My Mancave
So this was the original dream. A place where I could work and display my models, with a little space for the wife, to join in.
The idea was very simple. A 10' x 10' square, with an 8' roof, that sloped to 7' at the rear. All made from wood
The basic side frame was constructed. On the ground, this looked quite large, so I stood it up against my fence, to check height. Later I added the bracing in-between.
Here you can see the frame, up against the rear of the garden shed. This will be it's new home
Time to get cracking.
The front door panel is made. I made the decision to use a uPVC door for this project. Simply because I lost a lot of heat, out of my old cave, from the door.
The sides are all built. It's time for more timber.
This is the base. At this point, I've not removed the ancient and decaying old shed, where the new cave will sit. I'm praying that my old man had used some kind of solid support, for the old shed? I don't think that he'd let me down, but if I'm wrong, that's more work
The panels have arrived. These I got from a buddy, reclaimed. Some have holes cut in them, but I can patch them. You'll see why soon
All boarded on one side. Ready to go! Now I'm just waiting for a delivery, and weekend to arrive.
Delivery time!!! 🙂
Old shed demolished and everything that was in it, stored on the grass. Now it's time to clad the rear panel. This has a joint down the middle. Simple reason... The cladding comes in 5M lengths. By doing it this way, I reduced wastage. Besides, it'll never be seen.
This is where the problems start.
The area of the fence isn't square. So my initial measurements, are now wrong. There's gonna be some landscaping to do, eventually.
With the base finally down, and two layers of half inch plywood on top, it was time to install the side and rear panels. These are now fully cladded. Believe me, they were heavy, doing it on my own!
Once I had them squared off, the rest was easy
Fitted the door section, without cladding on. This was because I wasn't sure of the door, so I made everything oversize.
It doesn't look that obtrusive really. Notice the door ready to go in?
Looks good to me
I also had a small window kicking around, so that fitted perfectly in the side. I can keep an eye on the house now too.
The wife wanted this chair, so I got it
Sadly, the reclaimed wood started bleeding through the paint. I had a fix for that.
The last 3 sheets of plywood fitted to the inside
The ceiling is covered by MDF. Not exactly what I wanted, but you'll see why it doesn't really matter.
Yes, I used 600 x 600mm ceiling grid. The light panels X4, should give me enough light for working on my kits.
Things got a bit better
It's not it's final resting place, but I love the bench space
Chaos is real
The spray booth is in its final position. Below is the start of my trailer storage solution. More about this, in the future.
The printers in there final resting place.
Couldn't help but put my shelf up, for my prized bottles.
The first of the trailer storage drawers.
These can hold upto 7 fully built trailers, each.
These can hold upto 7 fully built trailers, each.
Second drawer fitted. This is for storing the reefers.
The gap at the bottom is for the third drawer.
This is deeper than the other two, so I can use it for oversized loads. Mainly my car transporters.
This is deeper than the other two, so I can use it for oversized loads. Mainly my car transporters.
This is an exciting bit for me. The outlet for the spray booth is finally fitted.
And we're up and running!
Bozzer is back in the saddle 🙂
Bozzer is back in the saddle 🙂
So, I picked this up from TEMU. It was pretty inexpensive and the dimensions were a bit sketchy, but I think that it works well
Things should be a little easier to find now 🙂
I also picked up some white paint markers. These are ideal for doing things like this.
The nib allows you to reach almost anywhere.
These are various sizes of the same thing.
I was kinda hoping that this would be bigger, but I can easily get 3 1/25 scale cars in there.
Held closed, by little magnets. I like it.
Held closed, by little magnets. I like it.
Comments
16 24 December 2023, 09:49
BozzerIt kinda started looking good, Martin, until I removed the old shed. Then I realised that the fence isn't at a right angle. So, I had to get it right in the corner, and an attempt at being square. Luckily, the old fella had laid concrete flags down, so I had something to work with. I'm just about to upload some more pictures.
24 December 2023, 11:57
Martin OostromNever mind the fence 😉 Unless you want it to be a structural part of your shed.
Reading between the lines, the house use to be your dads?
24 December 2023, 12:04
BozzerYes mate, we moved here when I was 18. He passed away not too long after, but he would've loved to have been involved in a project like this. I learned all my basic skills off him.
24 December 2023, 12:07
Martin OostromThat's what dads are for. Teaching you stuff you might need in life.You could hang a plaque above the door: "Dads' place"
24 December 2023, 12:23
BozzerLol, I actually have a sign for it. I picked up a length of sill, for the door. Unfortunately, I need a hand with that job, because of the weight of the door. It's basically a two man job, so my mate is going to give me a hand, when he's not busy. I've also picked up the shelving, for my prized stash. That's actually going in shortly, so I can get rid of the copious amount of boxes, that are taking over the house right now. The flooring is going in, in the New Year. That's industrial vinyl. Hard wearing and it makes it easier for my chair to move around. In the old cave, I used cushion floor. It's easy to clean, but the wheels of my chair, sink into it, slightly. This project is coming on fast now. And I have to admit, I'm very excited to get back working on the hobby I love.
24 December 2023, 12:42
Nigel ChapmanHey Bozzer love this. Good to see some re-cycling/repurposing. What do the neighbors think? I've been building a racing sim with my 2 lads using all my dad's excess wood so it's carrying on the family legacy.
24 December 2023, 16:52
BozzerHey Nigel!
The neighbours are pretty cool about it. It's actually quite secluded, where it is. Next door has a Mancave, full length of the back, made from pebble dashed garage panels. I would've done it myself, but I'm hampered by 3 fruit trees. I've just got enough room for the Aircon condenser, then I'm done. I've literally just got the shelves up, and chucked the boxes of kits on them! Time to chill out now, and watch a bit of American Football, with a beer or ten? It's been an eventful day, for sure!
24 December 2023, 17:38
JvCongratulations on your new man cave looks fantastic
Happy Xmas and newyear
24 December 2023, 23:21
Bill NewcomerCongratz on the new work space bozzer. Good to hear it shall be climate controlled. What are you doing to keep the floor framing from rotting underneath? You shall need to occupy it often to keep the bugs and spiders from moving in. Have fun!
25 December 2023, 00:32
Martin OostromThis progressed quickly. The interior looks better than my in-house room
25 December 2023, 08:38
Bozzer@Bill. The base is lay on concrete. It's been treated with wood preserver three times. It's also lay on a plastic membrane that's tucked under the sides and rear. Just incase any water does get in, it's open at the front. It's the best I could come up with? The underside of the ply sheets, were also treated with wood preserver. I figured that it would give me about 25 years of life? Surely by that time, I'll be ready for recycling too? Lol.
25 December 2023, 09:14
BozzerSo the plan is, to use this space daily. From my experience in the old cave, temperature was a major issue. Keeping it warm in winter isn't a problem, it's roughly 18 degrees C all the time. However, in summer, the heat was almost unbearable and I had to have the door open. This is a concern now, because of the amount of resin stuff that I have? That's why I want AC in there. I'll also have 3 printers running, so I will also have ventilation. You'll see things move pretty quickly, in the New Year. My next job is to hook up the power, once Christmas is out of the way. On that note, Merry Christmas everybody 🙂
25 December 2023, 09:20
BozzerLol Martin! No mate, I meant in the cave. I keep it at 18 degrees, to preserve the decals in my kit stash. I also learnt that damp conditions, can damage the chrome on some kits. My 1/16 Pete, taught me that lesson. England is pretty unpredictable, when it comes to the weather. Our summer usually lasts for about 2 weeks? But the highest I've ever recorded it, was 36*C.
26 December 2023, 11:57
BozzerTried adding some more pictures, but the site seems to be struggling? I'll try again tomorrow, to update this album.
25 February, 00:08
Nigel ChapmanLooks great, love the ceiling. Despite the chaos, I bet you know where everything is!
25 February, 08:31
gorbyIs it insulated Bozzer? My carpentry workshop is basically a big wooden shed and I had to improve the insulation last year to make it easier/cheaper to heat.
25 February, 09:09
Bozzer@Gorby. In earnest, no. The reason being, because the external cladding gives thermal protection, and so do the ceiling tiles. My main problem, is the summer. It can get seriously hot in there, and I fear for my beloved plastic and resin. I learned a lot, from building my old cave. The AC will save me in summertime.
25 February, 12:25
Bozzer@Nigel. The flooring guy is currently away skiing! In fairness, that's kinda holding me up now, but he's entitled to a vacation. I've started the trailer storage, and I'm kinda mapping out the final layout. Can't wait to get my spray booth back in operation.
25 February, 12:33
BozzerIt's been a busy day. Finally got the spray booth in its final position. Extended the dado trunking and added two double sockets, one low level, for the compressor. Built and test fitted the first of my 3 drawers, for the trailer storage. In total, I should be able to store 21 trailers, fully built. I'm a happy man today.
25 February, 19:54
BozzerThanks Spanjaard. It's been a progressive day today. Won't be too long now, before I'm crashing out builds again! Now I just need a little radio, for some background music 😉
25 February, 22:51
BozzerBeen a busy weekend. Made some more room for my trucks, nearly got all the stash in the cave, and finally got the spray booth connected to the outside.
You just know that I had to test it out 🙂
11 March, 12:59
BozzerIt performed perfectly mate. I was concerned about the elbow/bend in the extractor pipe, but on this one, I fitted a different cover that has flaps that open when it's extracting the fumes, etc? They were almost horizontal, during use. I just need to change the filter now and I'll be good for months.
11 March, 21:18
JarrettWow looks awesome and very happy for you Bozzer! Thank you so much for posting the pics and your progess it is nice to see!
15 March, 18:51
Bill NewcomerI am jealous of that much space. I am going to run out of display case in about 10 more builds.
16 March, 05:25
JarrettI was going to put shelfs in my garage for them when I had one, lol, but yeah that is the issue we all run into but it is a good issue to have lol.
18 March, 20:51
Album info
So this is how the new Mancave started. I started it in summer 2023. I'd hoped to have had it done by autumn, but life kicked in, in the strangest of ways.