Where do you hang out?

I would be interested in seeing your favorite place to hang out and plan your trips.

Although this is not a trophy room (we keep those in the house) this is my evening hang out. It is nearly finished. Architecturally it is a pillbox.

The main building is 20 feet by 34 feet. If doing it over I would make it 4 feet longer. It is built of concrete blocks with vertical reinforcing bars on 16â€centers and all the cells filled with concrete. The exterior is stucco. There are no windows. I usually leave the door open. A simple “motel room†heating and air conditioning unit keeps the entire building at the desired temperature with little effort.

Although I do not keep valuables in this building it has motion detectors, fire detectors, alarms to my house, alarms to my son’s house, alarm horns that sound outside and a big dog that only likes me – but not much.



This is the carport area taken just after a storm blew through and washed most of my grass seed away. Hopefully it will protect my jeep. It has electrical outlets for charging the battery and overhead lights for loading up in the dark for an early deer or turkey trip etc.



The back porch has a couple of rockers (just out of the picture) and a lapa outside. It is intended as a place for friends to come over and tell their tales – not quite as good as in Africa but better than nothing. The path behind it leads to my pond where Wood ducks nest in the spring.



The gun cleaning and reloading bench top is built of two layers of ¾†plywood over heavy wood joists. The top surface is laminated plastic of a light color so even with old eyes it is easy to see if even one particle of powder does not make it into the case.

One end of the bench is angled so I can stand directly behind the gun while cleaning it. A garbage can is positioned to catch the patches that fall out of the muzzle.

Above the bench is an open shelf area. Reloading supplies are kept in clear plastic containers with lids. It’s easy to see what is inside and everything is kept clean. Below the bench are shelves for various hunting and shooting equipment.



Here is where I look at Accurate Reloading, do all the paperwork associated with future trips, and keep track of the results of hand loads.



The walk-in closet has various height shelves and racks. It will be used only for hunting clothing, boots and caps. Obviously I have not moved the clothes in yet.



The roof and all walls of the safe room is of solid reinforced concrete. On top of the concrete roof (not shown) is a storage area for gun cases, Tuff Paks etc. Ammo storage is on an open shelf. This room has a dehumidifier.

In addition to the safes there are gun racks along both sidewalls for guns waiting to be cleaned or taken to the field. We have been hitting the dove fields hard lately and I have some much neglected shotguns belonging to my friends that I foolishly volunteered to clean “the right wayâ€.



I installed a shower for washing ticks and chiggers off after a hunt, a laundry sink for cleaning boots etc. The red toolbox is for gun cleaning and repair tools and supplies. Why is it in the bathroom? Because I forgot to plan for it elsewhere.



Although I do not normally watch TV this area is for friends to come and share their hunting videos or just watch a good movie. There is a wood stove like the old stove that was in our house when I was young. I did not think much of it in those days but for some reason look forward to lighting it up this winter.

One of my friends brought over an old craft-art prospector carving that he rescued from a bar. His wife would not let him have it in the house so we gave it a place of honor.

For some reason, other friends have been bringing over their treasured trash that their wives will not allow in the house. We will celebrate them all with an installation party.

I have been slowly putting up pictures from various hunts on the walls. One person called it a vanity wall but to me it is simply a memory wall. The best part is that there is still some wall left for more pictures which must mean I am not done hunting yet.

Nice setup. I like your bench, no clutter. I wish I could keep mine as clean.

Great set up! Ive got a nice 10-12 shed im turning into my "hang-out". Reloading room etc. But mine is pretty darn small. Yours looks great..when we hanin out?

almost paradise

NICE HANGOUT!

Very nicely thought out. I to like the bench with the angled cut for cleaning purposes... very slick. Enjoy this space.

Very nice place to hang-out. Kill some critters and put them on the wall! The reloading bench is great.

Good stuff!! Wish I had the room for something like that!

Frans

Hi Palmer:

Way cool...and I especially like the Jeep.

Regards... Jim P.

My dad used to kid one of my uncles that his wood working shop was "George's pouting house". You sir have the ultimate pouting house

Only thing I could see you need is a fridge...

A well thought out plan, done right, always impresses me. Especially in my own back yard... in the state of Misery. Good hunting. Packy

Thanks everyone. This space is really no different than doing something like it in a garage or basement except one thing - and that is the building is only for guns and hunts and most importantly, is a separate building from the house.

I wanted it to be a place where my hunting friends felt like they could come over anytime without calling beforehand and shoot the bull and thats what works best about it.

My dear wife (who has to knock before she can come in) half-jokingly asked the other day if I was going to be moving in there. I said "Well, I can if its necessary"

Rick, thanks for the "pouting house" description - I think I will use that if you don't mind. By the way, I do have a full size fridge behind the wall at the end of the reloading bench but may have to get a second one because everyone seems to be stocking it with their favorite liquor, deer sausage, cheese and jerky.

JimP, that jeep is now 36 years old. Its on its third motor. Both my boys have learned to drive in it - I just turned them loose in a pasture and let them figure it out by themselves. It has more memories attached to it than I could list and is the only vehicle I would never sell.

Nice set up!!

What a cool hide out. I like all the pics on the walls.Fire pit has to be a great place to have a few cold ones.

But where is the pole for the dancers?...HAHA

That is a pretty cool setup. Sure wish I had the space to put up something like that.

-Steve

Very nice getta away place. I can't tell from the pics is the floor just concrete or is there some other type of flooring?
I just purchased of small piece of land south of where I live and was thinking of a pole barn type structure, however your concrete/stucco (pill-box) looks very interesting.

I have one suggestion:

move your TV to the bathroom and your tools to where it is dry, like beside the stove. Otherwise, I approve.

Allen, You're the Coolest.

Curious ... Where does that inviting pathway by the firepit lead to?

David - The floor and outside walks are impressed concrete. They are stained inside the building but not outside. We made up a large "stamp" that approximates the texture of the limestone rock beds of "dry" creeks around here.

So far I can report that the floor is easy to keep clean. I tried to keep it a light enough color that I can see small screws or whatever else I am clumsy enough to drop on it but varied enough that dirt tracked in does not have to be swept up every day.

Onefuzr2 - not a bad idea. Somehow putting the tv in with the toilet seems appropriate to me.

KuduBull - I wouldn't put it past some of my rowdy friends to bring over a pole some day.

Nick - it was a choice between a new truck or this building...the building has been an idea for a few years. It has been said that there is not much that causes more suffering in the head than an untried idea.

Joedjr - actually the bench is so clean only because I am just moving in.

Allen:

I just sent this thread to my GC. I was going to create a space in my trophy room for reloading, but it detracts from the overall image, so I decided to add a small room off the trophy room for this. I love your reloading bench.

Your trophy pics remind me of when I was a young LT in the Army with no real hunting experience. I cut out full size animal pics from outdoor magazines and taped them to the walls of the extra bedroom that served as "my room."

Great setup!
And thanks for the angled reloading/cleaning bench idea.
I'll be rebuilding mine this winter.

Outstanding......

nice room and all your"own". I like the wife knocking before coming in thing. My trophy room is also completely detached from my house, started as a basic pole barn building with 10 ft walls and I went from there. Have a small entrance or "mud room" as I call it where I can get rid of dirt, plus use it for gun cleaning, some storage and the fridge. Course my main part of my room is now almost full and have to give some thought to adding on, but its my home away from teh hosue and the wife hardly ever comes out to bother me there.
Again, great looking place u have.

The only thing that's missing is some concrete lions etc in the woods .It would be like a Gaugin painting !!

Allen,

I absolutely love it, especially the reloading bench. This is perfect timing; two more coats of paint on the walls and I can build my new bench.

Two quick questions...your bench. How deep? and how high?

Thanks,
Rick Fraser

Rick, My bench is 31" high and 30" deep. This seems to work fine so far. It is a height that is just right for sitting down but is still high enough to stand and clean a rifle.

mete, You mentioned Gauguin. That happens to strike a chord. One of my favorite paintings is his Garden in Winter, rue Carcel. I have also often thought of the quotation by Gauguin "In order to do something new we must go back to the source, to humanity in its infancy." It may be another reason to go to Africa ---assuming we need another one.

bisonhunter1,
Sounds like we hit on the same thing. My experience so far is that the total separation from the rest of the house is critical to the sense of relaxation that can come from it. I have been recently experiencing high blood pressure. I can take my blood pressure before and after going to my "pouting shed" and the drop is amazing.

DavidAk, thanks

DaveP, Have fun with yours and post some pictures.

AnotherAZWAriter, I look forward to the posting of your finished product pictures.

A thought I had may be right or wrong but it was that we spend the whole year or more than one year preparing for a 10 day safari. The safari is 10 days. The preparation is 30 to 100 times that amount of time. The PLACE where we spend the time preparing for and reflecting after the safari is at least of equal importance to the safari itself. I doubt that my effort is very close to what the subject deserves, however I look forward to seeing others evolve it in the future.

Hey, Allen,

I like your hide-a-way. There are some neat things about it that interest me. My problem is, my trophy room has grown way to small, but I would rather go hunting with PVT than enlarge it.

Happy Hunting,
Bill Butler

Bill,

Since I am aware of what you have taken in the Selous - at least the last couple years - I understand why your trophy room has shrunken.