[FizorZed]

Hello Fellas. I'm so fucking excited I can't contain myself. After five years in a home with an unfinished, crappy, musty basement with a shitty washer/dryer and zero man cave potential my wife and I just moved into a new house with a virgin refinished basement. It's just an empty shell with a tiled floor and knotty pine walls waiting to be filled with all things man. I pissed on the floor and told my wife to back off. She might own me for real but she hates cleaning up my pee so she shook her head and walked away.

To be honest it's a little overwhelming so I googled 'man cave' and found this site. I shed a tear I think. Or it could have been the beer I spit out in joyous surprise when I saw the site. Regardless, there was fucking emotion behind my response.

I don't want to rush in to the build out. The last thing I need is a half-ass man cave. I have failed enough in the more important arts of manners, door holding, sexually satisfying my wife despite studying porn tapes, and bull riding that I can't take failing in this arena.

So I simply ask in my first post / visit: what man cave essentials (big and small) does the collective wisdom on this site say I should not (cannot) live without. And I appeal to the more niche or "speak easy" touches since we all know the TV, Kegerator, Poker table are pretty much as mandatory as a punch in the face for an unfinished steak.

Thanks gents. I eagerly await your stories.

Zed

 

[Quads]

I got a feeling that you're going to fit in pretty well around here.

What are your preferences for your man cave? I'm a poker player at heart, so a poker table or 6 is a *must* for me. But if you don't play cards, then not for you.

Essentials I'd say are several flat screens, a bar, a kegerator, a urinal (not a toilet, but a urinal), a dart board, and neon / beer / whiskey signs and memorabilia.

Take it the next level and do a wine cellar, a home theater, and a cigar room.

 

[stok2]

Any kind of stuffed animal or fish, and no I don't mean a teddy bear that some of you guys still sleep with. I mean something that you've killed or caught. Stripper pole, fireplace, pool table, dart board........etc...

 

[SniperD5]

I like this guy! Zed, you'll find yourself at home here, just watch out, because this site is addictive enough to get you fired and/or divorced.


Man Cave Essentials:

Flat Screen TV's
Game table of choice: Poker, Foosball, Air Hockey, Shuffle Board, Pool/Snooker, etc.
Kegerator and/or full blown wet bar
Comfortable seating - LazyBoy, Theatre Seats, Old Ratty Couch, whatever suits your ass best!


Man Cave themes and options:

Obviously no theme is also an option, or just general MAN, but here are some other choices:
Hunting/Fishing (as previously mentioned), deer heads, fish, guns, etc.
Sports - Jersey's, posters, memerobilia from your favorite team
Cars - Nascar, F1, classic cars, muscle cars, etc
Bar themed - Neon, stripper pole, signage, taps, pool table, etc.
Game theme - Casino style, board game theme, dart boards, shuffleboard or pool tables, etc.
Movie theme - Movie posters, movie lighting, projector, theatre seating, etc.


You basically just need to decide what you want the overall feel of the room to be, and then work from there. Some guys like nice and simple. A few classic posters, or signs. Others like jam packed, over the top rooms with neon from floor to ceiling, and pictures/posters on top of each other. Find what works for you, let us know where your mind is at, and give us some place to start so we can help you build the best man cave you can!

 

[Redneck Rebel]

and bull riding

I like this guy enough I'll let the fact he's from Skokie slide.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Nice TV/theatre setup
Bar w/signs mirrors etc, sm fridge in the bar area, sink, microwave
I'll actually have a 2nd stove in the bar area
-- you don't want to walk to the kitchen
Bumper pool (too many windows for reg table)
Hockey game - not air hockey - the ones w/the small players
Sports shirts on the walls, some nice recliners
Dart board
Wood stove with soft rug that can be put in front of it

I have a folder where I save pics w/ideas

 

[Haps]

You gotta decide 2 things. How are you going to spend your time down there. And 2 how you want to feel while down there.

With #1 be realistic. It's easy to envision many a happy night with friends piled around your bar having a great time. But talk to may basement bar owners across the country and that really doesn't get used all that much. Nor do people even "sit around the bar" when there are other more comfortable options. So any sort of elegant bar is just for looks.

How many people are likely to be enjoying your cave at any given time. Knowing the people you know who may be regular guests. What activites would you be partaking in(hanging out, movies, poker etc).

And be wise with your money. Don't go wasting 5k building out a pool room(with illusion of you and your friends and neighbours shooting stick all the time) that will be used 60hrs a year. When you could have poured that into a home theatre that will be used 600hrs a year.

You've laid claim already. It's your man cave now and it exists how it should be in your mind. Enjoy it in solitude while you build it to perfection. No man cave is ever complete. Take your time. Plan it right and you'll save yourself money and rework.

 

[FizorZed]

Wow, thanks for all the advice fellas. I have no intention of rushing into the build out. I'd say at this junction (especially heading into winter) i'll be using it primarily for beer drinking, video game playing, football watching, and poker games whenever I can get my sad sack friends to leave their own basements.

With that being said, i'll definitely be looking to purchase a kegerator sometime soon. A new flat screen would be great provided I can launder some of my own money from the wife. I'll troll around and see what I can dig up on kegerators but do any of you have a favorite model or type you prefer?

Also, I would love to start collecting neon bar / beer signs. Aside from ebay is there a good place to look for reasonably priced items?

Shit! Gotta go. I just heard my wife pull a frying pan out of the cabinet and she's headed up stairs. Time to hide in the humidor!

 

[Quads]

Kegerator: Search the forum. You'll get MUCH more pleasure and pride out of making one than buying something off the shelf.

Neon: egay, craigslist, buddies with a bar owner, forum sponsor: Personalized Pub Signs, Bar and Tavern Signs from the Pub Sign Shop hunting around here and there, etc. Unfortunately, its become harder and harder to come by for free / trade type deals, but it's out there.

 

[Richard Cranium]

oh shit we got another el guapo around here

 

[j p frog]

would that be a plethora of el guapo's?

 

[Quads]

Plethora; plĕʹthərə, plĭthôʹrə
Etymology: Latin (late)
NOUN
An excessive amount or number; an abundance;

 

[SniperD5]

Time to hide in the humidor!

Are you saying that you have a WALK-IN Humidor??? If so, get some pics posted, ASAP!

 

[Wedge Rock]

Hello Fellas. I'm so fucking excited I can't contain myself. After five years in a home with an unfinished, crappy, musty basement with a shitty washer/dryer and zero man cave potential my wife and I just moved into a new house with a virgin refinished basement. It's just an empty shell with a tiled floor and knotty pine walls waiting to be filled with all things man. I pissed on the floor and told my wife to back off. She might own me for real but she hates cleaning up my pee so she shook her head and walked away.

To be honest it's a little overwhelming so I googled 'man cave' and found this site. I shed a tear I think. Or it could have been the beer I spit out in joyous surprise when I saw the site. Regardless, there was fucking emotion behind my response.

I don't want to rush in to the build out. The last thing I need is a half-ass man cave. I have failed enough in the more important arts of manners, door holding, sexually satisfying my wife despite studying porn tapes, and bull riding that I can't take failing in this arena.

So I simply ask in my first post / visit: what man cave essentials (big and small) does the collective wisdom on this site say I should not (cannot) live without. And I appeal to the more niche or "speak easy" touches since we all know the TV, Kegerator, Poker table are pretty much as mandatory as a punch in the face for an unfinished steak.

Thanks gents. I eagerly await your stories.

Zed

This is the second best initial post... Doesn't top this guy, but then again, not much could.

Welcome.

Other than a poker table, a must would include a theater size TV with surround sound. A media center and comfy stadium seating are bonuses.

 

[Joe Bass]

This is the second best initial post... Doesn't top this guy, but then again, not much could.

Welcome.

Other than a poker table, a must would include a theater size TV with surround sound. A media center and comfy stadium seating are bonuses.

I'm calling it a tie.

Hell of an intro - well done sir, and welcome fellow chicagolander.

Too bad you didn't pop in a few months earlier, I had the perfect Kegerator for you. http://perfectmancave.com/forum/showpost.php?p=161043&postcount=29

 

[FizorZed]

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone (except for the douche who dissed skokie. Okay, he seemed alright but i'm still sensitive after leaving my city habitat a week ago). And I agree Wedge Rock, that guys first post was epic. My pasty mid-western, suburban living, station wagon driving ass couldn't put up a fight with him in rock/paper/scissors much less fighting for the last venison shank after the liberal conjured apocalypse unleashed it wrath.

But in the meanwhile I do believe I'll start looking over the kegerator posts. This El Guapo is fucking thirsty. Oh, and where the hell are the "other" El Guapo's hiding!? Don't make me ask the singing bush!

Show yourselves!

Oh, SniperD5, I wish I had a walk in humidor. I was just speaking of the shed in my backyard where I keep a musty cigar. And JoeBass, your kererator listing was also equal parts epic. As I read it I felt like I was there watching manbaby tears hit the floor at losing out on the opportunity to drink from it's handcrafted tit. If you hear of another homemade beauty come on the market let me know.

 

[Richard Cranium]

In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us.

 

[Lightning]

A good start for Neon signs or other beer paraphernalia, is to head to your
Local watering hole pub or bar and ask who there beer reps are. Once you
Have there numbers give them a call, see if they have anything that might be of interest to you, most beer reps have a ton of stuff they are looking to unload, most of the time they end up just tossing things in the trash. I have acquired 5 neon signs this way all free, and the reps where more then happy to give them to me.

Good luck with your mancave it is very addictive, frustrating and fun.