where you can invite your pals over and shout ‘Come on the lads’ as much as you want, and nobody will judge you! All men dream about this, turning their garden sheds into the ultimate hang out spot.. This is why here at Sheds Direct Ireland; we’re going to tell you how you can make your dreams come true (just make sure to get permission first).

 

 

Step 1: Planning your Man cave – Planning is everything

Just like Hannibal looking at his elephants and then ponderously back to the Alps, making a Man cave also requires a bit of planning. First and foremost, you need to figure out what the main use of the space is going to be. Is it going to be for gaming, your very own pub, or a place to fiddle about with tools? Would a Steel Shed be better, or perhaps a wooden one? We can help you make that decision on our Wood Vs Steel Blog post. Once you visualise what it’s going to be then you can allocate space, equipment and a budget. 

To see what kind of sheds you have at your disposal, check out our full range of sheds here.

Once you’ve chosen your shed, get your thinking cap on and figure out a schedule of when each task is going to be achieved. 

 

Step 2: Keeping the Dampness out and the warmth in!

This is by far the most tedious and time-consuming part of the process, but it is also the most important. As Tom Hanks said in Angels and Demons, ‘If it wasn’t hard, then everybody would do it’. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste when mould and dampness start appearing from all angles. If you’re going to build this man cave, you’re going to build it right!

Use a fence or patio latex paint on the outside of the shed and anti-mould paint on the inside. Once you have that done, use roof felt to protect the roof from rainwater. 

Now, I’m not going to tell you how to go about isolating your shed, because we’ve already done it. Check out our blog, ‘Insulating a steel shed’. 

You back? Belter of a blog wasn’t it? Once you have the insolation process mastered, lay down some plywood to add that finishing touch to the interior of your shed. After that, you deserve a cold beer and a break for a few days. It’s time to call in the professionals to get some power into your man cave. 

 

Step 3: LET THERE BE LIGHT! 

Even if you’re confident in your own ability, you’re better off leaving this one to the pros. However, there are still a few things you can do to prepare. This will not only make the electrician’s life easier but will speed up the overall process. So you’re are not off the hook completely.

• Figure out the location of the fuse box.
• Have the locations of the power sockets, light switches, and any other extra needs ready to go.
• Have a list ready of the utilities that you want in your Man cave.
• Finally, to wire the shed using mains electricity, you will need a trench between your house and the shed. Get digging! The trench only needs to be around 50cm deep so don’t get carried away with yourself. This isn’t the movie ‘Holes’ at all. 

Once the electrician works their magic, you can add lightbulbs, lamps, portable heaters, and much more! Your man cave is really coming together. Particularly in the winter garden sheds can tend to get a bit colder come winter, so it might be an essential come November if you want to hang out in your shed.

Step 4: Decoration

Now that there is light in the place and you can see what you’re doing, it’s is time for a few homey touches. A great place to start is a coat of paint on the walls, this will make the most of the money you just paid the electrician and brighten up the room even more. If you want to add any shelves, storage units, carpets, or wallpaper, now is the time to do it.  Remember smart storage makes so much more room for activities! (You thought of Stepbrothers there, I know you did.) 

After this, it’s time for the main event! The tedious jobs are over, but the fun has only just begun.

 

The Ultimate Man cave – Step 5: Turning your vision into a reality

If you’ve made it to this step, congratulations! It was not easy to get this far, but you made it, legend! Luckily for you, it’s all fun from here and it’s time to kit out your Man cave out in the way you’ve always dreamt of. Whether it is building your own mini bar, installing a massive tv on the wall for matches or gaming, or expressing your inner Ronnie O’Sullivan by bringing in a snooker table, it is completely up to you. You had this vision from the start, now make it happen. We, here at Sheds Direct Ireland are proud of you. 

Final Word:

Well, that’s it, you now have the basic steps on how to create the ultimate Man cave, courtesy of Sheds Direct Ireland. Yes, it will require a lot of effort, planning, and money, but is it worth it? Abso-bloody-luty. You’ve not bought a shed – you’ve bought a place to chill out in when needed. 

Have you just read this, and are itching to get going on your Man cave? Go to https://www.shedsdirectireland.com and pick out your perfect shed to get the ball rolling. If you have any questions, call us at 01 864 4247 or message us on Facebook or instagram and we might be able to help more in person.