How To Turn Your Garden Shed Into The Ultimate Man Cave

The humble garden shed; for some men, it is merely a place to dump their tools and gardening equipment, but for others, the shed has pride of place in their garden and is where they spend most of their time outside.

To these men, their garden shed is so much more than a storage space: it’s a place where they can practice and hone their craft, escape from the stresses of day-to-day life and indulge in their hobby to their heart’s content, without any disruption and distraction.

If we’ve just described the garden shed you’ve been dreaming of, and you’re looking to add your own retreat into the garden, you’ll want to read on as we’ve put together a guide of how to turn your garden shed into the ultimate man cave.

Think about its use and requirements

The first thing is, what are you using your shed for, and how should you design it to use it in that way?

For example, if you want to use your shed as a workshop or a gym, the floor will need to be robust enough to stand the weight of any workbenches and equipment. Whereas, if you’re planning on opening up your garden shed to your friends, you’ll need to think about the overall size of the building to ensure you have enough room for seating, and you'll also have to consider how many doors you may need. Will you also want to install a partition for storage or a toilet?

Ensure that it’s fit for purpose

If your man cave is going to be used year-round, you’ll want to make sure that it is comfortable for use whatever the weather. You can ensure the inside stays warm by adding lining and insulation to the floor, walls and ceiling, and having double-glazed windows.

You may also want to think about installing opening windows to add ventilation to your building, allowing fresh air to circulate during the summer months.

No matter what you plan on doing inside your man cave, electricity is also likely to be essential to your setup. By adding power to your garden shed, you will be able to plug in tools that are necessary for your hobbyist workshop, or the fittings that are important to the usage of your building, such as having wiring in place to plug a TV into the wall.

You can find more information on how to get electricity into your garden building here.

Decide on the exterior look

How you choose to decorate the exterior of your man cave will very much depend on the look you are trying to achieve with it: do you want your shed to be the focal point of your garden, or would you rather have your shed blend in with its surroundings?

Bold, solid colours will make sure that your shed stands out, while muted brown, green and blue tones will match the colours of your garden.

Lights on the outside will help to illuminate your shed in the evening, to help guide you back to your house after a day of indulging in your hobby, and a sign with an appropriate name for your new pub or model rail workshop, or even something as simple as “Mike’s Shed” will help bring life to your new man cave.

Check your internet connection

Do you need internet in your shed? If you’re planning on streaming films and TV shows to help you unwind, or watching tutorials and how-to-guides on a tablet whilst working in your workshop, you should see if it will reach your shed.

There’s some great advice on how to get connected in our how to extend Wi-Fi to your garden office or shed article.

Plan the interior

Once you’ve chosen the design of your shed, the last, and perhaps the most important step of them all is to plan the interior.

In a workshop, you can start by thinking about storage: it will help you to get the most out of your shed and maximise the space you have available. Adding magnetic strips or nails to the wall to hang your tools up will help free space from your workbench. Shelving will also help to organise your man cave as you can store everything from books to pint glasses to keep your shed clutter-free.

If you’re planning on using your shed to build model aeroplanes, you may want to hang your completed models from hooks screwed into the ceiling, whereas if you’re planning on using it as a games room, you may want a pool table, stools or a comfy sofa, and even a dartboard up on the wall. Whatever you like! 

Your man cave is somewhere you’re going to be spending a lot of time in, so you’ll want to make sure that your shed is strong, sturdy and built to last. That’s why we would suggest looking at our range of garden buildings. We have both Classic and Superior Sheds in our range, allowing you to choose a simple shed, or have something more tailored to your needs with a variety of different sizes and options to choose from.As well as our range of Garden Sheds, we also have Garden Studios that could suit your idea of a mancave, especially if you would prefer a more modern design.

Our Salthouse and Burnham Studios have a fully glazed front elevation, with floor-to-ceiling window panels that allow plenty of natural light inside. They also come fully lined and insulated as standard, with the option of having electrics and a heater installed too. 

 Every one of our garden sheds and studios are hand-made to order at our Norfolk factory so we are able to tailor them to suit your requirements. If you would like more information about our hand-crafted garden buildings, please give us a call on 01760 444229.