Outbuildings, man caves, shoe closets, what space is yours and help me mess up mine!

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
So I am about to be allowed (married, of course) to have a building outside the main house for 'all the noisy shit'. Guitars and some space to play them and maybe have a keyboard and small drum kit in a corner, PC with subwoofer in another, all games and toys in some kind of closet that can hold comic book longboxes, VR space in the center, some sort of folding table to play RPGs or Warhammer on and a space for a sectional and TV and sonos for movies. Oh and like a mini fridge. No plumbing or anything crazy. One big window (I paid for the yard, I wanna see it) and that's pretty much it.

I guess my question is firstly, does that seem enough space for all I want to use it for, if I can slide some stuff around and make it modular? Also, if anyone plays house flipper, any cool ideas for inside would be great.

Some of my dumb ideas for decoration that no one I know would give a crap about but strange nerds on the internet might include a showcase wall that has some shelves, boxes, miniature boxes, sleeves for comics, and all of it modular so I can change comics and toys at will. Have all the boxes backlit with RGB lights that I can change: e.g. put my Batman toys and comics out, I change the lights to blue and yellow, Iron Man, red and yellow, etc.

Some kind of soundproofing I guess too since everything about me is a cacophony apparently according to everyone i've ever met. I dunno, just got this house and never really had the chance to have this much of my own space before so within financial reason, I want to go nuts.

Also tell me about your spaces whatever they are! Unless they're sex dungeons.

I don't want to know.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
46,153
211,230
Okay, so a few questions:

What's your climate? Get snow? How much yard do you have? How far from the house are you thinking? What kind of construction are you thinking?

Let me say why I'm asking these questions:
If you're a non-winter cold climate, focus on 2x4 exterior walls with soundproofing insulation. If you're in a snowy area, do 2x6 (at least) walls with a combination sound proofing and warmth insulation.
If you're in a non-winter cold climate, don't fuck around, and get air conditioning. But, if you're in somewhere in the midwest, don't fuck around, and get air conditioning.
If you're pouring a slab, make sure you run more than enough conduit for electric, and don't fuck around and put a bathroom in there, too.

I have multiple outbuildings, one we call my woodworking shop. Insulated, heated (to prevent freezing, but there's a wood stove for when I want to be in there), bathroom, enough space for whatever I want. The woodshop is about 800 square feet. Bathroom, small kitchen, all my tools of that sort, it's perfect. Go smaller to keep it cheaper, but work to tie it in to your house plumbing and electric, and do everything you can underground before the slab is poured. And put plenty of power in there. If you need to run a microwave and a space heater (or whatever), you don't want to be tripping breakers. And put your lights and your outlets on different breakers.

Just a few thoughts. I went through this process, too. Make sure to think everything through!
 
  • 4Like
Reactions: 3 users

Hoss

Make America's Team Great Again
<Gold Donor>
27,010
14,948
First off, I'm the man. I allow my woman to have a room in the man cave that is my house. We call that room the kitchen. I also let her have the guest bathroom unofficially.

Second, i don't see a size mentioned, yet you asked if it was big enough.

Third, I'm building an out building now too. So far we've just got the 40x48 foundation laid. But building costs went fucking crazy so we're holding off on the rest. Eventually I'm going to have a workshop where I will reload; a studio where I will practice karate, workout, and my wife will do yoga; and an efficiency apartment as a guest house or mother-in-law house.

From what you've said so far, I would look at getting some water so you can have a sink at least. Sound proofing is a good idea because i suspect you live close to neighbors. How are you going to get power to it? how fancy are you going? You going to get it designed and built by a contractor or get something pre-fabbed? I'm thinking seriously about putting tuff sheds on my slab until building costs come down. They are pretty damn reasonably priced. Their best quality in 16x20 is about 16 grand installed. To get a contractor to build something similar is nearly twice that much.
 
  • 2Worf
  • 1Solidarity
  • 1Like
Reactions: 3 users

Hoss

Make America's Team Great Again
<Gold Donor>
27,010
14,948
Oh for the size, I suggest setting out 4 stakes and walk around in it and imagine where you're going to put your shit.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
Okay, so a few questions:

What's your climate? Get snow? How much yard do you have? How far from the house are you thinking? What kind of construction are you thinking?

Let me say why I'm asking these questions:
If you're a non-winter cold climate, focus on 2x4 exterior walls with soundproofing insulation. If you're in a snowy area, do 2x6 (at least) walls with a combination sound proofing and warmth insulation.
If you're in a non-winter cold climate, don't fuck around, and get air conditioning. But, if you're in somewhere in the midwest, don't fuck around, and get air conditioning.
If you're pouring a slab, make sure you run more than enough conduit for electric, and don't fuck around and put a bathroom in there, too.

I have multiple outbuildings, one we call my woodworking shop. Insulated, heated (to prevent freezing, but there's a wood stove for when I want to be in there), bathroom, enough space for whatever I want. The woodshop is about 800 square feet. Bathroom, small kitchen, all my tools of that sort, it's perfect. Go smaller to keep it cheaper, but work to tie it in to your house plumbing and electric, and do everything you can underground before the slab is poured. And put plenty of power in there. If you need to run a microwave and a space heater (or whatever), you don't want to be tripping breakers. And put your lights and your outlets on different breakers.

Just a few thoughts. I went through this process, too. Make sure to think everything through!
I live in ostensibly the south so winter is very little of a concern. I am getting, I think he called it a split something that does heat and air because I will need climate control and he said for the space I'll be in, that'll work great.

Yes, i'll need a modem and lots of power out there which I've already mentioned to the guy.

The building will be just a few yards from the side door to my bedroom. I'm gonna have them build a little peaked walkway like they do in japanese schools so I don't get rained on but I don't need a full hallway or anything.

As for construction, I'm hoping that just a large, square or rectangular premade building will do me and have the construction guys bring it and set it up on the land. I just want them to install a closet for comic longboxes and bring in the power and otherwise I'll install all the shelving, etc, on my own.
 

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
First off, I'm the man. I allow my woman to have a room in the man cave that is my house. We call that room the kitchen. I also let her have the guest bathroom unofficially.

Second, i don't see a size mentioned, yet you asked if it was big enough.

Third, I'm building an out building now too. So far we've just got the 40x48 foundation laid. But building costs went fucking crazy so we're holding off on the rest. Eventually I'm going to have a workshop where I will reload; a studio where I will practice karate, workout, and my wife will do yoga; and an efficiency apartment as a guest house or mother-in-law house.

From what you've said so far, I would look at getting some water so you can have a sink at least. Sound proofing is a good idea because i suspect you live close to neighbors. How are you going to get power to it? how fancy are you going? You going to get it designed and built by a contractor or get something pre-fabbed? I'm thinking seriously about putting tuff sheds on my slab until building costs come down. They are pretty damn reasonably priced. Their best quality in 16x20 is about 16 grand installed. To get a contractor to build something similar is nearly twice that much.
I will literally have a well pump like a few feet from the door and I will be not more than a few yards from my house (plus the entire outdoors is my pisser) so getting to water or a toilet should not be an issue. Also have a mini fridge and a globe that holds booze for the important shit.

I think I'm going for a 20x20 now but I fear it will be a bit too small for all I want, however, as you say, prices being what they are I may have to *gulp* compromise.

I have a couple of acres and no neighbors like right up my ass but my bedroom is close by and I just have very noisy stuff; computers, guitars, tvs with sound systems, that sort of thing so soundproofing just seems like it will allow me, FOR ONCE, to not have to monitor my noise level. Even my normal speaking voice is quite loud (I was trained to project to the back of the theater and you bet your ass I DO).

As I said above, for cost, I hope to get a prefab and have a bit of work done to customize that, but not so much as to blow the cost out of the water. I'll just have to see what he charges when I tell him what I want.
 

Hoss

Make America's Team Great Again
<Gold Donor>
27,010
14,948
i assume the sound proofing also works as insulation. So that's a win.

I think the AC you're talking about is a ductless. I can't remember why I soured on them, but I looked into them and decided against them. The tuff sheds will have window units. The final building will have central air and heat.

I think you'll still want a heater. Surely it freezes wherever you are once in a while. Keep in mind that the AC and heater keep the humidity in check. So would any of your toys be ruined by humidity during whatever passes for winter for you?
 

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
64,723
144,298
I am getting, I think he called it a split something that does heat and air because I will need climate control and he said for the space I'll be in, that'll work great.
mini splits are all the rage on youtube b/c of increasing ease of install (they come pre loaded w/ fridgerant now, almost entirely diy)

you really start to save money on the install if you hang the condenser on your wall instead of laying a concrete slab for it too

here's a dude talking about mini splits, he has a few videos on install too


not saying you should install diy if you want, just he has good info
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
mini splits are all the rage on youtube b/c of increasing ease of install (they come pre loaded w/ fridgerant now, almost entirely diy)

you really start to save money on the install if you hang the condenser on your wall instead of laying a concrete slab for it too

here's a dude talking about mini splits, he has a few videos on install too


not saying you should install diy if you want, just he has good info

Thanks! My guy says he should be able to put it on the roof I think to avoid the cost of the slab. I dunno, but this will be good info so I don't look like a woman trying to talk about military history or something when he discusses it with me.
 
  • 1Worf
Reactions: 1 user

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
i assume the sound proofing also works as insulation. So that's a win.

I think the AC you're talking about is a ductless. I can't remember why I soured on them, but I looked into them and decided against them. The tuff sheds will have window units. The final building will have central air and heat.

I think you'll still want a heater. Surely it freezes wherever you are once in a while. Keep in mind that the AC and heater keep the humidity in check. So would any of your toys be ruined by humidity during whatever passes for winter for you?
It's the split thing Lanx is referring to, I believe.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
46,153
211,230
Thanks! My guy says he should be able to put it on the roof I think to avoid the cost of the slab. I dunno, but this will be good info so I don't look like a woman trying to talk about military history or something when he discusses it with me.

I would actually recommend against this. If it's on the roof, the sun is going to cook it, and your shingles will help. Additionally, it's a million times harder to service. It will also take him longer to install, increasing your installation costs. Finally, mounting anything like that on a roof increases the possibility of leaks.

You can make the slab yourself for under $100. Make sure it's on the opposite side as your house so you don't have to listen to it.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
I would actually recommend against this. If it's on the roof, the sun is going to cook it, and your shingles will help. Additionally, it's a million times harder to service. It will also take him longer to install, increasing your installation costs. Finally, mounting anything like that on a roof increases the possibility of leaks.

You can make the slab yourself for under $100. Make sure it's on the opposite side as your house so you don't have to listen to it.
Stuff I hadn't considered yet, thank you.
 

Loser Araysar

Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
<Gold Donor>
79,821
159,026
First off, I'm the man. I allow my woman to have a room in the man cave that is my house. We call that room the kitchen. I also let her have the guest bathroom unofficially.

Pretty much this. I own a 3300 square foot house with 3 floors, all finished. I have my office with multiple monitors and a 50 inch TV on first floor. This is my Shit Post Command Center. I have my gym and my den/living room in the walk out basement and I have my workbench, tools, etc. in the garage. Next year I am going to put a sauna in the backyard. Mancaves, little clubhouses, special little areas where men hide in are silly.
 

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
64,723
144,298
Thanks! My guy says he should be able to put it on the roof I think to avoid the cost of the slab. I dunno, but this will be good info so I don't look like a woman trying to talk about military history or something when he discusses it with me.
roof? i mean if you think the condenser is an eyesore and you don't want it on any of the sides of the building, ok, but putting shit on a roof is just like mountains of complexity
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
Perhaps I misunderstood him and I'll clarify but he was saying there's a way to install them that isn't as cumbersome as a concrete slab (I think). We haven't had an in-depth conversation yet as I'm waiting for my former house to sell to give me the capital to do the whole thing at once.

That's why most of this thread is so helpful, just to have some context (and painful experience!) to help me avoid some pain of my own. Thanks!
 

Yeahs73

Trakanon Raider
58
32
Just get a mini split pad off of amazon. No concrete to deal with 18x38x3. We use them quite often.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

pysek

It Didn't Happen, It Should've, and It Will.
<Gold Donor>
19,931
120,208
Split pad! I think that's what he said.

1658200127564.png