Man Caves: One Man’s Quest For The Ultimate “Man-tuary”
I’m always on the lookout for over-the-top “man caves” You know, that specially equipped room in a house where guys can pretty much do as they please without fear of ruffling feminine sensibilities. A place where glasses and plates can pile up indefinitely without causing domestic Armageddon (at least until the scent of stale beer and decaying pizza escapes the cave).
Let’s face it guys, women rule our roosts. Most have substantial—if not total—authority over the entire house in terms of its design, décor and uses. So man caves are our last stand against their domination of the shared domestic space. Besides, every super-hero has one. (Think BatCave and Fortress of Solitude)
How do you know when you’re found a great man cave? Your eyes widen, jaw slackens, and you utter the word “wow” several times uncontrollably as you turn green with envy. Next you scramble to learn the identity of the home owner, so that you can immediately become fast friends.
Here are two terrific examples of man caves I’ve seen in just the last week. We’ll label them Exhibit A and Exhibit B:
Exhibit A: 1012 Bayview Drive, Nokomis, FL
Holy filling station, Batman! This ground-floor man cave is actually half of a double-sided garage to die for. For starters, it has its own hydraulic lift. And from the looks of things the Batmobile is up on it for service. (I half expected to find a full pit crew at work here.) Seriously though, if I knew anything about fixing or restoring cars, I’d be on my knees for this house. Just look at that checkered-flag floor! (I wonder who cleans it?) You can operate on as many as two cars at a time, and store four more in the other half of the garage. Plus, there’s plenty of storage for tools, parts and other equipment. Attention ladies: What you don’t see in this photo is the attached race-car-themed bathroom, where your favorite grease monkey can scrub-up completely before he re-enters your zone of the house (a.k.a. the rest of it), which happens to also include a home theater, fabulous infinity-edge pool, a 10,000 lb. boat lift and another lift for your personal watercraft. To see it all, click HERE
Exhibit B: 3741 Tangier Terrace
If you think the photo above is of a kitchen, guess again. In fact, this is the bar area of a very handsome man cave that occupies the entire second story of a three-level home near Siesta Key. This richly-appointed cave is for the gentleman who loves to gather his friends to watch sports, play cards, watch sports, shoot pool and watch sports. Notice the two TV screens on the back wall (under the fish). There are 11 more strategically located throughout the property, meaning you’ll never miss a bad umpire’s call in this house. What you can’t see are the regulation-size pool table, leather sofa and chairs, green felt poker table, bar-top table and chairs and an adjacent home theater (This cave is so big my lens couldn’t capture it all.) There’s also a terrific pool, summer kitchen and pool deck, should you ever leave the cave long enough to venture outside. To see the rest, click HERE
Share your thoughts, leave a comment!