My man cave build

[ben parrish]

The place looks GREAT...you have done an excellent job

[rfuerst911sc]

Thanks . Yesterday I was Christmas shopping for my wife and went to several antique type stores . It was a successful trip found everything I wanted to get her . But as a bonus I found. " Do not enter " sign . So on the compressor room door the STOP sign will be at the top and the do not enter will be below I think it will look cool.

I just finished with all the detail work on the traffic light it had some small blemishes I wanted to fix before installing . I have silicone sealant drying as I'm typing this . I am hoping to get it installed over the holidays as long as the weather is good. After that I have one more man cave decoration to install and that is the dual head parking meter. Merry Christmas everyone !

[rfuerst911sc]

Another man cave decoration update So today was nice enough outside to go about hanging the traffic light . I doubled up some 2 x 6's and nailed them in between two of the roof rafters over the garage doors . Drilled a 1/2 " hole through both blocks and then used a threaded hook that is 1/2 " x 8 " long . Painted that black and let it dry . While the paint was drying I shot some WD40 on all the light pivots and brushed glycerin onto the rubber gaskets . Installed the hook and hung the light , it really is a great looking piece . Plugged it in , flipped the switch on and she went through her red/green/yellow cadence . I am very happy with the results . I only have one more exterior decoration to go and that is the double headed parking meter . So here's a pic of the traffic light .

[rfuerst911sc]

And my last planned interior decoration , found some real DOT signs for the compressor room door . It's amazing what you can find at antique type stores !

[Baz]

Congratulations on how far you have come, rfuerst!

Wish I had one of those! Guess for now I will live vicariously through you and your cave.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[rfuerst911sc]

Thanks Baz and a Merry Christmas to you and your family and to everyone on the forum .

[VincentVega]

Your place is so cool. I gotta ask, do you spend more time working on the shop than in the shop? I know I struggle with that.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Looks great, love the traffic lights!

Marry Christmas from a UK man cave builder

[tevake]

Since you are both here Captn and rfuerst911, let me wish you both MELE KALIKIMAKA. AND add Drcoastline. In my thanks for your fun inspirational threads.

Looking forward to more in the New Year.

Cheers Richard

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Your place is so cool. I gotta ask, do you spend more time working on the shop than in the shop? I know I struggle with that.

There is no doubt I have spent a LOT of time and $$$ building my shop over the past year . As of right now I'd say it is 97 % complete but it is 100 % functional . Over the past 2 months or so I have done some oil/filter changes and some brake inspections but that's about it . But I need to change rear brake pads on the wifes RAV4 , the Boxster needs rotors and pads on all four corners . I also have some H&R coilover shocks/struts for the Boxster . And some other suspension goodies to install . Have a short shifter to install so yes EVENTUALLY I will be working IN it !

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Looks great, love the traffic lights!

Marry Christmas from a UK man cave builder

Hey Captain thanks for the kind words , your place is coming along nicely ! Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. Ahab

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by tevake

Since you are both here Captn and rfuerst911, let me wish you both MELE KALIKIMAKA. AND add Drcoastline. In my thanks for your fun inspirational threads.

Looking forward to more in the New Year.

Cheers Richard

Thank you it has been an interesting ride ! But very satisfying I walk out to the shop almost daily to just admire what I have accomplished

[rfuerst911sc]

And it never ends , I have the family trained well For Christmas I received a metal key hook with the outline of a 911 to hang my keys off of also received a thermometer that looks like a Texaco gas pump . And a Matchbox 918 Spyder to go with the collection . All have been installed this morning and resting comfortably in the man cave . Also received two Porsche calendars , one for the man cave and one for the basement . Life is good right now !!!

[URY914]

Can you give us a ballpark number on how much you've spent on it?

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by URY914

Can you give us a ballpark number on how much you've spent on it?

Hey Paul I can give you more than a ballpark as of today its $28,977.04 But that is EVERYTHING from site clearing to every interior/exterior decoration to the lift to the mini split . Turn key if you will .......... I went over my guestimate budget of 25K but hey you only live once And our realtor said we could easily get back all of it if we were ever to sell but I'm not worried about it . It is all paid for cash I owe no one .

[A930Rocket]

^^^^ That’s not a bad price for what all you’ve done. Nice job.

I miss my last house. It had a 3 car attached and a 3 car detached garage.

It was nice to go out to my man cave, turn on the AC or heat and just tinker on the 930. Or rebuild the engine. Or whatever I wanted to do.

[VincentVega]

x2, really cool to see the progress unfold

I moved into a place, then made some changes. All the while trying to earn enough to keep the lights on. Work on something, then work on the shop. Gets tiring and I can really appreciate starting from scratch. Well done.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

^^^^ That’s not a bad price for what all you’ve done. Nice job.

I miss my last house. It had a 3 car attached and a 3 car detached garage.

It was nice to go out to my man cave, turn on the AC or heat and just tinker on the 930. Or rebuild the engine. Or whatever I wanted to do.

Haha we moved from a house that had a 2 car in the basement and a 3 car detached so I hear what you are saying In regards to the price I think I built exactly what I wanted and didn't give up on anything I wanted . But I did hunt for bargains , the plywood for the interior and exterior was used but in great shape . The lift was used . The mini split I searched online for a month to get the best deal . And the big savings was me doing 90 % of the labor ! Even the metal panels I used for the exterior siding and interior ceiling were " factory 2nds " which saved my 20 cents a foot but it all adds up . The " factory 2nds " have the same paint thickness as 1st quality it's just that the color is slightly off but I purchased everything at once so it all matches . The fit/form/function are identical . The windows and entry door along with the wall/ceiling insulation all came from a surplus warehouse . I really feel that if I had hired a pro to do it turn key it would have easily cost 50K or more .

This is our full time retirement home so this is it until the dirt nap so there was no reason to give up on all that I wanted . As of today I really don't have that many projects that require a building of this caliber but it is my sanctuary , for me it is as much a peaceful place to think and reflect as it is a work shop . Today I will do an oil/filter change on the wifes Toyota and it will be on the lift , the flat screen TV will have a college bowl game on and the mini fridge is full of cold beverages .......... that's what life is about at the moment

[rfuerst911sc]

Happy belated new year everyone ! I dragged my feet long enough and the other day I got up in the attic space of the man cave to complete the insulation . I needed a day cold enough to not sweat my a$$ off and my own motivation It took me about 3 hours and it was done ............ I've been sore for 2 days now . But for now I have one layer of kraft faced R19 fiberglass to help keep the garage warm/cool . At some point in time ( like next winter ) I will install one more layer of un-faced insulation running in the opposite direction of what's there now and be done . Would like to get somewhere near R38 - R40 .

I also have installed mini blinds on the windows ............ now there's a manly topic Found a place online in CA. that had brushed aluminum finish which looks perfect with the finish on the gladiator wall cabinets . They custom sized all four and they fit perfect . I also finally finished the aluminum trim on the front overhang , another drag my feet portion of the build . I would say at this point the building is 99.5 % complete with just a few very minor things to complete . On the outside I do have to do the retaining walls but that is going to have to wait , come spring time I have an RV to renovate that I have put off for a few years I am enjoying watching some of the other builds going on with other man caves on this forum . Good bye for now

[URY914]

Sounds like you've completed the design/build phase and you've entered the interior designer/furnishing phase. Did I miss how you finished the floor, Epoxy or paint?