One of the most popular enhancements to basements has to be the addition of what is now commonly known as a ‘man cave’. If you have been living in a cave and are not familiar with this term we will take a look at what a ‘man cave’ is and why it is now so desirous. In addition, we will also take a look at some money-saving ideas that can help you to realize your dream of a ‘man cave’ that much faster.
So, what is a ‘man cave’ exactly? Well, you won’t find the definition in the Webster’s Dictionary, yet. A ‘man cave’ is a sanctuary in which to enjoy all things male with the other like minded men. For a ‘man cave’ to be truly effective it must contain a full-featured sound system, big screen TV, oversized couch, wall to wall sports posters and, if possible, a built-in bar. If all the aforementioned are accounted for there is one more, very important, consideration to take into account. It is perhaps the most important thing of all when it comes to fully leveraging the entertainment potential in this male oasis. Let us now take a look at this ‘X’ factor.
The one thing that can kill the usability of any ‘man cave’ is poor sound insulation. The whole point is to get away from the family and enjoy sports and concerts dialed up to their maximum enjoyment levels without disturbing the rest of the house in the process. There is nothing more disappointing than going to all this trouble only to find out that every sound is being transmitted throughout the house. Nothing is known to shut a ‘man cave’ down faster than disturbing the rest of the household.
The most typical method for controlling sound in a ‘man cave’ is to build a room inside a room. This new room will be offset from the original room and only slightly smaller. This acts to stop the transmission of sound vibrations along the existing walls. For the ceiling, the addition of floating joists between the original joists is recommended. This acts to decouple the new ceiling from the old one by creating a floating ceiling. The next thing to do with the floating ceiling is to add perpendicular (to the floating joists) rows of hat channel hung on resilient clips. Hat channel is thin strips of metal from which the new ceiling drywall can be hung.
Once the room inside the room has been framed up, insulation needs to be added before the new layer, or layers, of dry wall are added. An easy way to install insulation into this smaller room, which may have had to utilize a non-standard design that does not necessarily lend itself to the installation of traditional batts of insulation, is to use spray foam. Not only is spray foam a green product, it is very easy to install as it fits into any space without all the unnecessary cutting and waste of traditional insulation products. Spray foam also saves you money over the long-term when compared with tradition insulation.
Another great advantage of spray foam is that it can be blown into existing walls without having to remove all the dry wall. So for an extra layer of sound proofing, insulation can be sprayed into the walls surrounding your room inside a room via small pilot holes, which can be easily covered over. This also gives you the option, if money is an issue, to just insulate an existing room using only spray foam insulation. Now that you know your options, it is time to make your dream ‘man cave’ a reality.
Spray Foam Direct expanding foam is a quick and easy do-it-yourself green expanding foam product, which will save you money and energy. Guardian Energy Technologies offers the added benefit of reducing our carbon footprint by offering green solutions and balancing their impact through carbon reproduction projects. Visit us online today!