Constructing my new Man Cave

[NoRoadtrippin]

Morning folks,

I've been wanting to get on for awhile and start a new thread following the construction of my new "Cave." We had that thread awhile back in the Ammo forum asking for images of guns, reloading benches, man caves, and etc, but I wanted to start a new one for this topic since I intend it to carry its own weight.

I am going to start the thread with a few consecutive posts to kinda give a better idea of the break down of construction steps so far. A big starting dent has been made, but its slow going as--like every true, authentic Cave IMHO--I am building it on the cheap and with whatever can be scrounged for free as much as is possible.

And, well, also....because my wife won't really let me work when she is home due to the noise it makes...I have to rush home each day from work and try to work a bit before she makes it there. Luckily, with her being a PA, she works late hours often.

Ok, the cave will be in my attic. The roof is stick built and there is a literally massive amount of space up there. With some skylights and a real set of stairs I could probably make my house 2 bedrooms larger.

These first pictures are the original structure to show the space I am working with as well as a floor plan that is generally to scale.

[NoRoadtrippin]

The first step and overall phase has been to floor all the new areas in. This was a chore because of the duct work that was already there. I would have much rather laid down some decking and moved on with life, but instead we had to come up 11" with 2x12s throughout the new sections.

To do this, I had to rake, sweep, and scoop all the cellulose out of the way so I could get the new flooring joists to lay on top of the ceiling rafters from the house below. Then the 2x12s had to be cut for both ducts and wiring of all sorts to pass through. In some areas we could shift the wiring one way or another with some slack so that they didn't have to be cut as many places.

The first section to go down was a approximately 14' 6" x 8' area to the left of the attic stair. I then starting insulating the new dead space by adding some cellulose back in and making up the balance with R-30 fiberglass.

[NoRoadtrippin]

Once that was done, the second flooring section started going in. This area is obviously right off the first one. It is right at 10' x 10'.

When added, it also prompted an extra piece or two of 2x12 to extend out the inside corner where this and the first area meet. You might be able to make it out in some of the pictures. It essentially gave me 2 more feet of 14 foot long space and 2 less feet of 10 foot space.

Insulation is quickly becoming my largest expense...

[NoRoadtrippin]

The last area to be floored in is the "Safe Room" This is across the main duct running above the center of the house. You can see it in my drawing and it will show up in some of the images.

The room is being built purposely for my guns, ammo, and probably general military gear since it ended up so big. The room will be hidden and not appear to exist for anyone who is hanging out having a beer or watching the game in the main part of the cave. I will hang something over the wall to the entrance and it won't be shown to folks that I would have any reason to not trust. It will be sealed up with fire rated sheet rock and fire rated paint.

The room was going to be like 8' x 8', because, you know, who needs a gun safe larger than 8' square? Right? That's a pretty big increase over your largest safe down at the store that's what maybe 24"x24" or something? That went out the window due to where the walls below fell. I had to go 14' out to hit another wall and even then, both ends actually sit on doubled up 2x12s that span some open walkways in the house below as you would think of a laminated beam doing. So at any rate, what I ended up with is a 8' by 14' gun safe.

All the OSB pictured throughout is one of my freebies. I was riding around checking out scrap piles at new construction sites and this guy had 10 sheets of 5/8 foil backed that he didn't need but had seen some rain so he couldn't return it. Definitely a major savings. I also have a large amount of 2x4s and other dimensional lumber that is getting ready to go into walls.

[Mills]

What else is going in there? I am currently in the middle of a basement man cave build. Working on the Bar now, Home Theater is complete.

[The Reaper]

Interesting concept.

1. How are you going to use that space in the summer outside of the insulated and conditioned space? Many things, including ammo, do not like being stored in warm areas. Guns don't like humidity, either. My attic used to hit 140 degrees plus in the summer here in NC, and about five minutes was all I could stand.

2. Packed or compressed insulation loses a lot of its R value.

3. I would be very careful of the loads you are adding to the truss system. The manufactured ones are normally built to a small safety factor. A room full of guns and lead, probably not a good idea.

4. Fire egress from the multiple areas?

5. How do you protect your safe room from an intruder? Are you going to reinforce the walls?

6. Make sure that you are not keeping the attic ventilation system from working. Soffits and ridge vents need to be clear.

7. Consider the need for electrical drops, outlets, etc. in your finished spaces. Hopefully, there is no running water going in.

8. Are you able to get 4x8 sheets of plywood in? If not, you will probably not be able to get sheets of drywall in either.

Again, interesting project, not bashing, just curious. Keep us posted on your progress.

TR

[kgoerz]

Dude, next time you take a crap. Look down to make sure you have a pair
Good work thou. Listen to TR about the load weight, especially if it's a manufactured type home. But if you do want to show who is boss again in your House. Install a Dumbwaiter.