Most of us are looking to build a man cave to get away from the stresses of reality. Whether it is a room or basement that we convert into our own little paradise, or an outdoor shed to get out of the house- there are a few things that never change: it is our place to be and it is our theme to choose! For those of you without the ability to free up a room in the house for your man cave, we have composed a list of the best sheds reviews for shed to man cave conversions. We will take a look at the durability, size, cost, and rating of each shed and what it brings to the table in comparison to what else is on the market. Let’s start with my personal favorite!
Little Cottage Company Colonial Pinehurst Precut Shed Kit
Price Range: $$$$- Durability: Fastened panels, wind resistant, seasoned wood and panels
- Size: 1540 pounds, 145 x 96 x 117.5 inches
- My Rating: 8.9 out of 10
When I think man shed, I think a miniature house with a taste of me. This is a visually appealing shed, having an exterior with the look of a downsized house. The durability is there, and with the hefty weight well over a thousand pounds, it is tough enough to withstand the toughest of seasonal elements.
This shed contains a nice peak, allowing for a high interior arch and a sloped exterior finish for rain, hail, and snow drainage. With the surplus in interior height, you have the ability to create a loft for extra theme accessories (or a place to store that spare alcohol or food for your guests).
The only disadvantage I see with this shed is the roofing, as there are better wood options that are easier to assemble with the same endgame in mind. With the higher cost of this shed, those wood options should be available.
Keter Oakland 7.5 x 11 Outdoor Duotech Storage Shed
Price Range: $$- Durability: Double walled, steel reinforcement, wood/resin component, weather resistent
- Size: 420 pounds, 90.2 x 138 x 95.2 in
- My Rating: 8.8 out of 10
This potential man cave has unique materials that allow you to color the shed without creating a potential streaking or weathered look. With the “Duotech” walls, you get the look of a wood finish with the benefits or a resin exterior. The roof is also arched to prevent heavy snow fall and rain. The Duotech exterior also prevents weathering and rust, allowing you to spend time enjoying the shed and not wasting time with upkeep and restoration.
This man shed has an unbelievable amount of lighting for an outdoor shed. There are multiple windows mounted high along the walls, plus an additional source of lighting from a skylight. This gives you the potential of limiting costs on installing lighting of your own and using that money elsewhere (perhaps on the decor inside).
Assembly is extremely user-friendly, so building the shed is a limited stress project as opposed to a hair loss experiment!
Lifetime 6402 Outdoor Storage Shed
Price Range: $$- Durability: Polyethylene panels, Steel support beams and roofing, all weather resistance
- Size: 600+ pounds, 90″ W x 144″ L x 70 – 94″ H
- My Rating: 8.1 out of 10
This is a nice size shed with somewhat easy to assemble components- emphasis on the somewhat. If you are on a nice, windless day, you can assemble this by yourself if needed without an issue. However, if you have event the slightest of breezes, assembly of the doors and walls can be a huge pain in the butt.
The walls and doors are easy to assemble, but locking them into place can be a bit of a hassle without stabilizing the wall. Additionally, and yes this is a no brainer in any project, you must have level flooring for this. You can get away with assembling a lot of sheds without a perfect level floor base, but with the specific setup of this shed, the floor base has to be 100 percent level to make this a smooth assembly. When you do have the shed assembled, you will be happy to know that the whole exterior is UV resistant and has weather damage prevention.
Lastly, the roofing gets a slight knock in comparison to other sheds in terms of the high arch. This allows for great drainage, but also allows for the potential of wind causing a sound disturbance while you are relaxing inside. The reinforced steel will keep everything in place, but the arch height does come with that small flaw.
Suncast BMS8100 Tremont Storage Shed
Price Range: $- Durability: Reinforced steel, double walled
- Size: Contains Shelving, 384 pounds, 100.5 x 122.25 x 103 in
- My Rating: 9.0 out of 10
This is our highest rated shed, based on capability, durability, and price. Most of the time, when you see a shed of this size at a lower price it raises a red flag- not here! Not only is this shed a good size, it comes with the double wall reinforced steel that is necessary for any man shed.
In addition to the structural dependability, this shed has six (yes six) sky lights! There are no windows on any of the walls, but this sky lighting allows you to get enough light for you to not worry too much installing electrical outlets (outside of the ones you need for entertainment purposes). The Suncast shed also comes with multiple shelves and the ability to add shelving to other areas with little work involved.
Shed construction for the Suncast is extremely easy, allowing you to spend more time enjoying the shed on day one as opposed to wasting the day solely on constructing it. This shed does use plastic for some of the framing, but it is designed in such a way that it doesn’t affect the durability or weather resistance. In terms of value and construction time, this is hands down the best shed out there.
Arrow VT1217 Vinyl Coated Murryhill Feet Heavy Duty Steel Storage Shed
Price Range: $$$- Durability: Steel coated in vinyl, massive full wall door that slides up
- Size: 586 pounds, 198 x 141.1 x 102 inches
- My Rating: 7.3 out of 10 due to poor instruction manual
Here we have the behemoth of man sheds. If you are looking for a shed that has the size of an actual room, look no further than the Arrow VT1217. The vinyl coated steel allows this lightweight (in terms of size) shed withstand poor weather conditions without giving up structural stability. Wind could be a bit of a hazard due to the low arch on the roofing, but the thick wall stability helps counter this is a great way.
On a negative note, this has to be the hardest shed to assemble due to the instructions. If you were to google this shed, everything negative about it relates to the instruction manual. When you want a good product, you want to make sure you install it correctly- how can you do that if the instructions aren’t black and white? If you are a handyman and can get through the instructions, then this could be a great option for you! There are also no windows installed in this shed, making it a necessity to have some form of electricity needed to make this potential man shed habitable.
On a positive note, this shed has a massive door that rolls up similar to a garage door. This allows you to have easy access to the shed with an open wall feel. This could be great if you had an auto themed man shed idea, bar idea, or a sports themed idea. All of this allows the people you are hosting to have an open area where they can enjoy the environment without the cramped feel of a room.
Lifetime 60001 Outdoor Storage Shed
Price Range: $$- Durability: Reinforced Steel, Locks, Reinforced roofing, Two entry points
- Size: Shelving, 596 pounds, 116 x 92 x 96 in
- My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
The only thing holding this potential men shed from the highest score here is its size. Reinforced steel, two entry points (both of which have locks), and reinforced roofing allows this shed to withstand the toughest of outdoor elements. The roofing is reinforced to withstand heavy rain, snow, and hail- a major necessity for those who live in areas like myself (we have hailstorms monthly it seems).
Assembly is straightforward, requiring one to two people for an efficient assembly. The parts are labeled and the products are all present-there just happens to be a lot of different components to this. Once you have the shed up and ready, this is your ideal miniature mansion.
There are two large sky lights with an additional 4 smaller skylights all in combination with multiple windows and vents. If that was not enough, there are four shelves- allowing you to store any memorabilia or liquor for your man shed theme. Add a 10-year warranty and all you need is your debit/credit card to call it yours!
Which fits you?
Are you looking for a large man shed, a smaller one, or simply one that has it all? These are the best options out there in terms of durability, cost, and options. If you have ever used one of these or are interested in them, feel free to leave a comment below for your fellow man shed entrepreneurs!
My partner will love one of these! Doesn’t have to be too big, so I think your suggestions will do fine! Thanks so much for the great review 🙂
Thank you for the kind words! Some of these options are small, as people seem to be going for a more simplistic approach to their man sheds and she sheds. If you need any more advice feel free to comment below or email me here!
Good page man. I never thought of having a shed for a man cave! haha. 🙂 Thanks for posting.
Cheers
Thanks! A man shed is ideal for those who don’t have the room inside their house for a man cave. Sometimes it is due to their significant other, sometimes it is due to kids and a growing family. Whatever the case, we should always have the ability to find our own little slice of happiness away from reality!
I never thought of a shed in the manner for a guy. I’ve always heard man cave, but always thought of garages and basements. I have heard of the She Shed, but never a He Shed. It’s an interesting concept.
It is, but they all hold the same concept. A lot of guys are out doing their spring landscaping, and quite often we get lost in terms of how long we are outside. The concept of converting a shed into a man cave allows you to take that break you need while still outdoors. Instead of coming back inside the house all sweaty and annoyed, you come back refreshed from taking a break in your man shed!
What a great review. I just purchases a home recently and my boyfriend is wanting to build an outdoor man cave. I will be using your suggestions in the near future.
He has unlimited potential if he selects any of the options listed above. If he does decide to start building his man cave, feel free to comment again with updates- I would love to hear them!
OMG. I didn’t know they even had these kinds of sheds. But then again, they’re just sheds – you can use them for anything – including man caves. Did you know that you can build your own man cave shed with woodworking plans online? Yep. I saw it. Do you think you’ll be posting about DIY build from the ground sheds?
Absolutely! There are kits you can purchase for you to build your own shed- in addition to the pre built ones that are linked above. I will be doing my research and adding a post on those DIY sheds in the near future!
Hi Andrew,
Never heard of a man cave, interesting!
I know we need a shed for my husband’s collection of tools and other stuff. Our garage is so crowded, lol! One of those you listed should be okay. We will read your post again when we have the budget.
It could also be his man cave for sure.
Thanks for the great review.
Marita
You should definitely look into them for your husband, or even yourself should you want a little getaway!
Hello,
We have been looking at different sheds for a man cave! Thanks for this great post, so many options here. We have looked at a few that looked like mini barns, we were wondering though if there would be building permits that we would need for some of the larger sheds? Especially if we wanted to have electricity
You only need codes when they surpass a certain size. You just need your HOA (if you have one) to approve it- other than that it is quite easy to get a shed. The electricity is allowed, depending on what type of electricity you want. Outlets and all that can be DIY, but electricians can guarantee a warranty and protect you
Yes Please! This is a great site which I have bookmarked for future (maybe everyday reference). I have been discussing and planning building a Man Cave for what feels like an eternity and have visualised where it will go in my garden and what will go in it over and over again such as would I have a projector screen, pool table, dart board, bar etc.
This website is a great niche and I look forward to reading more.
Thank you for the kind words! Choosing what will be in your man cave or man shed is hard, but figuring out what type of shed and what size and shelving capabilities is the first step in that progress. Once you have all that down, the rest falls into play.
Great review on these sheds lots of options and for every wallet too.
Even though you are talking about a “man cave” in our family it is me who is looking for something like this. 🙂
My husband and I have talked about it to build me a shed for me and my “stuff”, we have done so in the past but this shed was meant for storage. We have the space to build another one and so far I like the first you have reviewed, will see if hubby feels the same way.
Thanks 🙂
These options are for both a man cave or a she shed! I have two posts here regarding she sheds, and the first step is choosing which shed fits your overall wants and needs. I hope your hubby approves and you get to have that special place of your own!
I have always wanted a man cave and to have one as a shed would be absolutely perfect! I really LOVE the look of the Little Cottage Company Colonial Pinehurst Precut Shed Kit. It gives such a homey feeling and looks like such a quaint place, but inside would make for a wonderful mancave for games and movies. I see the price is a little higher for that one, but it seems like it could be well worth it. I also like the Keter Oakland that comes with 6 skylights! You did an excellent job of showing all the different kinds of sheds available to make man caves out of and also their general price ranges. Are any of those sheds your favorite?
The Little Cottage Company Shed Kit is absolutely perfect in terms of size, style, and capabilities! The price does scare some people off, but if you were to purchase it, you are purchasing something that will last as long as your house. You wont need to find another a few years down the road to a bigger version, and you have everything you need from the start!
I do like the 6 skylights in the Keter Oakland, as it brings a bit of extra light in that gives the shed the feel of a home! As for my favorite, I want them all! I do like the Little Cottage one the best, as the size, capabilities, and overall look is absolutely perfect for my endeavors.
These look like cool man sheds. I mean, my guy’s not really a man shed type but these are so cool I’d almost want one for myself ha. I could use it as like a creativity shed for drawing and sewing, or like my own personal office shed to cut me off from distractions.
I have a two posts here for she shed ideas, and you seem to be interested in that concept. We all need a space away from reality, whether it is a man cave, personal office, or she shed. Hopefully you find one here that will allow you to have a space of your own!
Okay, the Little Cottage Company Colonial Pinehurst Precut Shed Kit is absolutely adorable! I think it makes a better she shed than man cave, though. I would use it for my office and for painting and keeping my stuff in so the kids couldn’t get it all. But the other options are good for the guys. 😉
It doubles as both a man cave and she shed! The benefit of converting a shed into a cave is that you can make it whatever you want – an office, paint and crafting area, etc. I love all concepts, so the benefits of a she shed or man cave are truly amazing!
Wow, the first shed. It’s amazing. Instead of a man cave I will turn it into a women cave for myself.
Honestly though, I am a little jealous right now and want to buy it. Aside from it looking ‘pretty’ it would be the perfect man cave and I’m not sure I would be able to get my husband out of there.
I do like the other choices as well though and appreciate the time you took to compile the list to help the decision process.
Cheers!
That one is my favorite as well at the moment! You can create it to a she-shed or a man cave for your husband, an either option is going to be great for both of you. The capabilities of that shed (and the others) is endless – its a blank template for you and I hope you make the leap to get it and make the shed your own!
Thank you for listing out those sheds, they look really great. I have always wanted to build one to make it my DYI workshop. It will be great if you can share with us a few tips on how to build, secure or maintain the shed. Keep up the good work!
I plan on making a post in the future on DIY sheds or kits so you can design your own shed with the modifications that fit what you are going for. Although these sheds are great for 90% of people, DIY ones are extremely appealing.