My man cave build - UK edition

[Superman]

Speechless. I have been watching this off and on for many moons and I just do not have suitable words. Mr. Ahab Sir, the quality of your build, and your wife and your life, and your character, are unexcelled. VERY glad you are sharing this with us.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Thanks Superduperman, your post made my day as I read it when I came in after a wet evening of digging last week

Autumn has arrived and the weather has been very wet, this is the reason why England and my house this time of year is so green

I've been keeping fit digging away in the evenings, lowering the driveway under floodlight and another full 20 ton grab truck load of my diggings gone 😎 💪 This is the before!



Also used my 9" grinder with it's infamous diamond tipped blade to do tricky curved cuts on 3" thick flagstones so they fit neatly around our 'surprise find' dry stone water well. The gravel border against the walls is for drainage



The 'surprise' was all on me, years ago when breaking up a concrete path while building our rear extension, my demolition hammer fell into the well hole with me nearly following it 😲

Well is only 12ft deep as it's been partially filled in with rubble but I'm convinced it's a lot deeper as a neighbor's is 75ft deep.

I tidied up the dry stone well sides and started digging it out but got paranoid I was standing on a blocked plug of earth/rubble which was stopping me having a long fall to the bottom 😟 Still need to add spotlights and replace the temporary oak boards covering it with some thick glass

[Zeke]

Why glass?

BTW, I've been following this thread all along. Simply fantastic!!!!

[GH85Carrera]

Captain, throw an old Roman coin in the well, and then call Time Team and have them excavate the well!

[tevake]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Thanks Superduperman, your post made my day as I read it when I came in after a wet evening of digging last week

Autumn has arrived and the weather has been very wet, this is the reason why England and my house this time of year is so green

I've been keeping fit digging away in the evenings, lowering the driveway under floodlight and another full 20 ton grab truck load of my diggings gone 😎 💪 This is the before!



Also used my 9" grinder with it's infamous diamond tipped blade to do tricky curved cuts on 3" thick flagstones so they fit neatly around our 'surprise find' dry stone water well. The gravel border against the walls is for drainage



The 'surprise' was all on me, years ago when breaking up a concrete path while building our rear extension, my demolition hammer fell into the well hole with me nearly following it 😲

Well is only 12ft deep as it's been partially filled in with rubble but I'm convinced it's a lot deeper as a neighbor's is 75ft deep.

I tidied up the dry stone well sides and started digging it out but got paranoid I was standing on a blocked plug of earth/rubble which was stopping me having a long fall to the bottom 😟 Still need to add spotlights and replace the temporary oak boards covering it with some thick glass

When you showed that opening around that turret earlier, I was hopping that you were going to creat a nice planter to soften that area near your door.

Are you saying that there is a big hollow under that area?

Could you fill it with the diggings, then add some nice potting soil and nice planting, herbs, flowers, what ever to soften the all stone look.
Just a thought.

Carry on with your amazing project. You are doing great!

Cheers Richard

[daepp]

Any chance we can see the exact 180 deg shot of this from the inside (wood or no wood)? I'd love to see how it's incorporated into the inner space!

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Ps - you two have done an amazing job, and I'm grateful you've shared this project with us!

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Zeke, apologies, don't think I explained the well very well Behind the curved wall on the floor on the inside of my house is a 4ft wide 12ft deep hole. Glass cover is so you can see down the well with some discrete spotlights while standing over it

Glen, that's a genius idea, like your devious thinking !!!!

Richard, Mrs Ahab prefers the the flexibility of plants in pots so there will be some green thumb action going on there although I'm not sure what yet

daepp, not much to show on the other side as it's clutter with stuff

Excitement this week was 16 yew trees arrived, Mrs Ahab had them unpacked, holes dug, tree's planted with equal spaces and even checked they were vertical using a spirit level before the day was out



Should mature into a solid, ever green hedge which will add privacy to the garden and some grandeur to the driveway

I'm thinking of how I can design, make and attach a track so I can clip in a hedge trimmer to a sliding trolley/frame so I can trim it perfectly each time without it taking me hours to do



In a few years from now we're hoping it will look like a more curvy version of this

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Driveway is now lowered, only have a small area under the drive through to do, lost count of how much I've dug up and shifted, must be easily more than 50 tons



Access is now a bit tight so clearing up of the drive through is needed. A local farmer is all booked up to drop off a trailer next weekend so we can enjoy an afternoon full of healthy, family activities



Bottom of the shed opening was only 6" above ground level, so I built a small retaining wall during the summer to go with the lowered driveway height. Added some teeth too!



Still got a lots of 'keep fit' digging to do for the rain water soak away/pipes and before pouring the car turntable slab. Should keep me fit during the long winter nights

At it's most untidy.....



Not there yet but progress none the less

[Sooner or later]

What a project.

You need to add some upper teeth.

[Scott Douglas]

What is easier to dig, wet or dry?

Is the indoor well so you wouldn't have to go outside for water?

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

What a project.

You need to add some upper teeth..

The possibilities are nearly endless. There could be temporary 'expressions.' eyebrows, cheeks, moustache, lipstick.... In fact eyebrows hung from chains could be moved daily according to mood, even remotely. Fun!

[Captain Ahab Jr]

It's not got off to a good start so far but I sincerely hope everyone has a Happy and COVID-Free New Year

Lots of man cave stuff done, lots more to do, so many more updates to come……

Almost 3 yrs into this now still enjoying our build most of the time but it's all starting to drag on a bit. Mrs Ahab deserves a finished house and I want my man cave

Only really 2 options for hurrying up progress,

easy route is buying in trades people to do everything
satisfying route is getting on with it ourselves and buying in a few trades for the trickier work we can't do ie electrical and plastering

No prizes for guessing which way 2021 is going to go........

[billybek]

I have been missing the updates from this thread...
Happy New Year to you too.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

... easy route is buying in trades people to do everything...

Pay through the nose, get substandard workmanship and regret not having done it yourself... BTDT.

[Sooner or later]

Happy New Year!

[Superman]

Yes, Happy New Year!

Yes, Mrs. Ahab does deserve that.

It's your call, but there should be a photo portfolio upon completion. Your house belongs in a calendar. I have never had so much fun watching a Man Cave build. You were smart to create and maintain this diary of progress and photos, and we are the beneficiaries.

[jrj3rd]

Really too bad you guys didn't video this whole build. Would have been a great TV series....

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by jrj3rd

Really too bad you guys didn't video this whole build. Would have been a great TV series....

A friend of mine worked at a restoration shop that became a show.
It brought the restoration process to a snails pace.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Very gratifying to know people haven't lost interest in our build and we both enjoy reading the comments

Mrs Ahab would be great on a TV show but I've got a face for radio

This has taken a back seat to my F1 clients work for too long now. Only taken 2 days holiday in the last 8 months chasing yet another championship

All of this is about to change, from next month I cut that work down to 3 days a week and from June I'm back to being a full time builder again with hopefully only the occasional F1 interruption as, when and if my help is needed

I know it's not the smartest financial move to make in the middle of a global pandemic and impending double dip recession

My thinking is, why should I pay tradesmen to take my building fun away from me and if I don't finish my man cave soon I'll never get started on my other projects

[Superman]

This thread is already legendary and will take its place with the greatest of human literature. Homer. Aristotle. Ahab.

I think that one building should have eyebrows. Moveable ones. I think there should be a pivot in the middle of each one, so that the insides and outsides of the eyebrows are separately adjustable. Insides of eyebrows down: scowl. outside down and insides up: sad/worried. Middle up: Interested/intrigued. One eyebrow up: Tell me more. Or...Oh really." There was an American talk show/interviewer guy. Tom Snyder. Eyebrows like caterpillars.

Lisa and I have things in the house we move and reconfigure, and when the other finds it there is amusement. Just an idea. Your place is becoming a Dream Castle. Your wife with the radio-face husband is a lucky lady. What princess would not prefer to live in such as castle?