Trophy/reloading/man cave build

[gearguywb]

We finally decided to have some work done to build out our under-garage walk out area.

The plan is to split off the reloading area, then build out the trophy room to have a comfortable "guy" place.

Flat screen on one wall, smoke eater installed with separate exterior air for cigar smoking, etc.

The walls will be corrugated metal approx 36" then sheets of "barn wood" above that. Ceiling will be painted black. Epoxy floor.

Below are some before and during work progress pics.

 

[rookhawk]

Looks great. I encourage you to look into inline fabrication quick release mounts for your presses. Buy extras to drill out for other reloading tools and a bench vise. You can then store all of the equipment on the ends and just drop them into place on the stations when you need them. (so you never run into space constraints and so you don't drill a million holes in your tables)

The other cool thing to do for space saving is to run recessed aluminum tracks in your tables. You can then clamp down things like priming devices or trimmers, slide them back and forth on the table, or remove them and put them under the tables for storage.

I realized that my workshop with three benches is not enough room. I wish I had more quick detach options because a 1.5 car garage space isn't enough room for all the gunsmithing, machining, and reloading things I need to do if I permanently affix every item.

 

[Rare Breed]

We finally decided to have some work done to build out our under-garage walk out area.

The plan is to split off the reloading area, then build out the trophy room to have a comfortable "guy" place.

Flat screen on one wall, smoke eater installed with separate exterior air for cigar smoking, etc.

The walls will be corrugated metal approx 36" then sheets of "barn wood" above that. Ceiling will be painted black. Epoxy floor.

Below are some before and during work progress pics.


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WOW!!! I am getting ready to change our enclosed screen porch into my new trophy room/office. I absolutely love what you are doing!!!! I am so looking forward to your completion with special attention to your strategy of placing both animals and Africa pictures. Not to high jack your thread but I am in a quandary about the best way to place animals, pictures and Africa furniture. A good example was I think @rookhawk had an outdoor safari set of furniture he sold…I am thinking I should somehow incorporate that idea into my new room. I would love to hear people’s thoughts, pictures and experiences!!!!

 

[rookhawk]

WOW!!! I am getting ready to change our enclosed screen porch into my new trophy room/office. I absolutely love what you are doing!!!! I am so looking forward to your completion with special attention to your strategy of placing both animals and Africa pictures. Not to high jack your thread but I am in a quandary about the best way to place animals, pictures and Africa furniture. A good example was I think @rookhawk had an outdoor safari set of furniture he sold…I am thinking I should somehow incorporate that idea into my new room. I would love to hear people’s thoughts, pictures and experiences!!!!

We didn't sell the safari furniture, we bought it for a fine gentleman on this forum that was downsizing. Campaign furniture is great for "the look" but they are not very comfortable for people over 6'2" or 225lbs, keep that in consideration. Leather chairs and sofas can be found on FB marketplace for pennies, Hide / Skin pillows and ottomans can be bought or made.

As to where and how to put trophies, my biggest regret is too much taxidermy and not enough walls. I highly recommend as many nicknacks as you can so you can enjoy more of your animals than your walls will allow. Chess piece pedestal amounts are great too, they work when you don't have wall space. Whenever I have a pedestal made, I pay extra to have additional flanges built into it invisibly so you can add a bushbuck and nyala at a later date to your existing kudu pedestal. (space saving)

Sorry for the threadjack to the OP, just sharing what I did since Rare Breed mentioned our safari "smoking room" by name. Apologies for the mess, we were selling some of our spare stuff on AH the day this pic was taken so it has more stuff in the room than usual.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

What's with the FBI mini silhouette targets on the door? An odd backstop.

 

[gearguywb]

What's with the FBI mini silhouette targets on the door? An odd backstop.

LOL. From many years of shooting professionally. Dry fire targets. Forgot to grab the last of them

 

[PARA45]

Following with high interest.

 

[Green Chile]

These are some of my fav topics…following and no detail or lesson learned is too small to share!

 

[Frederik]

Something is happening and I am sure will turn out great following.

 

[gearguywb]

Today’s floor progress. I wanted something different without a high sheen.

 

[gearguywb]

Getting started on the walls.

 

[gearguywb]

Progress!

 

[Rare Breed]

Gorgeous!!! Someone please remind me what thickness of plywood under sheet rock should be used for hanging heavy mounts without studs please

 

[Green Chile]

3/4 inch plywood

 

[Rare Breed]

Thanks!!!! I forgot!

 

[Sabre]

As to where and how to put trophies, my biggest regret is too much taxidermy and not enough walls.

Is your regret having too many trophies, or is it not having enough walls?

I am currently in a similar situation. My situation is made even worse because we got a house with an open floor plan design. Which seems great when you have very few mounts and like how open it is. As you acquire many mounts, you realize that you don't have hardly any walls to hang things.

 

[rookhawk]

Is your regret having too many trophies, or is it not having enough walls?

I am currently in a similar situation. My situation is made even worse because we got a house with an open floor plan design. Which seems great when you have very few mounts and like how open it is. As you acquire many mounts, you realize that you don't have hardly any walls to hang things.

Indeed. Same exact thing over here. Open floorplan, loads of windows and doors. I jokingly tell my friends the house was built for a grandfather clock collector. They look around the house and realize that the distances between windows and doors throughout can hold about two dozen grandfather clocks, but that's it.

If I could do it over again I'd have had a lot more curios and furniture made, a lot fewer mounts and rugs. I should have ordered two pedestal mounts with 3 flanges on each so I could put 3 shoulder mounts on each pedestal, compressing animals.

The worst part? Anything I mounted thus far is inferior to things I've yet to mount. So now I'm struggling to justify spending money on SCI Gold and RW trophies because I already have silvers and bronzes stacked up in the storage room.

I've made bad decisions. Don't be like me.

 

[CBeck]

That’s going to be a wonderful space. Hope you don’t mind me sharing ideas but, anyone looking for budget ideas, I used cheap rough cut fence pickets to do my office/barn/mancave/shop ceiling and a couple walls. My painted walls are luan underlayment with furring strips.

 

[Sabre]

Indeed. Same exact thing over here. Open floorplan, loads of windows and doors. I jokingly tell my friends the house was built for a grandfather clock collector. They look around the house and realize that the distances between windows and doors throughout can hold about two dozen grandfather clocks, but that's it.

If I could do it over again I'd have had a lot more curios and furniture made, a lot fewer mounts and rugs. I should have ordered two pedestal mounts with 3 flanges on each so I could put 3 shoulder mounts on each pedestal, compressing animals.

The worst part? Anything I mounted thus far is inferior to things I've yet to mount. So now I'm struggling to justify spending money on SCI Gold and RW trophies because I already have silvers and bronzes stacked up in the storage room.

I've made bad decisions. Don't be like me.

I feel like I am well on the way there. The trouble is, you get your first animal of a species and you want to mount it. But with limited space, you then realize, often, your first animal of a species doesn't end up being your best.

I have all the same feelings. I will likely end up with a lot of skull mounts and rugs that are better than my shoulder mounts and half/full mounts.

The trouble is that you rarely know at the time of mounting one if you will for sure get another one or a better one. The nature of hunting I suppose.

 

[towserthemouser]

Following with interest; this is looking great!

Like @rookhawk we have an open floor plan with a lot of glass and limited wall space. I have a few select trophies inside the house (the ones Momma thinks are "pretty" LOL), but I've realized the only real wall space remaining will be European skull mounts on the walls in the garage, which fortunately has high ceilings.

A good friend said he has basically gone to taking high quality photos and putting them in a nice leather bound photo album. He said don't spend too all your money on taxidermy that you don't have space for anyway, just go hunt and take great photos and enjoy the memories...... I think I may do more of that. Will reserve space for only the most special of trophies.....