Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
The phrase “man cave” might bring to mind a dark basement with a sagging couch, a massive TV and a mini-fridge packed with Bud Light. But the cave idea has morphed into something with wider appeal—a multi-purpose getaway space where you can pursue your interests, express your personality and entertain friends.
The idea is not new. Famous man caves include Franklin Roosevelt’s trophy room and Thomas Edison’s library. On the more active side are Mark Twain’s billiards room, the Wright Brothers’ bicycle workshop, and Winston Churchill’s art studio. The point is to get away and out of your routine.
“These spaces are stress relievers,” says Tim Martz of HIDEF Lifestyle, Inc. (hideflifestyle.com). “Somewhere along the way you’re working harder and you’ve lost focus on what really makes you, as an individual, happy. It’s not just men, though. It’s anybody who needs a change of pace.”
Lee Rambler of WeeBee Audio Video (weebeeav.com) agrees, “While we find some dedicated spaces for sports, we’re finding a lot more general purpose rooms. They may be the guy’s area, but the whole family ends up using them.”
These relaxing hideaways can be carved out by finishing a basement or even a semi-detached structure. “The key,” says Martz, “is to be able to separate yourself from everyday activities. You need to be able to turn a movie up loud without worrying about waking anyone up.”
Getting away can involve any number of activities. Martz, who has a dedicated music room “with no video whatsoever,” notes, “It’s not all about the big screen. The music oasis is making a huge resurgence. The younger generation who know only compressed music formats from iTunes and mp3s are finding their grandfathers’ vinyl collections and getting into appreciating the true form of audio.”
Still, for most customers, Rambler says screens are the focal point. “We see a lot of people doing video games with them and using a DIRECTV or Comcast box and some sort of movie player like a Blu-ray or Apple TV, which can stream content from Hulu, YouTube and more.”
Whether you’re an audiophile or a movie buff, your go-to place is meant to reflect your personal style. As we look at two of these spaces, think about your own hideaway. What does—or would—yours look like?
Gothic Getaway
A telecommunications engineer, Dennis Francis of Lititz is a self-confessed tech junkie. “Audio/video is my number-one hobby,” he says, but explains that his techie room is not about him. “The home theater is a getaway space, but it’s a family cave more than a man cave. It wasn’t, ‘Let’s hire somebody to build something that’s really cool.’ We did that, but the things we have in there are meaningful to us.”
Modeled after Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School, this castle-style space features stonework and arches. WeeBee Audio Video wired it with the customer’s existing 92-inch screen TV, a 55-inch plasma screen behind a full bar, and six other TVs that let Dennis watch “eight games at a time.” Reclining theater seating gets the family in the mood for movies, which they can choose from a 400-disc DVD carousel; subscriptions and video streaming from the Internet broaden the options.
The movies are linked to the rest of this ultra-wired home, which has 12 video areas and 18 audio areas. Want the lights dimmed? Just use your iPhone or iPad. Want Pandora on? The total remote control adjusts everything. The emphasis, though, is not on practicality but on enjoyment.
When their daughters were 9 and 11, Dennis figured he and his wife, Leslie, had “only another six to eight quality years” with them and anticipated the typical teenage disconnect. He decided to build “a kid magnet,” adding karaoke, a dance stage, a swimming pool and the theater.
It works so far, and not just for the kids. Leslie is as much of a sports fan as he is, and the two not only watch games together, but collect and display treasured sports memorabilia. Leslie’s father, a former football coach, often drops by to enjoy whatever they’re watching or doing.
Francis says, “It’s a fun house—that’s what we were trying to do, not only for the kids but also for the adults. It’s a really special place for us.”
Cinema Sanctuary
Featuring tiered row seating, pillars, handcrafted sconces, and colored accent lighting, the Gallo home theater rocks. An authentic background for this Harrisburg-area hideaway was created with theater-specific carpeting and paint. A popcorn machine, along with current movie posters—Captain America and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice are his and her favorites—builds that great pre-movie anticipation. Audio is in the form of a 7.2 surround sound system with two big subwoofers and seven other speakers. Video—a 110-inch video screen with four times the resolution of a television—is ramped up with 3-D glasses synched with a digital processor for maximum effects.
“It sounds better than a movie theater,” says Joe Gallo, “and everything is professionally done. You hear everything but you don’t see where it’s coming from.”
The HIDEF Lifestyle Inc.-designed installation is soundproof. Gallo calls it “a self-contained unit where you’re in your own world. I work a lot of hours, and I want my downtime to be down.” To this end, it’s a no-cell-phone zone. It’s also control central for anything inside or outside the home, from security to temperature, all directed from a wireless keyboard (or iPad) that also allows Joe to work on his computer—without actually going there.
A realtor, Joe customized the room for his business as well. He can tour properties, take pictures or videos with his iPhone and project them onto the big screen for clients. For home use, not only can he browse full movie art (like on Redbox), but he can stream audio, video, Web and TV “and any show that’s ever been created. Plus you can do it really, really loud.”
According to Joe’s wife, Pamela, “It was definitely his idea, and he spends a lot of time there,” but she doesn’t mind. That could be because future additions include a steam bath, locker room, bar, fitness area, and game room, all along an inviting Italian-style walkway. Just check the Gallo’s marquee to see what’s new.
The Latest and Greatest: Must-have items for any dude destination
For the Audiophile:
- DAC, Digital to Analog Converter (to make compressed music sound as good as the artist intended)
- Turntables (the ultimate music format)
- Tube amplifiers
- Headphones
- Headphone amplifiers
For the Movie Buff:
- 4K technology (with projector)
- Apple TV or Kaleidescape (for streaming content via the internet)
- Home automation
According to the experts at HIDEF Lifestyle, Inc.
For the Tech Junkie:
- Giant format LCD TV: 70, 80 and 90-inch!
- Streaming entertainment, Pandora and iTunes integration
- iPhone/iPad as a controller, combined with traditional-style remotes
- Lighting control
- HVAC control
- Motorized cellular window shading with control
- Enterprise-grade powerful networks
- Hidden entertainment elements: built-in speakers with bezel-less grilles, no visible devices in walls, with equipment all hidden in a rack in a closet or mechanical area
According to the experts at WeeBee Audio Video