A Man’s Sanctuary - Man Caves
July 18, 2010, By Kasie Baltes 5 comments
You may cut the grass, fix a leaking faucet and have the latest tools in your garage but judging from your bedroom décor, you may be taken as a dainty young girl.
Are your bedroom walls covered in various shades of fuchsia? Is your bed covered with countless throw pillows that nearly suffocate you when you sleep? Does your living room resemble more of a playground than a relaxing oasis? If so, building a man cave may be just the escape you are looking for. Jason Cameron, a licensed general contractor and host of DIY Network’s Man Caves may be the best person to fix this problem and turn your flowery abode into a manly haven.
Man Caves may sound like a show for the modern-day cave man, but in reality it’s a TV series that provides men, especially fathers, with an exclusive place to be at peace and completely escape from the regular chaos at home. This show picks a few lucky men out of a pool of applicants and rocks their world by building the ultimate man cave fully equipped with flat screens and sports memorabilia.
Cameron and his co-host, former NFL Player Tony Siragusa plan, design and construct these empty spaces into “male sanctuaries” that resemble much of the owner’s personality.
Cameron admitted in general, men do not have a lot of say in decorating in the household and this show gives men a chance to have that space of their own.
“I love my wife, we have a great place but generally speaking when it comes to decorating the place, usually the women have pretty much reign. This is the one place where we can put the things she may not like. The moose head that she may not want anywhere in the house.”
So you may be thinking, how in the world will you find the time to build a man cave? And talk about a budget, it doesn’t exist. Well, you don’t have to be a A-list celebrity or even on the show for that matter to make a man cave possible.
Forget the crew, gather up a group of your friends and take the weekend to create a spot of your own. Face it, it’s those guys who will be spending most of the time there in the first place, so put them to work.
Before you install the flat screen and hammer the first nail into the entertainment center, Cameron advises any man to plan out what you want for your space, and to do your homework. He admits that even Man Caves runs on a budget.
“Be realistic with what you have to work with and look at how you can refurbish things. We have spent any where from $2,000 to $50,000 on our man caves. I am constantly looking for the best deal.”
You may not have every tool you need and you might not even know how to use everything either. Aside from the typical hammer, electric drill and nails, consider hiring a contractor for the more complicated projects, they are trained professionals and will have the more advanced tools to work with as well.
Man caves may differ based on the owner’s unique taste but there are a few staple pieces that end up in a majority of man caves; a flat screen TV
Although you can specialize your man cave to be what ever you want it to be, Cameron cautioned there are certain items that must never go in a man cave.
“There’s a whole list of things we don’t allow in a man cave, top of the list are flowers, scented candles, tchotchkes, throw pillows, pacifiers and most importantly no pinks or fuchsias.”
So maybe the moose head on the wall, or the pool table on hydraulics are not feasible for you and your home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a space to yourself. It’s all about working with what you do have and saving up for what you still want. A man cave is not just about the toys inside of it, it’s really about a place that can be all about you.
Kasie Baltes is the Associate Editor for ManoftheHouse.com. She is a Barefoot Proximity employee.
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