Cincinnati Man Cave Shed Great for Work and Play

Some people throw a dusty old couch and giant television in the basement and call it a man cave. But not Kevin Wright of Cincinnati, Ohio. His backyard man cave shed was a full-scale home improvement project he now enjoys with small groups of friends.

The man cave started out as a place for Wright to work from home. Secondarily, it is a place for intimate gatherings. In addition to the work station, the cave includes a sofa, flat screen television, and three seats taken from Three Rivers Stadium where the Pittsburgh Pirates played from 1970 to 2000.

To bear the brunt on midwest winters, Wright put a lot of thought, money, and sweat equity into this 10-foot by 14-foot prefabricated shed. Inflation raised the base price quite a bit. Purchasing the shed in 2021 would have cost $3,000; however, the price ballooned to $13,000 by 2022. Anyone who had home repairs or renovations over that time period can relate.

Wright completed the rest of the project with a surprisingly low amount of money. He is all in for about $16,000 now, and he sees that as comparable to what he would have spent finishing out his home’s basement. But of course, construction projects cost a lot less when you only pay for materials.

The mini-split HVAC unit cost $900, but it would have cost around $3,500 with installation included. With some YouTube education, Wright installed the mini-split in about three hours. Along the way, he’s also had help from friends whom he paid with pizza and bourbon.

Digging a trench himself also saved Wright money when tapping into his home’s electricity service. And when he installs a generator in the future, the shed will have power during outages. The well-insulated walls will help the generator run with peak efficiency.

As with any part of one’s home, the man cave is never truly done. The future generator and some detailed cosmetic work are in Wright’s future plans.

The man cave shed sits next to a wooden deck. “The deck was built by the previous home owners,” Wright said. “However when deciding where to locate the shed, the deck was very much considered. The design specifically allows the shed to be opened up to the deck to expand seating even further. The shed was also wired to install external speakers in the future.  This will also more flexibility and entertainment possibilites.”

So how does Wright recommend tackling your man cave? “My advice is to make it yours. Most of the decor you will see in my man cave has a story whether it’s things my late father gave to me when I was child or places I have visited.”

All photos courtesy Kevin Wright.

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