Whether you smoke meat, grow vegetables, or just keep your grass perfectly cut, the backyard is often the domain of the man of the house. Even if your backyard is scattered with kids’ toys, you can still walk out to the backyard and generally be left alone for a while. You can lay an even stronger claim to your home’s private outdoor space with one of these backyard man cave structures.

Shed

You may think a shed is merely a place to store tools and Christmas decorations. However, it can be so much more. With a little organization, you can carve out a space for yourself to work on your hobbies away from direct sunlight and family interruptions.

All big box hardware stores sell sheds of varying sizes with an array of ways to trick them out. They can even hook you up with local construction contractors to lay whatever foundation you need for your new backyard structure. Once the shed is set up, the ball is in your court to make it your backyard man cave.

Since you probably won’t have air conditioning, make sure you stay hydrated. And invest in an outdoor rated extension cord long enough to run a box fan from the nearest power outlet on your property.

Tiny House

A tiny house is a big step up from a shed. According to Rocket Mortgage, tiny houses cost $30,000 to $60,000 on average. In other words, they’re quite a bit more expensive than a shed!

These prefabricated miniature dwellings have sleeping and cooking areas you may not need for man cave purposes. But that’s where you can customize your space. Perhaps a lofted sleeping area becomes storage space that can’t be taken over when distant relatives come to visit. Maybe the kitchen counter becomes a work surface for building model airplanes. And possibly the refrigerator becomes a 24/7/365 beer cooler.

Pool House

Do you remember on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when Will and Carlton moved into Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv’s pool house? How cool was that!? They had the place to themselves and were rarely interrupted by family members.

If you build a pool house, construction costs will be steep. HomeAdvisor puts the average cost to build a pool house at $114,000 assuming a 300-square-foot structure. But if you can convince your family to go along with building a pool house, Godspeed good sir. If not, you might be stuck cleaning out a shed or converting a space inside your home. But don’t fret! You can have a great man cave room in your home.