I was told by a friend that all a man needed to be happy was a polebarn, an ice fishing pad/house and enough space for a pillow and his blanket. The ice fishing house/pad sounds very much like man cave, as they are termed in the last couple of years. So what is a man cave?

Definition;

A man cave (also sometimes mantuary) is a male sanctuary, such as a specially equipped garage, spare bedroom, media room, den, basement, or Tiny Green Cabin.

Purpose;

A man cave is loosely a male-only space to retreat to, watch sports matches, or play video games. According to psychiatrist and author Scott Haltzman, it is important for a man to have a place to call his own, referring to a male area to retreat to. Some psychologists claim that a man cave can provide refuge from stressful surroundings and be beneficial to marriage and committed relationships.

The Little Rascals had a Man Cave, except it was their club house; when I played Wild Wild West in my youth, my fort was my man cave; when my dad retreated to the garage to play with his car…that was his man cave; and now all those places have been elevated with the formal name – “Man Cave”

The Man Caves of today have high tech features, huge flat screen TV’s, bars that are fully stocked, and comfy seating for friends, internet hookups, and video games . In  man cave law, No man shall ever cancel plans with his buddies at the last minute. Exceptions: You win free tickets to the Super Bowl, Carmen Electra is unbuttoning your shirt, or in cases of death (your own). For more laws, click here

Triggered in part by the “Man Caves” series that airs on the DIY Network, men across America are daring to visualize something they’ve craved in the most primitive recesses of their brains for years: A place of their own.

It doesn’t matter whether the magic happens in a basement, a garage, an attic, a shed or a barn. What’s important is that the man of the house gets a refuge that’s tailored to his specific interests.

The Wildflower cabin is my Man Cave, as it is my place to think, talk with a friend or two via my cell, a place to relax, to read, and to feel safe. When I started living in the Wildflower Cabin, it was my proverbial doghouse and developed into finding out how to make the tiny cabin better. To that end, there have been thoughts for improvements, suggestions noted, and different designs contemplated. Since I built the Wildflower, there was already a lot of me built into the small cabin, so one could say I had a special attachment to it, it was my nest, my man cave.

Here are some pictures of man caves. One of them is mine. Which One? The  person to email me the right answer closest to the 27th email will receive a $50 gift certificate to Home Depot.

By definition from Wikipedia

Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter’s Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters. The abundance of North American timber and the carpenter-built vernacular architectures based upon it made a picturesque improvisation upon Gothic a natural evolution. Carpenter Gothic improvises upon features that were carved in stone in authentic Gothic architecture, whether original or in more scholarly revival styles; however, in the absence of the restraining influence of genuine Gothic structures, the style was freed to improvise and emphasize charm and quaintness rather than fidelity to received models.

We did mention that possibility in the previous post, and Tiny Green Cabins has a preliminary plan for a Carpenter Gothic cabin.

The history of the Carpenter Gothic style started in the early 1800′s via tents, and most notably the Methodists camp-meeting grounds. The largest of these camp meeting grounds was at Martha’s Vineyards off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. These tents evolved into canvas topped, wood framed, wood sided, and candle lit structures that glowed in the night. They are an interesting link to Carpenter Gothic designs and homes of the later 1800′s.

As time progressed, people dressed up the front of the canvas roofs by designing unique cutouts in the front flaps and adding carvings to the front to stand out from each other. The sides and rear remained simple and plain. So, in a nutshell, Carpenter Gothic homes have carved and unique decorative moldings/features on the front and few, if any, on the sides and rear.

This style works well on a Tiny Green Cabin as one could design their cabin with their own unique personal style and ideas without breaking the bank. Just think of the possibilities that your mind could play with. Are you a hermit – then play around with the door and other features, a person that loves moose – then create a moose motif, so many possibilities…..

Call Tiny Green Cabins TODAY to start your personal design of your own tiny house!

What are Tiny Houses? The Tiny House Movement? Tiny Living?

Simply put it is a social movement where people are downsizing the space that they live in. The typical American home is around 2600 square feet, while the typical small or tiny house is around 400 square feet. Tiny Houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms but they focus on smaller spaces, simplified living, and sometimes living off the grid.

People are joining this movement for many reasons, but the most popular reasons are because of environmental concerns, financial concerns, seeking more time, health concerns, freedom and making a statement.

I lived in the Wildflower Cabin/Tiny House of 120 square feet plus loft for 8 months and I enjoyed it. Before that, I lived in a tiny house of 400 square feet, and to put a perspective on that, think of a standard 2 car garage, my carriage house was slightly smaller. Cleaning, utilities, and upkeep is minimal and opens up your time to do some many different things. It gave me freedom to do something else besides maintaining a larger home in both time and money.

Another benefit of tiny house living is that it is easy to add curb appeal of Country/Gothic/Victorian details without breaking the bank. Just think of your possibilities……Carpenter Gothic…..

I am remembering a story – about baseball:

I belonged to the Flying Eagles and as each summer approached, we looked forward to baseball. Besides building minnow traps, minnow boxes, bird houses, a bus shelter, small forts, and chicken coops, I liked playing baseball.

The season of 1966, we had a walk-on to our team who lived in Marinette, WI, 20 miles away from our club. He joined our 4H club to play ball as a pitcher. Gary loved baseball and loved to pitch sidearm. Watching him wind up to deliver the pitch told you instantly that his pitches would sizzle across the plate! Everyone on the team tried catching for him, and everyone decided they would rather try a different position. I saw this as an opportunity to play ball and be an important part of the team, so I just needed to learn to catch for Gary. Could I do it?

After several games of practice, it became easier to catch for him, except that a fielder’s glove did not soften the impact of the baseball hitting my hand – more padding was required. My dad said he would loan me a few dollars, so I purchased a good catcher’s mitt, with lots of padding. As each evening practice and Sunday game went by, catching became easier and more fun. I was involved in every play, and was never bored – and I did not need to run to centerfield and back all the time. By the 3rd game, my new mitt was charred black from where the ball hit the pocket, and no one cared to take my position.

We won the league and Gary made it to All Stars for the county, and because no one else in the rest of the county would catch for him, I was named as All Star catcher! While I was good, my goal/intention was to be part of the team, play ball, and make a worthwhile contribution. It was a win-win for everyone.

That is a trait I still use to this day: find the niche where I can be part of the team, have fun, and make a worthwhile contribution. Tiny Green Cabins are a part of that niche and philosophy. Each cabin and shed is fun to build, and I view the building process as being part of the team of the buyer and myself, and we are making a worthwhile contribution to sustainability and our planet.

We also contribute 10% of our profits to nonprofit organizations or other humanitarian efforts. These nonprofits have to have a history of doing community service projects. Recently, Tiny Green Cabins contributed funds to help build a grade school in Cambodia, Habitat for Humanity, and Appalachian Service Project.