Garage to Mancave conversion - Need Help

[rjr3790]

Hello all,

I am a first time homebuyer and have been living in my home for about 3 months now. So far i have remodeled my kitchen, living room and bedrooms. The next project i want to work on is converting my garage into a mancave but i have no idea where to start. I am a "beginner" when it comes to DIY projects so i searched the web and found this forum.

I'm sharing pictures of what my garage looks like. I am hoping some of you can give me advice on how to get started. Basically, I'd like to convert it to the standard mancave which is to install a rubber interlocking floor mats, couches, TV, bar, mini fridge, etc. I will also need to install heating/cooling.

I'd appreciate any help on this. Let me know if you need more info.



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[GTOGreg]

Check out HGTV or the DIYNetwork. Should be a gallery on this site somewhere as well. If not, keyword "mancave" (i puke a little bit everytime I say that, no offense) and that should give you some hits.

 

[JC23]

Make a list of what YOU want in there.
Research how others have done so.
Apply.

 

[rjr3790]

Is there a professional/specialist that you can hire to build the man cave for you?

 

[Ben7203]

Is there a professional/specialist that you can hire to build the man cave for you?

There are, but half the fun is doing it yourself. Probably need to have the HVAC and any electrical done by the pro's but with a few basic tools you can turn that space around pretty quick. Ton of cool ideas here. Check out houzz.com, that site has 1,000 of pics to get ideas from. And when you get started, start a build thread, then you'll get allot of "help" and " I would have" or "you should have" advice

 

[InsanePyro]

Off the top of my head I'd say "paint" the floor, redo the walls, repaint/replace doors and windows...

 

[gatchel]

You are on the wrong forum for that kind of information. You may find " Converting a Man Cave to a Garage" here but not the other way around...

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you plan on heating/cooling that area, you want to make sure you have insulation behind the paneling and above the ceiling.


Putting your general location in your profile will help other members answer your question.

FWIW, the term "mancave" isn't used around here alot.

 

[Aberdale]

Most of us on GJ actually use our garages to make improvements to our houses or to our vehicles. If you want a "man cave" just add a keg of beer to the garage. Done.

If you want a "man cave", modify a room in the basement, or use a spare bedroom. You know, one of those rooms of lesser value. Don't screw up your garage.

'dale

 

[bobemmerich]

First off, WELCOME to GJ and congrats on the home purchase. There's tons of ideas here. Check out the Garage Gallery section on here, I'm sure you'll see something you like.
Everything comes down to personal taste. Most of us here use our garages as a shop, but there's nothing bad about wanting to do what you want.
I would suggest before you put down a floor, make sure no moisture is presently seeping through the concrete floor that's there now. You could put something over it if that is the case, but it's asking for trouble down the road.
I would start by checking out what's behind the paneling, then adding adequate lighting/outlets, and finishing off the walls with the covering of your choice.
You're gonna get razzed on here using the phrase "Man Cave", but that's the fun of this place
In the end it's YOUR space, do what you want to with it. I would plan it out and add the things you want and see how it looks on paper beforehand. Do a few sketches. Then work with the right layout for you. Just remember, by codes, you cannot cover the gas and electrical mains, so you may have to incorporate them into closets or enclosures.

 

[jack stand]

You are on the wrong forum for that kind of information. You may find " Converting a Man Cave to a Garage" here but not the other way around...

Yeah, I thought they were for guy's that didn't have a garage?

 

[deaddawg58]

Why are the gas and electric meters in the garage? I always thought they had to be outside of the buildings

 

[38Chevy454]

You are on the wrong forum for that kind of information. You may find " Converting a Man Cave to a Garage" here but not the other way around...

Most of us on GJ actually use our garages to make improvements to our houses or to our vehicles. If you want a "man cave" just add a keg of beer to the garage. Done.

If you want a "man cave", modify a room in the basement, or use a spare bedroom. You know, one of those rooms of lesser value. Don't screw up your garage.

'dale

Yeah, I thought they were for guy's that didn't have a garage?

Man Cave is for metrosexuals. Garages are for doing work and storing your hobbies/toys.

 

[NUTTSGT]

BTW, don't let anybody scare you away. 90% of the guys (and gals) are harmless, 5% are uniformed and the last 5% are escaped inmates from the asylum.

Keep posting man, they are some very knowledgeable members here.

 

[Kevin54]

What you first need to do is get a pen and pad, then sit down on here, go through the Gallery, look at all of the pics and builds, then start listing what you would like to have in your space. Then it would make it easier on the members to guide you along with the questions that you have.

One thing I see is that the garage may have been added on at one time? The reason I ask is that your meter box is INSIDE the garage and not OUTSIDE. Most companies don't like the inside meters due to the fact that they want access to them. At least around here. That will also need to be the first area that needs cleaned up to get rid of the loose wires hanging.

You also don't say whether you are going to paint what is there, rip it all down and start from scratch, or which direction you want to go. Not having you location in your profile (State) makes it hard also as far as answering and heating, cooling, insulation questions.

Then starters, I would replace the wood backdoor that goes outside and put in a better insulated metal door with a deadbolt. If that is T1-11 on the walls, I'd pull down one sheet and see if it's insulated behind. If not, I would probably strip it back to the bare bones. If it is insulated, you can go three routes....either drywall over it, rip it all off and put up drywall or whatever you like, or just paint what is there. It's hard to tell, but if it's just cheap paneling, tear it all off and start fresh. Yopu may have to get an electrician in there to disconnect your power if you can't clean up the wall the meter and such is on. Personally, if it's within the budget, I'd have the meter moved outside where it belongs. I'd also look into putting in one large breaker box and get rid of the subpanels. What it appears to look like is a hodge-podge of electrical circuits that have been ran on a budget over the years. My first concern would be....is the rest of the house wired correctly, or has some **** just been cut and spliced and may be a fire hazard. You may not even have the correct grounds. I don't know if your code would dictate that you have a main kill box or not. I've never saw one like that located that close to breaker panels. Any that I have so or put in was on the outside in a weathertite box so if there were a fire, the power could be killed from outside. Electricity's not my forte', but I do know that it is one thing you don't want to take shortcuts on.

Good luck and make sure you post up the changes

 

[aka Larry]

So let me get this straight. You currently have a garage and want advice from a GARAGE forum about how to "decommission" it so to speak?

 

[BMcC]

It's your garage, call it whatever you want; "Man Cave," "Garage Mahal," whatever. Just put it to good use and enjoy spending time in it.

There are a ton of good ideas on how to do it on this site.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Hello all,

I am a first time homebuyer and have been living in my home for about 3 months now. So far i have remodeled my kitchen, living room and bedrooms. The next project i want to work on is converting my garage into a mancave but i have no idea where to start. I am a "beginner" when it comes to DIY projects so i searched the web and found this forum.

I'm sharing pictures of what my garage looks like. I am hoping some of you can give me advice on how to get started. Basically, I'd like to convert it to the standard mancave which is to install a rubber interlocking floor mats, couches, TV, bar, mini fridge, etc. I will also need to install heating/cooling.

ImageShack.us

Drop the couch idea, everything else is fine...Also get rid of that white chair in the picture...You're not allowed to relax in the chair unitl your garage is done..(Which of course many of us know, you're never done with the garage. It's a journey, with no final destination. You can bring the chair back when the floors, walls, cabinets, tools, etc, are up to par.)

 

[Mechtech]

Congrats on the house purchase. From the pictures I would say that the garage has been living space at one point so the remodel shouldn't be to extreme. Like said before check for insulation and electrical.

I do have a couple of questions, first was this house set up as a duplex in the past? I ask cause the pictures look like the electrical and gas were set up for two meters. Second whats with the two doors/rooms in the back corner?

 

[nolimits76]

You've got some great ideas here to get you started. Despite the razzing over the name you used, there are some valid points. With you being a first time home buyer, the odds are very high you will resell this place and move on. Converting your garage into a living space will likely be VERY unattractive to potential buyers, unless you have another garage elsewhere.

As with all remodels, do what makes you happy but keep in the back of your head the future may change and what you do now may impact your ability to resell well (or poorly).

 

[Milton Shaw]

Looks like scraps of paneling were used to cover the walls, so I bet there is no insulation behind there. Check for moisture from slab (tape clear plastic down to floor in several places) to see if it's weather sealed. Then insulate walls, repair wiring, get utility meters moved outside, remove garage doors, new floor, walls, sound system, noise insulation from inside, and security so that your toys don't get gone. Pool table, couch, TV and you should be in business. Lots of work but you know if you need a garage or a man-cave.

 

[matt chard]

I don't agree with having a "man cave" garage but I seen some pretty fancy garages on here that I wouldnt even want to work in because I would be afriad of getting greese on my 3,000 dollar cabinet....its the same thing he just wants to use it for a diffrent purpose...a garage to work in does not need to be fancy, just functional so im not sure why his idea is a bad idea?

 

[zcar751]

Using the phase "Man Cave" on this board is like covering yourself in BBQ sauce and skinny dipping in the Amazon. Whats that nibbling on my toe?

Enjoy the build its your space. Most man caves have a theme that go a little overboard and render the space practically useless. I would suggest getting a vinyl couch and putting it on caster so you can move it around then you don't have to worry about dust, grease or liquids ruining it. Then you can still use the space for the occasional project.

 

[Plump]

Have to agree with the sentiment to start with a clean slate. Drywall, OSB, etc. is easy and not that expensive as a mid-project deal. I wish I had gotten my ideas together and wired everything I wanted in the walls. I don't have my conduit, but the cable, data, extra speaker wire, etc. is all a bit much. I'd love for it to be buried and have low-volt and electric boxes to work with.

 

[oldmerc]

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