Brisbane, QLD


Thursday, March 12, 2015

MAN CAVE MAKEOVER

Twenty-five years ago, when our kids had left school, TOH (The Other Half) took the plunge and started his own air conditioning business. To avoid high overheads he worked from home. We had an office built under the house next to the garage. So our highset house now became a two storey house. After he retired, his office became his man cave, where he pursued his hobbies and what ever men do in their caves other than make a mess.
I was astounded at how much junk one man can collect and store in his cave when we decided to  clean it out and turn it into a classroom for U3A, as well as a new clean tidy cave for him. TOH has taken on teaching "Movie Making" to oldies in U3A.(University of the Third Age.) He taught  one course at the local library in term one and many students wanted to do more and other members wanted to do the course but the room at the library was taken over by another group. So we decided to do it at home, which is better because using his own gear is much better and faster.
However, this meant a clean out of the cave. Secretly I was very excited. The rest of the story is in pictures:

The man cave as it was. Looking from the garage door.
Looking towards the garage door. The office has its own entry on the left, so clients didn't have to go into the house.

As luck would have it, our interior designer daughter was in Brisbane for a week doing a job for her Sydney company. So when she got home from work we gave her another job of designing a man cave which can be turned into a classroom once a week. She's brilliant. First thing she said was, "Everything has to go and start afresh." Father looked shocked at first but realised daughter knows best. I was very pleased.

TOH starts emptying two filing cabinets which held 25 years worth of files, a lot of sensitive stuff he shredded. 

 First up we bought new lights as the old fleuro tubes were rusted into the fittings. We bought the new LED lights, which don't use much electricity. We had to employ a licensed electrician even though TOH was once an electrician, he didn't have an up to date license, and the warranty would not be valid.
They are nifty lights that only have chips and no bulbs.

They work well too.
"C'mon you can't shred forever! Lets start sorting this stuff. What to you need and what can we toss?"

 Finally I get him organised. Boxes for junk and boxes for stuff you want to keep. 

 The junk mounts up. We stack it in the garage where my car used to live. The stuff to keep is on the other side of the car. 

 I hired my Gardener/Handyman to remove the furniture and rubbish and take it to the dump. He's under the built in desk unscrewing it from the wall.

 Handyman and helper fill a truck and trailer with all the furniture and junk. Can you believe how much junk one man can collect?

 TOH sadly watches his twenty five years of beloved office disappear to the dump.

Now what?????

(Stay tuned for the makeover)




31 comments:

  1. Hello Diane,
    Wow, it is like clean start and starting over.. I am glad your daughter was there to help with the new design.. Sounds exciting. Have a happy day!

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  2. Your man's cave even before looked far better than our basement ! A cat couldn't find her kitten in there ! Mr..G keeps everything even rusty nails ! The tools we don't need anymore but he is reluctant to give them away.
    The room looks great now ! Even with only one chair as furniture !

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  3. That last photo makes it all! What a great idea. I have an attic which looks like your man's cave before. Men hang very much on things. His study books he used at his education when he was about 18 years old (now he is 69) he can't say goodbye to them... sigh. Magazines of long ago, you name it, we keep it.

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  4. I'm feeling for TOH. I've still got relics of an old business that it's hard to part with - and I hate shredding (though it has to be done). Look forward to the next episode..!

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  5. Truly, after I read your initial paragraph I thought it would be ever so much worse than what it was. A father who thinks his daughter might know better? I've never heard such a thing in my life.

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  6. Haha men hating let go....Good work ladies!!!

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  7. PS Pic in avatar is my son and daughter in law and I am Judith Foster Hadlow remember

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  8. A bare room, oh my! The LED lights are great, we have a couple in the family room.

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  9. OMG that is so funny and he is gonna LOVE it once the shock is over. Honestly, I've seen man caves WAY more filled than that so you were lucky and lucky in having that talented daughter to help. It is going to be AMAZING!!!!

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  10. That's hard to do but all that stuff we all need and accumulate gets over-whelming. Can't wait to see the results.

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  11. my hubby would have a heart attack if we took everything out of his garage... i am betting we could fill at least 2 dumsters... can't wait to see what it looks like when done.

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  12. i am LAUGHING at that last shot!!! oh, my!

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  13. Can't wait to see what designer daughter does with this space Diane.. It must have been a real wrench for TOH to part with so many years worth of 'stuff' :) Such a brilliant idea to use this space for teaching ,boy you two sure pack a lot into retirement!

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  14. How CRUEL can you get Diane!
    Poor William of Tell - I suppose you even took his bow and arrows??

    (Diane - just keep Bill away from the following: - OK??? - please)
    Still having seen the room in its "caveman like heyday" I did wonder how he ever found
    anything, but find he did - just like a sniffer dog - quite amazing. And now at the end
    of this clean-up, makeover into a studio of learning - you show a dejected and forlorn
    William of Tell in a bare cave - and not a coffee cup or a beer in sight to perk him up??? How cruel.
    Cheers to you, Diane and sympathies to William.
    Colin

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  15. I teach U3A I love it. Great post

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  16. Clearing out years of accumulated "stuff" is difficult as we well know since we are still working on going from a large Victorian home to a single floor apt. At first, I was skeptical that it could never work, but slowly I have come to see that letting go of stuff is not a bad thing, but liberating in fact. Bill's empty space will soon look good with its makeover.

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  17. Oh yeah, I can believe all that junk, er, sorry, collectibles . We sold out to go full-time RVing, so yeah. Hard work, but I'm sure TOH was delighted with the ultimate result or else you wouldn't be showing the project. Very cool that he is teaching that course. I'm impressed!

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  18. Haha, what a challenge.......however, I'm not real sympathetic looking at the 'before' photos of his man cave. The man cave on my property is a four car garage filled with 30 years of rusty, greasy old cars and car parts, buckets of oil, mounds of dust from sanders, machinery used for restoration, paint and paint cans, a million tools and walls covered with license plates from all over the world. Sigh, I can't imagine ever cleaning this out.

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  19. The before picture amazed me ... it is not cave-like at all!!! You should see my hubbies Man Cave. Like you he has the lower part of the house ... at least I can keep the main home neat and tidy that way. I can't imagine him every consenting to the type of makeover you have managed to inspire ... looking forward to part 2.

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  20. It looked pretty good to start with but I get that it needs to be made over to better suit the new purpose and I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out

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  21. HAhahaha, you're SO lucky he actually gave in and got rid of everything without argument!!!! That NEVER happens!! Looking forward to the rest of the makeover!

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  22. Wow, brave move! I'm not sure even I'd be prepared to throw out all my office stuff. Though I do keep doing a de-clutter periodically.

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  23. My apartment bedrooms desperately need recarpeting and I've been putting it off for sooo long becuase of the thought of having to move all the furniture etc. I have finally started the process and ordered the carpet. Next stop, repainting. I know I'll wonder why I took so long once it's all done. Enjoy the new Man Cave!

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  24. Oh how neat ---and yet kinda sad.... Life does go on, doesn't it???? He had collected a lot of stuff... BUT---even though George and I have only been married for almost 14 years, we both have collected quite a bit of stuff. I guess that's just human nature!!!!!! ha.... Can't wait to see the 'man cave' when it's finished... It's great that he is teaching. That keeps us young!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  25. What fun...and a LOT of work. I sure hope it turns out GREAT! (I bet it will.)

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  26. I LOVE cleaning up and starting over with a fresh slate. You guys put in a lot of work; can't wait to see the makeover!

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  27. I have a laundryroom and then a mancave "office" of my hubby's that both need some big help! (hint hint) :-)

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  28. The last picture is the best. Anticipation! I have a feeling that your man is looking forward to what's to come. looking forward to seeing what your daughter has planned.

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  29. Wow - that was some cleanout! Well done. Will be beaut to see the final result :D)

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  30. wow, that's a lot of work. i'm laughing at that last shot! lol!

    big hugs!

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  31. OMW Diane, I've already read the post newer than this and cannot believe how beautifully Carol's design is. Those lights are TDF (to die for!) I'm off to read your post today and see the man cave in completion.

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