57 Man Cave Setup Ideas For a Cheap Garage Hangout Or Rec Room On A Budget
Looking for ideas to turn your garage into a man cave for CHEAP… even if you’re on a VERY tight budget and you only have a small garage (or HALF the garage) to work with?
Let’s look at some awesome ideas for your new garage hangout space to create your own private oasis get-away area in your garage.
Updated on September 11, 2024
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There’s nothing like a MAN CAVE in your garage. Whether you have a small garage to work with like a single car garage, or you want to create a half garage half man cave area, there are lots of cheap DIY ideas and budget-friendly cool garage ideas for YOUR man cave in the pictures below.
Let’s talk small man cave ideas, plans, designs and man cave MUST haves – and the cost to turn your garage into your own man cave hangout heaven.
Man Cave Garage Ideas
Whether you have a small 1-car garage or want a half garage / half man cave, you will find many affordable garage man cave ideas, pictures & tips to create a garage man cave on a budget
Alrighty – you’re making a MAN Cave in your garage – that’s awesome! Glad you put your foot down and DEMANDED to have your own space (and your wife let you…. haha! Just kidding!) However, THIS might be what your wife has in mind for your man cave…
Yep, that picture above is a man cave changing table.
All the Cool Dads have one in THEIR Man Cave =)
Not quite manly enough?
Let’s take a look at more pictures of ideas for your man cave (that don’t involve the kids!)
Garage To Man Cave Step by Step
- Look at these garage man cave pictures and choose your man cave must haves based on your budget (ie, with a pool table? cool sports stuff? half garage or 2 car garage? man cave bar and/or large screen TV? etc)
- Make a simple DIY man cave plan to convert your garage space in to your man cave
- Start by cleaning out that space in your garage
- Once clean, start with the man cave floor (you can even get an old rug from your local thrift store if you’re on a really low budget).
- Set up your pool table.
- Arrange your couch / seating.
- Hang cool man cave stuff on your walls (see pictures for ideas)
- Get a cooler, beer and ice – invite your buddies over.
- Done.
Low-Budget Man Cave Ideas
No matter what your budget is, you can totally pimp out your garage and turn it into an amazing man cave.
Want pictures to get ideas?
Garage Man Cave Pictures
If you’re considering converting your garage (or part of your garage) into a man cave, take a look at these cheap and easy DIY garage man cave ideas in all the pictures below.
[yellowbox]You might also like: 5 Quick and Cheap Garage Organizing Ideas[/yellowbox]
If you are the kind of guy that wants a “man cave”, the garage or part of the garage might be the perfect place. Garages are usually the territory of the man of the house and if you have extra space in your garage, you might want to consider some garage ideas to transform it into a place where you can comfortably hang out.
How To Create a Garage Man Cave
We’ve already talked about creating a laundry nook in your garage so now let’s talk about ideas for how to transform a garage into a man cave…
There are tons of cheap man cave ideas below with LOTS of pictures – if you’re on a low budget, these ideas are for you!
One of the things you can do to create an awesome low budget man cave hangout is to hang cool bar signs and then repurpose whiskey barrels into tables – see pictures. Also use some unwanted or unused furniture in your house. You can also ask your relatives if they have extra stuff just lying around in their garages or storage areas. These unloved furnishings, fixtures, and whatnot can be your best resource. You can repair what’s broken, mend whatever is torn, and take those that require technical attention to a real repairman.
If you can spare a few hundred dollars, it is best to get lighting fixtures from a local store. Choose the ideal size and style that will match the interior and exterior of your man cave. It is better to go for CFL lights and bulbs since these can help you save on the electric bill.
Be sure you have good lighting where it’s needed – like around your man cave dart board.
You sure do NOT want your boys throwing darts in the dark haha!
For a rustic look in your man hangout, you can simply scratch off some of the paint on your shed’s exterior and interior. You can use a steel brush to do this, ensuring that you’ll go light with the scratching action. It is ideal to know if the unit has been painted with a primer; so when you scratch some of the top paint, what’s underneath can accent the resulting finish.
Adding an item here and there from time to time can help cozy up your man cave. It may take some time before you can totally say that it is complete. At this point, it is best to enjoy what you have and just constantly update your fixtures whenever your budget permits.
Small Garage Man Cave Ideas
Speaking of small man cave ideas on a budget – this guy turned his garage into an awesome man cave for only SIX DOLLARS! Here’s how he did it…
Garage Man Cave Floor Ideas
In order to make your garage man cave real cool, you will need to do something with the floor. If you can personalize the garage floor you will be well on the way to making it a fun place to spend some time. Some guys cover the floor with their favorite sports team’s logo and make their garage a place dedicated to sports. You can put all sorts of mats and covers on the floor that makes them a lot more livable than the cold cement that is probably there now.
If you don’t want to do anything with the floors just to make them look better, you still might want to think about sealing them. During the cold winter month, your car will track in all sorts of dirt, water, and grime and sealing your floor is a good way to protect it. You car may also leak oil and other things from time to time and a garage mat or sealant is always a good idea.
When you choose to finish your garage floor, you will be making a big difference in the quality of your garage. When you compare a garage with a nice finished floor to one that has not, you will see how much of an improvement it is. Just putting mats in the garage can go a long way in making it look better and protecting it from all the harsh elements as well. A nice finished garage floor will help to complete your garage and help with building your “man cave” too.
Garage Man Cave Accessories
Decorating a garage man cave does NOT have to be expensive – you can work with any budget available. There are, of course, the standard “boy toys” that men are putting in their garage mancave.
Garage Man Cave Must Haves
These are most popular garage man cave accessories most guys consider to be “Must Haves”.
Looking for small man cave ideas for your garage? Make sure you add these awesome man cave ideas to your list for the ultimate man cave garage:
- Simple Garage Hangout Things For a Low Budget Man Cave – (100%)
- Pool Table – TOTAL Must Have – (87%)
- Big-screen TV – always go big – (76%)
- Big Boy Toys – gaming system, motorcycle, boat stuff, cool car stuff etc – (74%)
- Cool Sports Stuff – only YOUR team matters – (71%)
- Manly Interior – none of that Pinterest-y women stuff inside – (70%)
- Recliner – oooh that’s comfy – (69%)
- Speaker System – crank up the tunes – (68%)
- Cooler or Fridge – because BEER – enough said – (67%)
- Bar Area with Bar Stools – gotta feel like my local bar – (67%)
- Dart Board – because guys with beer NEED to throw sharp things – (66%)
- Computer / Laptop – gimme me my football stats – (65%)
- Surround Sound – enough said – (64%)
- Poker Tables -yeah – (19%) – what??? that % is crazy talk
- Neon Beer Signs – (19%) – you gotta have at least ONE cool sign!!!
If you’re considering a bar area in your garage man cave, these must have home bar accessories are perfect for that too (and we HIGHLY recommend a portable ice maker, too!)
How Much To Budget?
How much does it COST to turn your garage into a man cave? When asking those that have converted their garage into a man cave, 43% spent $5,000 or less. Those on a very low budget spent less than $1,000 (some only spent a few hundred bucks) – it all depends on how big or small of a space you’re working with, how much you’re willing to DIY, whether you’re using things you already have or buying all new stuff.
To stay on budget when creating your man cave, hand me down furniture and getting the guys to help build and paint the Cave for pizza and beer will help you save money for the more important things.
The best news of all is that two-thirds of the respondents said that they received “no resistance” to the idea of creating a Man Cave as far as their significant others went…so with that kind of acceptance and the reward awaiting you at the end of it all, go ahead and start working on that Man Cave today!
Cheap Man Cave Stuff
If you’re looking for man cave ideas for your garage (or basement) there are a lot of cool things to have in a man cave that are inexpensive. Below is some of our favorite affordable (or downright cheap) man cave stuff:
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47 VERY Small Kitchen Ideas For a Simple Low Cost Makeover
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