Man cave report
If you have a man cave, you can make it as ugly as you want and no one can say anything.
[Robert Arnold prepared to enjoy a beer in what he calls his bar at his Oceanside home. Arnold created the man cave in one-third of his three-car garage, where he invites friends and neighbors to watch the Super Bowl.]
Aman’s castle isn’t his home — it’s his cave.
His man cave, to be exact.
These testosterone-fueled spaces — also known as manlands — can be
- a garage,
- a basement,
- a bonus room,
- a shed or
- even a backyard.
But whatever the location, they all have common themes.
Want to guess what they are?
Beer, TV, sports — and probably in that order.
It’s the place where you can hang the obscenely large flat-screen TV, proudly display your extensive bobblehead collection and relax in the mottled velour recliner from your bachelor days while
knocking back a beer — or six.
From home-improvement shows devoted to man caves to businesses offering a range of guy things like personalized mugs and bar signs, man caves are getting their moment in the sun. Last year, a poll by servicemagic.com, a home-improvement marketplace, found that
- 40 percent of homeowners surveyed said their home had a man cave,
- while 13 percent said their man cave is in the works.
So what’s the allure of these macho spaces? Duh.
Beer, TV, and sports — and probably in that order — said Jason Cameron, co-host of DIY Network’s “Man Caves,” a home-remodeling show that focuses on creating to-die-for manly spaces.
“Guys are simple. We are very simple creatures,” Cameron said, adding, “I wish could give you a deeper meaning.”
After a guy gets married, his manhood can take a hit, Cameron said. Manlands bring men back to “a time when you could all sit around and drink beer without worrying if you spilled.”
Billy Chandruang of Rancho Santa Fe was planning on turning his backyard into an entertainment area for himself and his wife. But when they split up, he made it into an outdoor man cave replete with sports memorabilia and waterproof plasma TVs so visitors can sit in the pool or hot tub and watch a game.
“If you have a man cave, you can make it as ugly as you want and no one can say anything,” Chandruang said. “Guys like seeing stuff like neon signs that say Bud Lite with a Jets helmet.”
Of course, men have always craved private spaces.
In the past, that meant the library or the drawing room for men of means, said Jay Mechling, a retired American studies professor from the University of California Davis who taught a course on the lives of men. As America became more affluent, it meant more men could have a room of their own.
“As homes have gotten bigger, it means everyone can have their own space,” Mechling said.
- On the East Coast, it was the basement that housed amenities such as pool tables.
- On the West Coast, many garages served the rec-room function for the family.
What’s different about today’s man caves is how elaborate they can be — man caves on steroids, if you will. Nowadays, many of these spaces come with high-end furnishings and top-of-the-line electronics from flat-screen TVs to video game consoles to surround-sound systems.
“Technology is a huge part of this,” Cameron said.
With those types of upgrades, you might think that the struggling economy would stall the growth of man caves. But many devotees say that isn’t the case.
Arnold said he saves money with his man cave because he isn’t going out to bars and paying their marked-up prices.
Travis Esquibel, owner of Tap That, an Oceanside kegerator company, said he had thought the bulk of his business would be renting out kegerators for special events. Driven by the large man-cave market, he now makes most of his money from selling and servicing kegerators.
Another benefit for married men and for those of a certain age is that it’s more relaxing to stay closer to home.
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