Find a little spot that makes you happy’: Man Caves, She Sheds provide unique space to escape to, entertain buddies, gal pals

Call it a place to get away and escape, or perhaps a great spot to entertain. Either way, more and more Man Caves and She Sheds are popping up from coast-to-coast.

It can be a retreat, oftentimes specially equipped in a garage, basement, spare bedroom or tree house. It can also be a show place, filled with memorabilia highlighting the homeowner’s interests and career accomplishments.

Whatever it is, it’s designed to be the most comfortable place to hang, either alone or with friends.

“I joke with my friends that I could probably live in it and rent out my house because I spend so much time there,” said Brandon resident Barry Derheim, who’s garage is loaded with enough car memorabilia to make Henry Ford blush. “I stay there most of the time. I’m pretty proud of it.”

She Sheds are the woman’s answer to the Man Cave. Often loaded with books, paintings, softer colors and furniture, the She Shed is a storage shed with a makeover that gives women a private oasis in their own backyard.

For Brandon resident Diane Kopsas, her She Shed fills just that role. 

“It really is cool. I love being out there,” she said. “It’s my fun little place in the backyard. I like to be around nature and I like to dabble in painting. It’s a hobby and I put a lot of knick-knacky, weird, quirky stuff that I find (in there).”

Kopsas said her husband built the shed for her, big enough so that he could use half of it for his fun memorabilia. But doubling as a Man Cave didn’t fly.

“I took over that space, too,” Kopsas said with a chuckle. 

She Sheds are oftentimes used by garden enthusiasts. The sheds are a great place to relax between weeding and planting, and when the chores are over, everything has a home in one spot. It’s another aspect that Kopsas said she loves about her shed.

“I love to garden, and I love watching the birds and squirrels,” she said. “I sit out there and listen to podcasts and paint whatever I’m feeling. I just spend time by myself and get away.”

According to Lawnstarter, an online company that offers lawn tips through their smartphone app, the average cost to build a She Shed is $3,600. Residents can obviously build them from scratch, but several lawn companies offer kits that assist in the process. 

For Kopsas, that seems like money well spent.

“If you like getting away and have a certain hobby and want a place where you can decompress, find a little spot that makes you happy,” she said. 

For as tranquil as Kopsas’ She Shed is, things are ramped up at Derheim’s automobile racing garage where it’s 100 percent testosterone.

He said when he was in the market to buy a house in Brandon in 2010, the search ended when he found his current home. The garage size of 26 feet wide x 40 feet deep hooked him from the start, and he said he knew the space would be transformed into a Man Cave.

When he purchased it, the garage had open rafters, particle board on the walls, and no heat. He tore the boards out, added heat, insulated it, sheet-rocked it, and rewired the entire space that now has a big screen television, surround sound, a vintage 1953 refrigerator along with a recliner and coach. Corrugated tin, updated lighting and a brick wallpaper surround the space, which is still big enough to house three cars.

“It’s my family room,” he said. “I’ll never sell this house because I’d never be able to replace it.”