Well, it appears that I am finally going to get to build my first house next fall. My dilemma is the trophy room. The house plans are already at about 2200 sqft without it, I want to do it right but not to where I can't afford to do it.
So here is what I'm kicking around, give me any pro's or cons and remember that unless the good Lord moves me, I plan on staying in this house. Ok, size wise, either 20x25 w/ 12ft walls, 25x25 w/ 12ft walls or 25x30 w/ 12ft walls. I don't want to under build, but I don't want to get stupid either. Right now I have about 22 mounts and I plan quitting hunting when I'm dead. So, any help would be greatly appreciated............wapiti7

Even though my wife always tell me size doesn't matter, I think bigger is always better.

Seriously, I just had to add a 14' x 30' room on because my 14' x 20' trophy room was filled to overflowing. Both are visible under several threads in this section if you haven't seen them.

That said, the room size will also depend on other aspects of the design. For example, the more windows and doors you add takes away from usable wall space for mounts. Same applies if you plan to use the floor for pedestal mounts and such; the more furniture you add removes that footage.

Sooo...you should lay out a rough plan on paper so you can determine how much space will be unusable at the different room sizes. Then you can you determine what you might need for the total room dimensions and adjust to your bank account. Good luck. -TONY

18 x 36 here and it wasn't enough! Size does matter, and the ceilings will help enormously. Build it and go for euro mounts more frequently...

Good luck


good hunting

Build it as big as you can. As a taxidermist I can recommend not to have any windows or as few as possible. Light will fade your mounts fast plus they use up valuable wall space.Oh and go for a cathedral ceiling.

congratulations and best wishes

You are getting great advice about laying out the room. Remember rectangular vs. square changes the flow of the room and how to lay out the furniture, pedestal mounts, rugs, and NIC-Naks. Conversation areas and media use of the room also change its layout. Use graph paper to test your options and as important lay out your walls to space your wall mounts on. This is as tricky as the floor space. Cathedral ceilings are great, but how high do you need it?? Which way should it run to optimize the look of the room and your trophies?
The least cost is to do it right the first time with room for the future trophies and not have to build another trophy ANNEX later unless you would rather pay more later.

I believe that sunlight(at least the UV portion) is the damaging agent and films or coatings can be put on windows to prevent this. You still give up wall space with windows so again it is a balancing act.

Best of luck on deciding on the final product.
What a wonderfully stressful topic!!
Robert

As for natural light, I was planning on putting 12x12 glass blocks about every 6 feet around the room. They would go where the wall meets the ceiling. I figure that this will allow light in, but it will be soft and diffused. There wont be any windows in the place. My main concern is how big, and if it's too big I'll still need to heat and cool the place !!! Anyway, thanks for the help, more would still be appreciated.....wapiti7

Wapiti:

I would consider the resale value of your house when designing your trophy room. A house with a large room with no windows is going to be very difficult to resell.

I think with some thought, you can avoid direct sunlight on your animals. But even if you can't, you could remount 20 animals for under 20 grand.

The best option if you want to go with no windows is to simply use your basement. Your ceilings will not be high, but you will not have any windows to worry about, and reselling a finished basement adds value.

Tony:

So how big is your trophy room now? Is it 14x50 or 14x30?

I understand. I thought about that, but I can cut a few windows in if I ever had to move. Thanks for the advice.........wapiti7

Another AZ,

I guess you haven't been following some of my threads here.

It's neither but actually two different rooms. The original 14' x 20' one is still solely a trophy room, while the newest addition is a combination of trophy room for my African/NZ critters and a family room complete with big screen, theater sound system and other homey furniture.

A passageway connects both rooms and the kitchen, plus has a door to the back patio. The first one below is looking back into the old 14' x 20' trophy room, and the second is looking back into the 14' x 30' new addition. -TONY

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:
Another AZ,

I guess you haven't been following some of my threads here.

No, I haven't. I have been too busy reading your Coues deer hunting book.

Hey, at least you're doing something worthwhile. Glad to hear you received it and hope you're enjoying it.

These threads below will give you a bit more perspective on what I did. The first one is the OLD 14' x 20' trophy room, which pretty much stood pat. The others show the finishing stages of the new one, with the last showing the African heads already hung. -TONY

Outdoor Writer's Room - Many Photos - Slow Loading

OW's Trophy room III as of 4-17-06

OW's New Room Part III As Of May 15

OW's Trophy room IV 5/18 -- HEADS UP!!

I like Tony's idea of using several rooms to display mounts. I've a 20x24 trophy room plus an 18x24 living room and both are filled with heads and a couple of lifesize mounts (common nyala and African lion). Every available space at my summer cabin is covered with heads, too. If you're still in middle age or younger, I suggest you double the size you think will need, then double it again.

Bill Q

The one were putting up right now is 28x30 with 16ft walls and a 24ft peak. It faces North and South with the northern most wall having a fire place and two 18" wide windows on either side of that. The west wall has a typical bay window 6'x4' The east wall has an access door and a starcase going up to a lofted bedroom. The south wall goes up to an exposed master bedroom loft.(So's I can stand in my pjs and look down on my man room). At the northern end is a set of windows at the truss level to open a bit more light and not make the room seem so tall. The whole addition, all 30 feet of trophy room and going into the master bedroom has the same ceiling line to open the whole thing up.

Well at least that what it looks like on paper. The builder called today and said they encountered alot more water in the foundation so were adjusting.

Good luck with your room!

Hugh

We went with 28 x 35, and there's still room for more, but not as much as expected.

Hi Wapiti7:

Like you, I decided to start from scratch and build a new house, game room included. I had the good fortune for the past fiver years to have a summer home in the Pocono Mountains. I had planned on selling my home in the city and moving to what is affectionately called the Lakehouse. I had plans to add a game room to this house, then I needed three more garages, then my wife complained about no storage, kitchen to small....that was it, I decided to just sell it and build a new one.

I am in that process now. I have been giving this alot of thought and sort of like OW's idea on having more than one room as THE GAMEROOM. Like you I was around the 2200 to 2400 square foot mark, and you home will be this size to with the added game room.

I searched through new home books and hit on a design with a great room that measures 27.5 X 17 and I combined two bedrooms to make another game room 24 X 14.... both rooms have Cathedral Ceilings. Naturally the Great Room is the main living area of the house.

I have about 25 mounts at this time and some take up alot of space, one Black Bull Giraffe shoulder mount is about 14' tall with a 48 in. base, not to mention a dual Kudu Pedistal mount that's all of 10' high with both sets of horns over 50", and a pedistal 46" Cape Buffalo, Zebra, 42 " Sable and last but not least a 190" B&C Illinois whitetail. As you can see I really love pedistal mounts. All the rest of my game hangs from the walls.

So on my latest plans, I got rid of the dining room, and one bedroom. I turned the dining room into extra bedroom and combined two bedrooms to make the 14' X 24' game room, with cathdral celings. Complete with reloading tables, desks, and gun cabinets. By the way this whole design is on one floor.

I don't have one in this floorplan, but many times you can get a bonus room over the garages if you make the pitch of your roof high enough.

I have two bedrooms including the master bedroom, and if I need a third I can always make one in the full basement.

Before you guys start asking me for pictures of my mounts, I have hit a major snag on the last four to be added to my collection. My Giraffe, Kudu, Sable, and Steinbuck all are finished, but the guy who is supposedly making the pedistal bases, to match my current ones is screwing around with me. He took a $2500 deposit and I haven't seen one base yet. To top it off he is three months overdue. I paid him one visit all ready, my next visit will not be pretty.

Anyway the main thought of this rambling was maybe two rooms instead of one giant Game Room...LOL

Jim P.

I am just a poor working stiff mine is 18x26.
Pictures to posted soon.

ah the trophy room size delimma (spelling). My trophy room is a totally separate building from my house, about 100 feet from my back door. Outward appearnace is a 18'W x 36'long with 10' high walls pole barn building with 18 " overhang eaves (the lack of eaves is what always made pole barn building look so "funny" to me). The inside of this building was divide into to rooms, a small entrance room about 7x12' which is my small work area and some storage with a fridge in the corner. The main room is also sorta of divided with the remainder of it haveing a set aside area for my reloading operation and gun safes and the rest of the main room, approx 18 x24' devoted to trophy displays and a corner where my tv and recorders are in a cabinet. I thought when this was built (and I did 80% of the finish work inside myself) that it was HUGE space to fill. Well after one africa trip (10 shoulder mounts from that alone) its small now, and will be the challenge to arrange any new additions from any hunting trip. There is a way OI can expand on this if I must, but will see what happens with time. I still have a few mounts in the house, bearskin rug in bedroom, full bobcat mount in family room, most of my bird mounts in the house entry hallway. Build way bigger than you think you need and of course can afford. Since I have no skilll on thi spicture posting thing, sorry no photos. I love my room tho and can lose myself there for hours some nights jsut puttering, reloading, or simply watching the tv or a movie. Cheers to all and love the pics I see here. BTW, I'm gonna have ot get a few pedastal mounts to balance things out too.
Willi

here is my advice.make a big room with a big window and put everything in it.of course it should be facing the sea.don't build a home if it doesn't face the sea and the ground freezes.don't build a home if it snows or rains too much.no swamp,no mosquito,no jungle.that would be the ideal setup for a trophy room.

Is there a doctor in the house? one of the inmates needs more medication. jorge

Too late for medication. Probably more like a need of being shot to put him out of his suffering. -TONY

Is it possible that shootaway is actually a six year old child? That would explain a lot........

Doc,

No, he doesn't appear intelligent enough for a 6-yr.old. -TONY

Gay interior designer perhaps? Isn't Montreal a suburb of San Francisco?

shootaway is nothing more than a pain in the ass! My only advice is to absolutely ignore him. All he seems to care about is pissing someone off. The more you acknowledge his existence the happier he seems to be!

As for all who have shown their trophy rooms, I salute you! Some great ideas out there! I haven't started yet. I haven't shot anything memorable yet! The key word being yet!
Once again thanks to all for sharing!

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:
shootaway is nothing more than a pain in the ass! My only advice is to absolutely ignore him. All he seems to care about is pissing someone off. The more you acknowledge his existence the happier he seems to be!

As for all who have shown their trophy rooms, I salute you! Some great ideas out there! I haven't started yet. I haven't shot anything memorable yet! The key word being yet!
Once again thanks to all for sharing!

don't want to piss anyone off,just want to have a good laugh.you got to laugh some time.May your dark room be filled with trophies stuck on one another!

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:
Doc,

No, he doesn't appear intelligent enough for a 6-yr.old. -TONY

your just mad cause I won't buy your book.I would buy it if it were less expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Is there a doctor in the house? one of the inmates needs more medication. jorge

True,that's why I like going hunting and reloading.

Hi All,

15x26 and still not enough and under construction in this pic.

I made a big mistake when I put a 10x10 office off my family room. I had one mule deer at the time. Now I have no room left to put anything else on the walls. Need to put an addition on now.

It's probably a lot like buying a gun safe or cigar humidor.

Figure out what you need and then multiply it times three. That way you'll only out grow it in about half the time you'd expect.

-Steve