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A man cave shed takes the traditional man cave idea and moves it outdoors. Instead of the attic or spare room at home, fun and relaxation take place in a garden building.
What you do with it depends on your needs, but there’s a fair bit of freedom to make it your own. And these ideas will help you plan things out from the off—let’s take a look.
Why Move Your Man Cave Outdoors?
Making the switch to a man cave shed gives you more space, privacy, and freedom. All with the same benefits as a traditional man cave, if not more. The trend isn’t new either, with more gent have already set up theirs outdoors, particularly sheds. You might want to go down this route too, especially if there isn’t enough room indoors.
The bigger the shed, the better, but any size can work when you know what it’s for and how to fit it out.
Man Cave Shed Ideas to Upgrade Your Manspace
Here’s a list of some of our favourite concepts that are practical and a dream to have.
Turn it into a rustic bar shed
A wooden shed suits this concept, thanks to the material’s natural quaint charm. It looks the part with its grain and texture, and it’s easy to customise while keeping that authentic look.
Say, if the wood panels are too light, adding varnish will do the trick. From there, you can furnish your man cave shed bar with the essentials. This includes a table for prepping and serving, and equipment needed for bartending.
Here are a few examples on how you can layout the inside with an L-shaped bar table. A size of 1.2m x 1.2m is a great start, with enough surface area for 2 to 4 of your pals to gather around. Take inspiration from what else you can add to your setup, but be sure to keep the available space in mind.
There’s something satisfying about having your own bar at the end of the garden, isn’t there? No queues, no traffic, and no missing out on your favourite drinks. You can pour a drink, play some music, and relax in your own space without leaving home.
We’d recommend keeping the bar entirely indoors rather than use one of those pub sheds with a serving window — this way, you can get more use out of it in all weathers, and still have quick access to the outdoors on hot days.
Set up a gaming shed
Are you up to play a game, focused and away from the distractions of the house, and level up? Treat yourself to a place where you can build your ultimate gaming setup, man cave style. Perfect for cranking up the surround sound without disturbing anyone.
For this transformation idea, you’ll need to work with your shed and put in some effort to make it happen. First on the list is installing electricity, as it will be your main power source for gaming and lighting. Once that’s done, shed insulation comes next (if your shed isn’t insulated) for year-round use.
You can check out our guide, ‘Crafting the Ultimate Log Cabin Games Room’ for more ideas—and yes, it works for sheds too!
Make it your private gym shed
A man cave experience isn’t just for leisure; it’s also great for focusing on fitness and wellbeing. Enter a gym shed concept, which perhaps is on a more grown-up side of the man cave shed ideas. It might be for you if you’re keen to have your own space for working out and focus on your overall health.
Equip your man cave shed with equipment and/or machines that are aligned with your routine and goals. Feel free to get creative with this one because you know what works best for you!
Don’t skip on storage, though, so the room stays neat and organised. Another thing you don’t want to forget is ventilation. Without it, the space can get hot, stuffy, and damp, which isn’t great when working out.
Here’s a helpful guide to ‘How to Ventilate Your Garden Gym’ for more information.
As a workshop for your hobbies
Sometimes, a man cave is all about craftsmanship. Whether that’s model making, tinkering with bikes, or DIY repairs. Try an industrial theme with dark colours and metal accents. A corner sofa is a fantastic addition, besides a trusty workbench, if space allows.
This list gives you everything you need in a garden DIY workshop to complete your essentials.
When a Garden Room Might Suit You Better than Sheds
Sheds are great, but most don’t come insulated or well-ventilated. That means extra effort on your part to insulate and ventilate them. It will be worthwhile, that’s for sure, but for convenience, other options might be more your style.
You can’t go wrong with log cabins as something else to consider. For one, these structures are made of thick wooden log boards, good for insulation. Plus, it ventilates well, thanks to windows that you can open to let in some airflow. There are plenty of size options to suit your garden and budget, too.
Take our BillyOh Fraya Pent Log Cabin, for instance. It’s among the warmer garden rooms with log thickness options of 28mm and 44mm for better insulation.
It’s got wide double doors and big front windows, so there’s loads of natural light coming in. The layout also gives you one roomy area to work with. Meanwhile, the front overhang adds a bit of shelter outside—handy if you want to have a spot to take a breather. Fraya’s flat roof and clean lines are also a boost in terms of its appearance, giving off a more modern look than sheds.
Another favourite from our selection that could work as a man cave is the BillyOh Dojo E unit. It’s fully insulated using a hybrid insulation for comfortable use all year round. Even better, the reversible design lets you choose building orientation. And did we mention it comes with an extended raised platform?
Compare our garden rooms and see what suits your budget best.
If your current shed is in good condition to function as your man cave, make use of it. But if it’s better off used for storage, and there’s room for another building, these are worth a look.
We hope these ideas help lay the groundwork for building your man cave. Good luck!
What’s next in your reading list: Garden Rooms Buying Guide
