Potential man cave question (3 Viewers)

[SixSpeedFury]

So I have the potential space for a future man cave/poker room. It is an unfinished basement. The problem with it is that the height of it is 6'4", and I'm 6'1", so you can already imagine that I'm ducking underneath exposed steel beams and HVAC vents/tubes. My question to those with man caves and have finished your own space, would this be feasible? I've had 3 contractors come in and 1 said that I can either insulate, drywall the walls and paint the beams above to have an industrial look to the basement (and just put a "watch your head" sign above the steps lol). The other two said that a complete finished basement would require cutting into the concrete floor 2-3ft. deep, putting new cement in and leveling the floor but at the cost of the house not being on level ground. I plan on removing the storage space, so I'll have a full 32'x36' basement.

 

[LowerBama1714]

That sounds expensive….but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Goldfish]

Dig up that basement floor! Water proof the crap out of it and enjoy a poker room with 9 ft ceilings. Yum yum!

 

[jr8719]

A poker room bigger than the family room? This guy gets it!

 

[theshepherd]

Probably not want you want to hear but ceilings less than 6 and a half feet is tough. Might be ok with some couches and a low TV but not great for man cave / people walking around.

Its likely doable, but its definitely far from ideal.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Dig up that basement floor! Water proof the crap out of it and enjoy a poker room with 9 ft ceilings. Yum yum!

Sure! You have a spare $80k I can borrow?

Probably not want you want to hear but ceilings less than 6 and a half feet is tough. Might be ok with some couches and a low TV but not great for man cave / people walking around.

Its likely doable, but its definitely far from ideal.

This is what the first contractor said. Yes, it can be doable but tall guests will be constantly ducking underneath the beam.

 

[Beakertwang]

I paint for a living. The one contractor I've done a lot of work for leaves almost every basement ceiling unfinished, and I spray it all flat black. It's less expensive than drywall or drop ceilings, and it looks good. Plus, all the plumbing, HVAC and electrical are easily accessible, if need be.

That said, these have all been 7'6" to 9' high ceilings. 6'4" sounds really low.

 

[Beakertwang]

Here’s the last one I did.

 

[LowerBama1714]

Here’s the last one I did.
View attachment 1107533

I like that….I hate drop ceilings. I miss having a basement…shallow ground water on the gulf coast prohibits them.

 

[Beakertwang]

I like that….I hate drop ceilings. I miss having a basement…shallow ground water on the gulf coast prohibits them.

My basement would make a great man cave/poker room, but unfortunately, it's wet as heck.

 

[Irish]

I had a similar dilemma when I finished my basement (~7' clearance), I considered painting everything black to get the industrial look but ultimately went with a cedar plank ceiling.

Pros:

• ZERO clearance reduction
• Looks great (imho)
• You can install insulation to help with sound from the floor above
• You can install lights
• Future access to the beams/wiring in the ceiling for repairs/upgrades

Cons:

• Fairly expensive (mostly because of the next bullet)
• VERY labor intensive (at least for this method of installing them between the beams for zero clearance)

More info/pics throughout this thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/basement-poker-room-home-theater.31516/post-616266

 

[Machine]

What you need is short players, I’m in!

You’re tall deal with it, you sit down to play, if anyone makes fun of it you buy a little girl table and some plastic tea cups and shit chips and when they come over you tell them that table is for them. No one else will say anything. Also it makes the standup game that much worse. HastagKeepTheNitsOut!!

 

[dpeks13]

Here’s the last one I did.
View attachment 1107533

Okay you sold me. I think that’s my new plan

 

[allforcharity]

Friends of mine had a low ceiling problem. They had a contractor jack up the house and rebuild the walls. Don't ask me how much it cost.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Friends of mine had a low ceiling problem. They had a contractor jack up the house and rebuild the walls. Don't ask me how much it cost.

Yikes! Must have ran 6 figures easily.

 

[allforcharity]

Yikes! Must have ran 6 figures easily.

Probably. Their house is also a smaller footprint than yours, on a small lot in the middle of the city. Land value alone is astronomical.

 

[doublebooyah85]

Your sitting 95% of the time…

 

[SixSpeedFury]

I had a similar dilemma when I finished my basement (~7' clearance), I considered painting everything black to get the industrial look but ultimately went with a cedar plank ceiling.

Pros:

• ZERO clearance reduction
• Looks great (imho)
• You can install insulation to help with sound from the floor above
• You can install lights
• Future access to the beams/wiring in the ceiling for repairs/upgrades

Cons:

• Fairly expensive (mostly because of the next bullet)
• VERY labor intensive (at least for this method of installing them between the beams for zero clearance)

More info/pics throughout this thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/basement-poker-room-home-theater.31516/post-616266

That looks awesome @Irish! Remind me to look up next time I come over. You do have more ceiling clearance than I do. I'll take a picture of the space when I go back up this weekend.

 

[MatB]

So I have the potential space for a future man cave/poker room. It is an unfinished basement. The problem with it is that the height of it is 6'4", and I'm 6'1", so you can already imagine that I'm ducking underneath exposed steel beams and HVAC vents/tubes. My question to those with man caves and have finished your own space, would this be feasible? I've had 3 contractors come in and 1 said that I can either insulate, drywall the walls and paint the beams above to have an industrial look to the basement (and just put a "watch your head" sign above the steps lol). The other two said that a complete finished basement would require cutting into the concrete floor 2-3ft. deep, putting new cement in and leveling the floor but at the cost of the house not being on level ground. I plan on removing the storage space, so I'll have a full 32'x36' basement.View attachment 1107459

We’ve decide we are not moving for 10 years.

May do basement dig out too. Please update with how much PITA it is. If you go that route.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Your sitting 95% of the time…

What about when you have to get up to get your hot dogs sandwiches?

 

[BGinGA]

Answer:

Motorized chairs for the tall people who need or request them. No need to stand. Can charge chair rental if so inclined. Parking and battery charging area near the entry stairs.

Also recommend a head injury first aid station for those who choose to brave it and walk.

 

[Dugthefish]

It's not that hard to make a basement deeper. But it's not cheap either.

 

[doublebooyah85]

What about when you have to get up to get your hot dogs sandwiches?

Ask someone short

 

[ekricket]

Ask someone short

I’m tall. I have to reach stuff for people all the time “because I’m closer to the shelf”

I’ve started not picking up stuff, I ask short people to do it “because they are closer to the ground”.

 

[Jake14mw]

Answer:

Motorized chairs for the tall people who need or request them. No need to stand. Can charge chair rental if so inclined. Parking and battery charging area near the entry stairs.

Also recommend a head injury first aid station for those who choose to brave it and walk.

I like this. Require the tall people to wear a hard hat if they don't do the chair rental!

 

[SixSpeedFury]

It's not that hard to make a basement deeper. But it's not cheap either.

Those pictures alone look expensive!

 

[Dugthefish]

Those pictures alone look expensive!

Cheaper than jacking it up though lol

 

[SixSpeedFury]

So this is the space I'm working with. As you can see, I can easily touch the ceiling. I met with my contractor again and for the whole renovation, expanding the ceiling space, knock out the storage space, add a wet bar, recessed lighting, new utilities, etc. I was quoted $90k. So yea, that'll be on the back burner for a while lol.

 

[TomC727]

How long do you plan on living there. If it's years and years, maybe digging the floor deeper is the better investment. If you aren't planning on living there for a bunch of years, maybe the cheaper finish is the way to go and just cut some pool noodles and put them on the edge of the beams for your head.

I have a drop ceiling in my finished basement, but my ceilings are 10'.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

How long do you plan on living there. If it's years and years, maybe digging the floor deeper is the better investment. If you aren't planning on living there for a bunch of years, maybe the cheaper finish is the way to go and just cut some pool noodles and put them on the edge of the beams for your head.

I have a drop ceiling in my finished basement, but my ceilings are 10'.

We just closed on the house in December, so this is our forever home. I will be going the digging route.