The Gentleman’s Mancave!

We were given a brief… a cosy, traditional gentleman’s mancave with a rustic, steampunk interior. And that’s what we built!

Lots of work went into cleaning up and prepping reclaimed wood for this project including old scaffold boards for the floor and internal wall partition.

The timber used for the ceiling and wall cladding apparently started life as a sub floor in one of the Burtons factories in Leeds, where they used to make the demob suits after World War II.

As part of the build, Dave and Lewis built a fixed bed topped off with a custom designed cog-themed headboard in a steampunk style. They also used the cog theme on the apex of the curved end sections on the exterior.

It features an overly complicated curtain drawing mechanism built out of bicycle chains, cogs and a cannibalised hand drill. That was just for fun! 

A cosy Hobbit stove sits neatly in the corner, with a steampunk-y rusted metal heat shield behind. The rusted metal theme was carried on with light switches and sockets. The interior was painted using a deep red and a traditional green which works really well against the wooden timbers.

This shepherds hut includes an unusual double stable door which was a bespoke request from our client and looks awesome. Good shout!

The exterior is finished with featheredge cladding, plus painted shiplap detail. The wheels are cast iron and a little smaller than normal in order to lower access for our client.

Size wise, this is Peregrine size at 4.8m long and 2.3m wide but Merlin plus style with a woodburner and handbuilt bed.

So what does that make it?? Big fancy Merlin? Peregrine Lite?! We don’t have a name for it. But it was an absolute joy to build, and a chance to really let Dave and Lewis’ creative flair shine through.