Garages don’t have to be boring, overcrowded store rooms for bikes and lawnmowers. Here are some ideas for converting yours into a true “Man Cave” where you can work on your car in style – or just hang out with the guys admiring your car while you have a few beers! One Connecticut driver is even turning his space into a “drive in movie theater” of sorts. Check it out!
Create A Space to Play… and Work (a little)
A Garage Man Cave featured by Popular Science
One temporarily out of work Hollywood screenwriter, Jack Olsen, used $3200 to turn his small garage into a cool place to work on his vintage Porsche, do some welding, or the occasional carpentry project. Popular Mechanics featured his cool cave in an article on 7 of the most extreme man caves. Olsen called the garage “as safe a place as any to screw up” on do-it-yourself projects. His cave even includes a small hydraulic lift that he bought second-hand for $450. It works because his Porsche’s undercarriage is flat, but of course he tested out the car’s balance points and got engineering advice before using the lift!
Build from the Bottom Up
FLOR's "Working Class" tiles
Where can you start in transforming your garage into a fantasy man cave space? A good place is at the bottom. Get a decent floor. Not planning on changing the oil in the man cave? Go lower-tech on the flooring.
A very affordable flooring option is from a company called FLOR.com.
For just around $9 per square, you can transform your garage floor with their “Working Class” carpet tiles.
Racedeck has cool flooring.
There’s even a company that specializes in garage flooring only, RaceDeck. Leafing through their gallery is sure to inspire you in creating a floor that’s durable, comfortable to work on, and easy to clean.
Accessorize It
The "Harley Bar" man cave
Your cave walls will need some paint and accessories, no doubt, as well as decent storage. MyBadPad.com featured a great biker’s garage with great seating and wall décor.
A bar, a beer fridge (a must have for any man cave, that goes without saying!), and a 46” LCD TV with gaming system – of course – make it a great retreat.
Bill's neon sign collection.
There’s plenty of accessorizing inspiration to be had from Connecticut local Bill K., a chef and Garage Man Cave nut.
When his wife “kicked my stuff out” of the home sunroom, he decided to transform his garage into a hangout for the guys.
A Cave for a Man...and his Dog!
- Old wheel, new use: below pics from Bill’s VW racing days.
“I’m going to hang a sheet of plywood from some hinges on the ceiling and paint it white. This summer, we’ll pull it down, and project some good flicks in the garage,” he plans.
Bill's Garage Man Cave boasts U-verse TV
Accessories include newly-snagged white leather chairs from Three Ladies Antiques in West Hartford, CT.
Light it Up
Check out Car Guy Garage for more lighting ideas
Good lighting and a great couch are essentials for your new hang-out. Decorative lighting for the car enthusiast can be found at autoeverything.com.
But you’ll want some better lighting than the typical garage offers. Check out CarGuyGarage.com for some bright solutions that keep your space cave-like, yet visible.
Send Us Your “Cave Craves”, Register to Win a Weekend with your Dream Car
What’s in YOUR Garage?
Planning to rev up your garage man cave? What does your cave crave? Send us your before and after shots! Updated your garage a long time ago? We’d still love to see some after photos!
Our favorite photo submission will win a Hoffman vehicle for a weekend! The winner will get the chance to choose from one of the hundreds of makes and models that Hoffman Auto Group carries, and bring it home to enjoy for an entire weekend! Submit your photo now!
