Recently we got the chance to speak with Lee Nix from Denver Colorado, and yes, I spoke to him through Reddit! He’s managed to turn his basement into an amazing man cave by saving up and finding bargains on craigslist.
We asked how he has managed this and Lee said;
“My cave was truly built on a budget of sorts. I did all the work myself including painting the ceiling/rafters & foundation black, painting exposed concrete floor grey (tv area is carpeted), building the projector screen, covering 2x4s & insulation with DIY shiplap. 99% of the games here are Craigslist finds.
Btw..it’s named bag walls. Before the shiplap went up I wrapped black plastic over all the 2×4’s to hide the insulation. Sat like that for a year or so and thus it’ll be forever called Bagwalls.”
So Bagwalls, is the name and I absolutely love this. If there’s any way you can name your man cave with a name that means something to you then do it and get yourself a sign put up on the wall!
Lee confesses that he has a passion for pinball machines and saves up for months to be able to afford them but says he gets his best finds on craigslist! If you’re trying to base a room around a pinball machine then definitely look around for second-hand machines that you can either pick up locally or collect to save some money on deliveries.
Pinball machines are hours of fun and you don’t need any kind of skill to be half good at it. The old-school retro machines are nostalgic and bring back so many memories from your childhood but they’re also mega expensive if you get them from a reputable seller,so being savvy and looking for a bargain is a great idea.
Lee has explained that this is his pride and joy, a 1953 Coke vending machine, and guess what… It holds 110 cold beers!!
I for one think that old school Americana and Coca Cola merch specifically is so cool and they were made to last, if you can find yourself one in good condition you can pay tens of thousands of $ tomake it yours, however, if you can find one that is a little beat up that you can fix up for a small fee then you can get it for a more reasonable cost.
It’s going to be a real talking point in any man cave and really makes the room look cool, keep an eye out on second hand websites and find yourself a bargain to get one for yourself.
If you thought that having a load of pinball machines was enough then there’s also a golden tee live 2017. If you’re a golfer, this game can be soooo addictive and you can find yourself on it for hours without really noticing. If you want one for your man cave I would again recommend having a look on second hand sites but make sure the electrics are all in order, having it checked out before you buy it is a great idea.
I don’t need to talk about this for too long, Pacman is as nostalgic as it gets and an old school arcade machine like the above is something that most man cavers would dream to have in their rooms. Again, machines like this don’t come cheap and you’ll need to keep an eye out on craigslist or ebay to find one for cheaper than the market rate, but even online they can go for hundreds!
There’s one of these Skeeball machines in my local pub, and the fact Lee has one of these in his basement man cave is awesome. Such a fun game and I would definitely recommend that you have some kind of sporting game in your man cave if you have the room.
Having lots of digital games is great but having a physical game where you can use up some energy is so good and it makes such a good feature in your man cave.
And just to top it all off, Lee has a kick-ass snacks station with popcorn and candyfloss. This one looks so retro which is definitely a style that is really popular with most man cavers and looks so cool sat in the corner of the room.
To Sum Up
All in all this man cave ticks every box for me, it’s handmade, packed with games and crammed with cool items that most man cavers could only dream of having.
The best thing though is that Lee has saved up for years to be able to afford this man cave and it makes owning all of these amazing items so worth it and when we’re allowed to get people back into our homes I think there will be some amazing nights spent in this man cave with some good laughs, games and snacks for hours.
Save up, be savvy and you’ll be able to find some amazing bits online and build your man cave up slowly but surely.