# Man Cave Ideas and construction



## bylawhunter (Jun 23, 2010)

I just purchased my first home and was looking to insulate and finish my garage for a winter hang out and man cave. I am wanting to do this cost effective but so it holds heat well and is effiecent. I am going to put in a wood stove, but dont know which way to run chimney out the wall or through the roof. I do have a metal roof. The metal roof concerns me running a chimney through and sealing it. Is this possible with the different ridges that metal roofs have.




Also any ideas for interior finishing?

Insulation?
OSB or dry wall?
Would you drywall ceiling or OSB it?
Walls?


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

For garage type man cave wall covering I'd go with transparent stain/sealed T-111 or if the budget would allow, tongue and groove!


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

Ventless gas heater/fireplace would be cool. Cleaner and easier than a wood burner.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

You can definitely run a wood stove pipe through a metal roof with a boot and a seal combination.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

First off you need a brass pole anchored securely from ceiling to floor. But seriously if your not gonna heat it constantly dont finish the drywall if you hang it. It will only crack over time due to truss lift and a various amount of other things. Osb, t 1 11 or something to that effect is the way to go. I did a garage in osb once and then ripped three inch strips to go over all the seems and trim the windows and it looked pretty good for what it was.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I'd rather run a chimney pipe through a metal roof than an asphalt shingle roof any day. 

I think if it's not going to be heated all the time, I'd go with OSB on the walls and ceilings. It would be fairly cheap and look good too!

John


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

Bass pole.... heck yeah! I'll foot the bill on that one! lol


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Wood stove in the gargbage sounds great but I bet it will take a while to get it up to comfy use conditions unless you will heat it all the time. 

I'm looking for a cheap way to just heat mine for working in the winter, when I need it. I'm thinking a propane tube heater type would get it warmed up quickly.

For walls I think it would look cool to get some tounge n grove in there, don't need it everywhere, but some of it would really make it nice. No drywall anywhere if it's going to get hot/cold all the time. Great project for sure.

And don't forget the pole!!


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

If you want to heat up a garage in a hurry, use one of these...

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

My neighbor has one that he bought about 3 or 4 years ago. He elderly father in law from Florida was coming to stay for a week and he's a big time smoker. They didn't want to put him out in the cold garage so he could have his cigarettes so we hooked up this heater and just cracked the door. It worked GREAT!

I've borrowed it a couple times to work in my garage in the dead of winter and even on a very cold day, I can fire that thing up and in about 10 minutes, I can work out there with just a sweatshirt.

John


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Every mancave needs some slatwall.


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

Oooooo slat wall! Yep


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Big Reds said:


> Oooooo slat wall! Yep


Even if it's just a few sections. Put it by the exterior door. You can set up hooks and shelves to hold the toys of the season.:coolgleam


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Its up to you but id be using wood to save some money. Light a fire an hour before you go out and your good. Doesnt work for the quick heat but at the cost of propane your beer money will disappear fast. Heck if ya want quick heat run a torpedo for a bit while the stove warms up then shut it off.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

The only problem with wood is the cost of pipe! Double and triple wall prices are darn crazy. 

I have a tophat heater like JP listed and it sure heats the garage quick, but I get CO poisoning half the time I use it, and can blow through a 20 lb LP tank in 2 or 3 hours. 

Wood is surely cheaper over the long haul though...


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## Rokane24 (Dec 19, 2011)

Dry wall is nice and smooth but if your like me you like to throw tools when frustrated, and that doesn't mix with dry wall. I went with a smooth plywood primed and painted and it looks just like drywall. Plus no need to look for studs with ply wood, I'm a organized freak and I love hanging stuff on the walls. One thing I will suggest is a ceiling fan with a wood stove, just to circulate the heat instead of it just heating the ceiling..


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Yep, that' the trouble with the top hat type. Gotta be REAL careful about CO! I usually crack the door about a foot whenever running it. Then when it's warmed up, I shut it down for a bit and close the door a little bit but still leave it cracked for some fresh air. When it gets too chilly, I'll fire it up again.

John


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## bylawhunter (Jun 23, 2010)

Hey guys thanks for all the great ideas. I am going with OSB, any ideas for insulation? Is the foam board any good, or should I just roll out the insulation, do it once and forget it. With the wood stove I would heat it all the time, a couple logs before work than feed it when I get home. I like the idea of the wood stove because I don't mind the work and it dry's out the garage good for my tools.


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