Ask Brian is a weekly column by Real Estate Expert Brian Kline. If you have questions on real estate investing, DIY, home buying/selling, or other housing inquiries please email your questions to [email protected].
Question from Logan in Baltimore: Hi Brian, I love my wife and can’t believe she is letting me do this. Our oldest son moved into his first apartment last month and the younger one moved into the bigger bedroom. My wife and I have been talking about what to do with the small bedroom and she actually agreed to let me turn it into a man cave. The logic that put her over the top is that she has decorated every other room in the house and I deserve one for myself and my buddies. My two brothers will be coming over to celebrate Christmas and I want to be able to show off an outstanding man cave project. Do you have any imaginative DIY ideas that I can finish before Christmas?
Answer: Hi Logan. I know more than a few men who would appreciate a wife letting him turn a spare room into a man cave. You should be counting your blessings. In my humble opinion, a man cave should be a place where sports collectibles, half-finished projects, a giant TV (or two), and plenty of drinks all get along together.
My first choice would be putting in a kegerator. Nothing says man cave more than having your favorite cold beer on tap. But buying one ready to plug in can easily cost over $1,000 before you even buy the beer. Or you can build a kegerator yourself for less than $300. The two biggest expenses are a used compact refrigerator (less than $50) and a kegerator conversion kit (about $175 for a single tap). However, it probably requires more work to do the conversion than you originally think, so make sure you have at least 10 hours to commit to the project between now and Christmas.
The conversion kit will have instructions and a hotline to call if you need assistance but here are the basic steps.
Logan, there are a few DIY accessories that naturally go with your kegerator. You can use a glass-cutter to cut off the top of a few old beer bottles to turn them into beer mugs. Another idea is cutting out the logo from a few cardboard six-pack holders that can be laminated and used as coasters with the beer bottle mugs. Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you and your brothers! Don’t forget to get your wife a really nice Christmas gift.
Let’s hear your man cave DIY ideas. Please add comments.
Our weekly Ask Brian column welcomes questions from readers of all experience levels with residential real estate. Please email your questions or inquiries to [email protected].