Turn Your Man Cave Into a Preppers Paradise With These 9 Man Cave Ideas
If there’s any course humanity will take, you can likely bet it’s going to end in a lot of explosions. Since the Manhattan Project wrapped and the Cold War began, governments and those anticipating doomsday have been building megaliths of survival, capable of surviving the worst damage mankind can deal.
The Burlington Bunker, The Cheyenne Mountain, even the Raven Rock Mountain Complex stand as monuments to our world’s paranoid ideas that one day, shit is going to hit the fan.
Though safe, these complexes all share one common theme; they’d all suck to live in. Across the globe, doomsday preppers are shunning the idea safety needs to trump aesthetics, finding a way to carve out a post-apocalyptic life in style.
For the single man after the fallout, this would be a perfect opportunity to turn your fortress of solitude into the ultimate preppers man cave.
Man Cave Ideas: The preppers man cave
Man Cave Idea 1: Trick Out The Outside
There seems to be a common theme of putting shelters either deep underground or bored into a mountain. This is almost unnecessary in a way, considering most likely, your shelter will not come under direct fire. A shelter’s job is to keep you safe from the evils on the outside, a task being above ground doesn’t hinder at all. Why not make your man cave shelter look good in the process?
This shelter by UN Studio was built on top of an old war bunker. Sleek in design, hip, modern and sealed in stainless steel, this shelter could probably save you from the mutated hordes likely to be climbing all over it once the radiation sinks in.
Man Cave Idea 2: Reuse
As fearful as we are now, the Cold War was a golden age for the construction of impervious fortresses against the nuclear threat. Once everyone realized that was probably not the case, a lot of empty shelters remained, a neglected community dotting the country. These buildings DO need to go to some use, so why not reuse them?
In Frankfurt, an architecture firm did just that, re-purposing an old bunker as the foundation for a number of music and art studios. With this idea, you can build your pad the way YOU’D like to, without compromising that invulnerability you’d seek in a fallout shelter.
Man Cave Idea 3: Recognize Your Space’s Potential
They don’t build ‘em like they used to, sure. But even when standing, renovations on old structures can be costly. If you got the coin, however, you can turn your dank, damp and dark space into something that makes a statement, giving your shelter/man cave a tasteful spin on a relic of war.
Take this old castle for example. By pressure washing the walls, framing the windows and by adding man cave furniture, a flat screen television and a wall rack for all of your guns and canned goods, you’ve instantly turned yourself into a veritable Arthur Pendragon of the apocalypse. All you need now are enough bros surviving to fill up the round table.
Man Cave Idea 4: Play Off The Novelty Of Your Space
If you find yourself living in a bunker, you may as well embrace it. Decorating and theming your space accordingly can be a cool way to create an intriguing aesthetic that can almost glamorize life in a shelter, turning the fearful dark of safety into a true prepper’s paradise.
Fallout shelters are usually pretty claustrophobic spaces, especially for DIY-refuges. If you happen to chance upon a defunct government facility, you can consider yourself lucky, the wide open spaces offering boundless opportunity to trick out your setting.
In Russia, old war bunkers have found new life in the night as clubs and dance halls, using the acoustics of the place to full advantage. Even the thunder of bombs aren’t audible, the bass from your sub woofer certainly will be.
This old Russian military facility bears little resemblance to its former form, now featuring a club-like atmosphere with tables, couches and a stage. Invite some lady friends, play some loud music, and you suddenly have THE gem of underground nightlife. If you’re looking for a place to live, government installations can also be a legitimate option.
Man Cave Idea 5: Make It Feel Like Home
Everyone preparing for doomsday is well aware of one thing: It’s much safer to be underground when the world above falls into chaos. While subterranean real estate may seem like the safest bet, it certainly sacrifices a lot in the way of certain luxuries like, for instance, a view, natural lighting or accessibility.
Just because you can’t change the conditions of safety doesn’t mean you should have to accept it. This bomb shelter from Cold War-era Las Vegas is the epitome of class in an age of middle class nuclear paranoia. Tasteful murals to simulate the outdoors, adjustable lighting and full plumbing and electrical systems were installed to make life after the fallout a little more bearable.
Man Cave Idea 6: Promote Pacifism By Converting Former Military Facilities Into Killer Bachelor Pads
Back when the U.S. government was fairly sure Russia was going to bomb the hell out of us, the government commissioned thousands of shelters and missile silos throughout the continental U.S. Nowadays, many of them sit empty, prime real estate for people who either need someplace to keep their
- ballistic missiles or
- families safe from the dangers of the outside world.
Edward Peden from Dover, Kansas did just that when he purchased a $25 million missile silo for around $40,000, renovating it and filling the inside with luxuries and amenities sufficient enough to live a life of safety in style.
Man Cave Idea 7: Live Out Your Dreams Of Being An Action Hero
Batman had the Batcave. Superman had the fortress of solitude. Why not build a man cave on par with the work of titans? With so many malleable properties out there, there is no end to the technology and furnishings you’ll be able to pack into a place.
Though it’s now a government-run computer center, Pionen in Stockholm has kept its rough, granite facades, giving the facility a cave-like feeling sure to evoke cries of a superhero’s hangout.
Man Cave Idea 8: Segregate The Property For Different Moods
Many of the properties available to purchase are often more than just a single facility or building—rather, many ex-military facilities are multi-structure complexes, with some buildings above ground. If you can’t decide on a theme for your new digs, you can always use the extra space to show off the diversity of your vision. Think about it; a building for a smokehouse/brewery, one for dancing and partying and one for relaxation. Now that’s the total package.
Man Cave Idea 9: Go Underground, Use The Savings For Man Cave Furnishing
Without much practical use beyond their intended purpose, bomb shelters and bunkers often depreciate immediately after decommissioning, many selling for a fraction of their original build cost. They often offer expansive floor plans easy to manipulate and interpret by an interior designer. The issue with this, however, is the cost of renovation and making the facility a suitable place to drink with your friends.
The lowest many shelters will go in terms of cost is in the mid-six figures, with the lowest priced ones making a dent of around $350,000. If you were looking on buying a mansion for a million, you could buy one of these sites, equal the cost of purchase on renovations and furnishings and be living a comparable lifestyle in a pretty cool setting. For a fraction of the cost! Need more man cave ideas, no problemo, take a look at our 17 killer man cave ideas.
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