Fall is quickly approaching which means colder weather, football, and more time inside. Do you want to create a space of your own to get the most out of the season — a space that truly showcases what you like and will be your retreat at the end of a long cold day? If so, you’re looking for a man cave.

You are probably thinking “Don’t you guys just sell heating oil”? Sure, but heating oil really isn’t that exciting. It is a function of your home. We just want to help you make your home better. That, in turn, makes heating oil better. Got it? Whatever…just go with it for now!

A man cave is a place that reflects your style. It is the place where you can go to truly relax. You may want to use this space to spend time alone or to get together and share it with your friends. How you use the space and who you choose to share it with are truly up to you. Your creativity knows no boundaries when you are creating your man cave.

What Are the Types of Man Caves?

Of course, once you’ve decided you would like to create a man cave, you need to determine how to create a man cave. How will you decorate it? What theme(s) will you incorporate info the space? What kind of furniture will you be using?

While a man cave doesn’t have to be complicated, taking the necessary design elements into consideration will help the process go smoothly and ensure you get a space you love.

Here are some suggestions for themes and elements to add into your man cave:

1. The man cave is your favorite destination for watching sports. You have installed a projection television, or if you are going on a smaller scale, you have a large screen television. In addition to the television, one of the central pieces to the man cave is the bar. The bar is a place where you and your friends can sit together, talk, and have drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It is a gathering place for you and your friends.
2. Your man cave is a place where you can play games. You can play all types of games in a man cave. Some men love to play video games in their man caves whether they gather together with friends or play along. Other men love sports, and having a golf simulator in the man cave is a great addition for those long winter months when you can’t get outside to play eighteen holds. Yet others may want to set up their man caves with gaming tables so that they can set up advanced strategy board games to play with their friends.
3. Your man cave may be all about showcasing your collections. Whether it is sports memorabilia, trains, old pinball machines, or a jukebox collection, a man cave is the perfect place to display your interests.
4. Make your man cave into a zombie apocalypse hideaway. If you go with this theme, you will want to show your guests you are collecting supplies in the event of a major disaster. Along with supplies to keep you alive, you will need weapons to be able to protect yourself from the walking dead!

Why Is a Basement the Perfect Place for a Man Cave?

The basement is a great place to retreat from the other parts of the house, and it is a place that you can alter to your specifications. Additionally, the informality of the basement is perfect for your space if you want to get together with friends to enjoy spending time together and playing video games or maybe even sharing your various collections. And a man cave in the basement is the perfect place to watch sporting events and cheer for the teams of your choice.

Another plus in having a man cave in the basement of a home is that the basement is generally a very large room and big enough to accommodate the furniture or other items that you might want to put into a man cave such as a large sofa for watching sports or specialized chairs if you want to make it into a home theater.

In addition to the large size of the basement, it also has plentiful wall space which makes it the perfect place to create your own themed sports bar. If you have a favorite baseball team, for instance, you can have a bar and bar stools that pay homage to your team while including a mural or large wall hanging on the wall behind the bar to complete the look.

Instead of creating a bar theme, you could also use the large wall space for two flat screen televisions which you can place side-by-side on the wall in front of comfortable seating where you and your guests can relax to watch the latest games and sporting events.

But maybe you aren’t really a sports guy and are more interested in music. You can design your man cave so that it is a true music venue. You could make it into an area with a terrific sound system to play your favorite music whether it is classical or more modern. Or if you are a true instrumentalist, you can make your man cave into your own personal recording or practicing studio. With a little ingenuity and the right equipment, you could install soundproof panels so that you can practice your instrument or even record your own music.  

If your tastes are a little simpler, and you really don’t want to make your basement into a music venue, you may just want it to be an area where you can relax and possibly play pool with your friends, the basement is probably the best location in your home to do this. You and your significant other have agreed that neither of you want smoking in the house, so along with a humidor and pool table, you can add an air purifier to create the quintessential man cave where you can smoke the occasional cigar while cuing up.

If the idea of sitting idle with your friends and playing pool or watching sports doesn’t mesh with your desire for constant movement, you could use the large area of your basement to have your own home gym or fighting club. A wise use of your spacious basement means that you would have enough room for punching bags, equipment for lifting weights, and maybe even a water cooler.

Maybe your idea of a stress reliever isn’t punching things-it is hitting a golf ball. Though most basements aren’t large enough to create a driving range, you can use your basement for storage of your clubs and to have a top-notch practice place. The main item of this practice place would be a virtual reality version of a driving range.

While a golf simulator is a good use for the plentiful basement space available, there are also other types of simulators that may be more appealing to you. If, instead of spending your outdoor time walking along the grass, you would rather be in the ocean, you may want to turn that big unused basement into your own personal surfing mecca. You can store your surfboards there, design the space to look like an outdoor tropical hut, and install a surf simulator to keep you in shape for riding that next big wave.

How Can I Create a Man Cave With Limited Funds?

And don’t worry if you don’t have much money to invest in your project. Let’s first look at how you can create a basement man cave ideas on a budget. If you don’t like the bland drywall, you can rip it out and replace it with boards. You may even be able to find these boards in dumpsters at home improvement stores as they may have thrown out what they consider inferior lumber. And if you have a fireplace in your basement, you can even enhance it with bricks that you have found. Many people come across old bricks either at their house or at their neighbor’s house. This means that so far, the only cost you need to account for is your personal labor costs if you have used scrap wood and old bricks. You might even want to create a false fireplace if you are looking to create the ambiance of a cabin in your man cave.

Your first big purchase may be that of a support beam, especially if you want to make your man cave look as rustic as a cabin. And as far as the flooring, it is possible to reclaim flooring from a store that sells wood flooring. Check with them to see if there are any damaged pieces that they may have thrown out.

Another consideration is the furniture. There are great ideas for making small tables from old wooden pallets if you find a store or company who wants to get rid of them. As far as the other furniture goes, if you are handy, you can make it from wood that other people have thrown out. If you are not that handy, you can purchase inexpensive pieces at used furniture stores or consignment shops or even on Craigslist. Remember that you are designing s cabin, and any man cave that looks like a hunting cabin need not have furniture that matches to create the look of a simple rustic-looking cabin.

All of these ideas provide really great options to create basement man cave ideas inexpensively, especially if you are creative and crafty and want your man cave to be a creation of your own sweat and labor.

What Are The Essentials of a Man Cave?

Now that you have some idea as to why a basement is one of the best locations for a man cave, and you are thinking about the style of the man cave that you want to create, what are some of the essential pieces of furniture or other accoutrements that will enable you to create a man cave of your dreams?

If you are looking at using your man cave for entertaining, there are a few items that you will need to make sure that you sure you have there to make the man cave complete:

• A microwave and toaster oven-make sure you set up a mini kitchen area near the refrigerator so that you can pop popcorn in the microwave and heat up frozen pizza in the toaster oven. These are the perfect appliances for those snacks that you might want to offer your guests as you enjoy entertaining.
• A refrigerator-this is essential for entertaining as you need a place to store your drinks to keep them chilled in addition to any perishable snacks that you may purchase.
• A large screen television-any man cave that is going to be used to watch sporting events must have a large screen television. This is the supreme way to watch sports and will appeal to your guests and make them want to return to your man cave again and again.
• Plenty of comfortable chairs and sofas-it is important that you have enough seating to accommodate all of your guests. The best way for them to be able to enjoy themselves is if they can sit back and relax.

However, if you are creating your man cave for a different purpose rather than entertaining, such as showcasing your favorite sports team collectibles or highlighting your collection of toy trains, your essential pieces will be quite different. You will need the following:

• Shelving units-these are essential in showcasing your collection. There must be enough shelves for your entire collection, and they must be sturdy enough to hold the items that you are looking to display.
• Lighting-track lighting is a great way to illuminate a basement man cave. And you may even want to use special spotlight track lighting to ensure that the most significant items in your collection are highlighted.

While there are a variety of essentials for each man cave that are particular to the type of man cave you want to create, these are also items that you need in every type of man cave no matter what the particular use.

• A dehumidifier-most basements have the tendency to develop a musty smell, and the only way to prevent that is to use a dehumidifier with a high-capacity. This will help eliminate the musty odor and preserve the items that you store in the basement and prevent them from developing mildew.
• Standard plumbing-no one wants to leave the basement to go upstairs. Installing a simple sink and toilet will help cut down the number of trips that you and your guests need to make upstairs.
• Flooring that will resist moisture-this is the best type of flooring that you will need to have in your basement as no matter how well your dehumidifier works, there is still the possibility that moisture will become trapped in your flooring and result in mold or mildew.
• Walls that will resist moisture-though you can use stone walls and paint them, you may also want to insulate and put in walls. If you decide to put in walls, you will need to ensure that they are moisture resistant. For additional heat, you can use your current heating system or add a fireplace or portable heater.
• Systems to manage the possibility of water entering the basement-if your basement has a history of taking on water, you will want to make sure that your sump pump is working well and that you have a drain going around the perimeter of the basement.
• Make your basement soundproof-this is especially important if you don’t want the raucous sound of you and your buddies cheering for your favorite team to disturb the others in the house.

What Type of Design Ideas Should You Ese in Your Man Cave?

Though you now know what the essentials of a man cave are, you also need to pay attention to man cave designs. Drywall is not the best material to use when constructing your man cave as it has cellulose in it which can encourage mold growth. Using materials that are not organic means that the walls will be mold resistant, and you will be less likely to have damage from mold.

Putting insulation in your basement man cave will help with energy efficiency and sound proofing if you put the insulation in the ceiling. But it is also a good idea to use foam insulation instead of fiberglass as foam insulation is less likely to absorb moisture.

Putting in a window in the basement is the perfect way to add natural light to the basement and may even be a necessity if you decide to turn your man cave into a bedroom.

What Are the Best Paint Colors to Use in a Man Cave?

Now you may have the perfect idea for how you want to design your man cave, and you know what materials to use and what essentials to include, but painting your man cave is as important as any choosing the items you put in your man cave.  

Many men will want to use darker subtler colors like gray. But what will make the man cave look better than just having one gray color is to use a main gray color with other subtle gray accent colors. This classy look will likely appeal to a very refined man.

And if you want to go for a bolder look but don’t want to try bright colors, you might want use an iron type of paint color as the main color and accent with brown, white, charcoal, and a burnt orange. The iron keeps the space grounded, and the contrast of the other colors is very simple. The only thing that you really need to keep in mind is that when you paint with the darker colors such as iron; you need to be very careful as darker colors often will show flaws more easily than lighter colors.

But if you are still convinced that subtle paint colors are the way to go, try using more of a beige and brown palette. This will give you a stone look to your walls and create the subtle look that you are looking for.

You might also want to use beige as your main color and accent with a linen color and rusty red color. Adding these two accent colors to the main beige color will help you if you want a man cave that is more of a den. It will make your room cozier and inviting to your friends.

Now, go impress us with your mancave. Have a cool one already, or just finished setting your mancave up for the season? Share a picture with us on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #mancavesarebetterthanheatingoil