... I'm completely redesigning and building a seldom used basement room (20'X18') into a bar / gameroom.

... On one end a bar sized pool table, the other a foos ball table, electronic dart board and a slot machine.

... Tucked into the corner, I'm having a cabinet maker friend of mine build a handsome floor to ceiling bar wall with wine racks, mini-frig, liquor shelves, sink and counter top. My brother (electrician) is graciously doing recessed can gimbaled mounted directional lighting.

... I'm jazzed, and hope to be complete by Christmas holiday.

... We've seen some of you guys show off your game rooms before. Post some pix if you're proud of them.

... I'll do the same here when I complete the project.

I dunno ... TRG's party barn is a tough act to follow.

Quoted: I dunno ... TRG's party barn is a tough act to follow.

... Probably not, but mine is coming along nicely. Pix to follow.

ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=213739&w=myTopicPop

pics of mine are there, although they as well do not hold a candle to TRG party barn.......alas, all i have is a party shed

when i feel the need to party, i go sit in my truck and drink a beer with the radio up loud. if i want that dance club strobe light effect i'll open and close the door to flash the dome light. party on.

wheres the pics already?

Thanks for the non-yuppie perspestive red beard.I have allways known that I would rather have a bottle in front of me,than a pre-frontal lobotomy.Bottoms up for the "mobile rec-room."

"bar / gameroom?"

You guys have too much money on your  hands....

NsB

Here's mine....


yeah right...I wish.

no way, thats too nice.............

a party place loses much of its allure if you can't throw your beer cans all over the place and spit on the floor!!!!!!

Good luck, WW!  I finished mine over the last few winters, and use it a LOT.  It's great when people come over or when I teach my NRA classes onsite.  

20'x18' is going to be a little small to put that much in.  I'd recommend a few things -

Rather than get a separate table for each thing, I'd recommend a full-sized pool table with a game top.  The game tops usually have ping-pong and air hockey.  The ping-pong table can just be used as a table top, though.  I've seen foosball tops - they're huge, though.  They do look like a lot of fun.  I'm thinking about making one for mine.  The other nice thing is that you can cover the game table and turn your pool table into a regular table/work surface.  You're going to kick yourself if you have this huge square thing that you paid thousands of dollars for sitting in middle of your room, and you can only use it for one thing.  

I have a top-of-the-line electronic dart board.  In hindsight, I would have gotten a normal one.  I have little kids, and thought having sharp "throwing things" laying around would be a bad idea, but it hasn't turned out to be an issue.  The electronic dart boards have come a long way, but they're still not nearly as good as a corkboard one.  Consider a "real" one.

Another recommendation is to use ceramic tile for your floor.  First, it's not affected by moisture or spills (see TexRdnec's post - you'll have one of him at every party!). Second, it can keep your basement at a better temperature (because it transfers heat directly to the concrete, which stores a lot of energy).  This will keep your basement/game room cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  The winter I laid ~1,100 sq. ft. of tile on the floor was a long one, but well worth it.  

Also, don't forget the big screen TV!!  I built a huge stand for mine with a wall unit so it's the right height to watch when you're standing up playing pool.  It's not in the pictures below, but it's not hard to do (I put 8 2'x2' plywood boxes together to form the stand).  

We were able to get a store-type Coke refrigerator with the two glass sliding doors in front.  It's awesome.  We get a keg every 4-8 weeks and it fits in one side.  It will last as long as it's pressurized and cool, saves a lot of money (a key is ~$70, and the equiv of 6-7 cases of beer) and tastes so much better.  The other side we keep full of sodas and bottled beverages.  I know people on this board have better pictures of my set up than I do.  There's still an infamous picture of Mas Ayoob standing by the keg wrapped in bulletproof vests.  It makes for a great story about how we were protecting the keg from attack, but the reality is that it was really hot that day and we were chilling the vests between training sessions.  

I also installed full cabinets/countertops like you talked about, and it was well worth it.  Sounds like you have a good plan!  

Here are some very bad and old pictures of some of my basement.  I have neon signs now, a light over the pool table, etc.  You still get the idea....





    Black Fox

damn it, your game room is nicer than my house!

(see TexRdnec's post - you'll have one of him at every party!)

wouldn't be a party without one of "me!"

Quoted: I'm completely redesigning and building a seldom used basement room (20'X18') into a bar / gameroom.

That's almost 27' corner-to-corner.  I'm thinking 7-yard handgun range!!

DrMark

DrMark - not sure if you're joking, but do you really want an indoor range in your house?  Every time I go to an indoor range I come to the conclusion there are not enough indoor fans in the world to vent that junk.  I know of a few ROs at an indoor range that are testing positive for lead exposure.  I think I'll pass!!!

    Black Fox

Party at BlackFox's house...All VA folks invited!!!

Nice play room!  

BlackFox: I've had friends with nice airgun ranges in their homes, but for the most part, yeah, I was joking.  

I would have added a smiley but I was posting from a computer on a network that blocks all of the icon images...



DrMark

Edited to add that at the time of my first post, I couldn't view many of the pics.  Now I can.  Nice rooms, guys!

Quoted: (a keg is ~$70, and the equiv of 6-7 cases of beer)

8.83 if you want to get technical

I don't have a game room as such, but I do have a rather nice combination bedroom/home theater that I might post some pics of soon.  The 8 foot wide video screen is a nice touch.

CJ

Quoted: no way, thats too nice............. a party place loses much of its allure if you can't throw your beer cans all over the place and spit on the floor!!!!!!

yeah...i just wouldnt feel right spittin on those floors....hey Tex...leave my beer cans by the couch there....lets go for a record!

Fenian - any specific date work for you?  Wouldn't be the first time!  A 10-station 25-yard and 2-station 100-yard range are just out back....

TheTacticalSolution - I can't wait to tell my wife how much money we're saving with the keg!  I have a feeling you've had some beer and spare time on your hands to know that number so well :)

Quoted: Fenian - any specific date work for you?  Wouldn't be the first time!  A 10-station 25-yard and 2-station 100-yard range are just out back....

Been about a year since the last one.

... Awesome post [b]Black Fox[/b]! I would very much be interested in seeing more pictures of the fantastic job you did on your gameroom. Very good tips on design!

... My unexpected trip on business for the past three weeks put a small dent in my schedule but I'm closer to finished than when I started on the 7th. My bar cabinets and liquor shelves were installed today. The last thing in will be the pool table.

... Pix to follow soon.

... Finally got rid of anything the ex used to "decorate" the room and converted it into a playroom. Took me six weeks, still waiting for some barstools I bought on-line to come in and have a couple pieces of trim left.

... [u]Everything[/u] changed except the tile floor.

... But it's done! Party forthcoming!

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Very nice Winston!

BRAVO!!!!

Very nice! Bravo [b]WW[/b] [beer]

It looks great! Thanks for sharing. Gives me good ideas.

However, it appears to be missing just one small thing. (Two if you're counting the obligatory AR in the corner)

I need to make a trip to AZ! Nice job Winston.

Whoa!   thats a lotta liquor, even discounting the mirror!  (I don't drink much, i guess)

  Winston_Wolf,   Looks great!

  Just name the day and time.

 I'll be glad to help you break her in.

Excellent!

Looks like you could use some friends. Place is empty. [:D]

I dont see enough tequila.

My thoughts exactly.
[<]:)]
[beer]
[headbang]

Nice!  Need a card table though.

Maybe 2 things.....[sex]

I have considered making my shed into something like that.  Its about 28x20. I havent because no one is ever out where I live.
I would park the car in it but the garage door on it gives me maybe 2 inches on each side and you have to do alot of work to get it in due to some trees.

I had a bar/party room at my old house - 22'x35'. I had a 9' 1959 vintage Brunswick Gold Crown table I bought at auction at Aberdeen Proving Grounds (originally, it was in the NCO Club). I had to strip years of OD paint off the frame and refinish it, and the rail tops were dented up from decades of repeated beating by frustrated NCO players. A killer sound system is a must, as is a big TV. Ventilation is important too, if you're having really big parties. Unfortunately, the only pics I have are film based and I don't have a scanner yet.

My current house doesn't have one. I don't mind too much though - having parties all the time got to be a chore, believe it or not. Nothing like waking up with a killer hangover, stepping over and around sleeping drunken bodies, picking up dozens (sometimes a hundred or more) of half-full beer cans with cig butts in them. The beer and smoke smell would sometimes take days to clear out. Luckily a friend liked mine so much he bought the house, so I still get to go over there for parties! My new house stays much cleaner and I don't get those annoyed looks from the neighbors. Still, it's tempting to put a game room in the basement. I just would never take to the level I used to 10-15 years ago. My annual New Years parties from those days are still legendary amongst my friends.

Very nice gamerooms, gents.

We have a big "bonus room" loft in our house, and my wife is a little resistant to me making it into what it cries out to be: a pool room. This room is easily wide and long enough so that you'd never have to use the dreaded short cue.

We have a front living room with a sofa, love seat and chair that we never use, plus a huge family room with a brand new Ubercouch that had to take a whole herd of cows to upholster. The last thing we need is another room with a couch in it.

My plans are to put dark wood wainscoting around the room, and put a ledge above that to hold drinks. On the walls will go all my Marine Corps stuff, cue racks, a Bushmills mirror (yet to be acquired) and a TV on a wall stand. I had a cable and phone drop put in every room in the house when it was built, so the TV will be no problem. A small fridge for beer will go in there somewhere also. The centerpiece of the room will be a nice full sized pool table with a billiards light above it.

I can't decide how much of a priority it should be to take the carpet out and put in Pergo or something. I think a beer-proof floor covering is the way to go in a pool room, and it wouldn't really make any sense to set a heavy pool table on top of carpet anyway.

I'm interested in the item which says LIBERTY SAFE on the outside.  [:)]

Nice gamerooms everybody!!!





You are right about the carpet but you will definately want to get an area rug for the table to sit on.  You will preserve your Pergo flooring and the table won't shift if bumped hard.

I am getting my new house done as we speak and the game room will be done by New Years Eve hopefully,  I will post pics.  

... Hey! Thanks for the complements guys. It was a fun project. Now, the rest of the house needs attention.

... A couple salient points:

[*] Except for a younger brother staying with me, I live alone in a nearly 3000 sq. ft. home so the "room" lost taken up by the billiards table won't be missed. Au contrare, it will be welcomed![/*]

[*] Yes, as mentioned, the custom barstools that match the trim are somewhere in shipping now. Been doing a lot of standing in there this week.[/*]

[*] At my age, most my friends that come over to party pretty much leave under their own power. Those that stay the night will do so because because they shouldn't be on the road. Not saying I'd kick out a college cheerleader squad and nurture their hangovers, but I'm afraid that just ain't going to happen.[/*]

[*] Yes, a christening party is scheduled for next Friday. Woo Hoo![/*]

I am sooooooooooooooooo jealious.

Someday, someday.

So do you guys allow smoking in these gamerooms? For that reason, future plans will put the gameroom in one room of a garage or shop. That option or one kickass ventilation system.

Where is the dance floor and pole for special guests?

This is something I've been dreaming of for a long time. Flush-mount audio, fireplace, 12" ceramic tile in the bar area, Pergo in the lounge AV area, and maybe just vinyl in  gaming area. If I ever get it done in a shop, I'll just do epoxy in a mock tile look over the concrete slab.

The finished walls you guys have look great!

Top notch guys.

Great job!

Love the lighting over the sink and liquor cabinet

I have some ideas for my gameroom, but I need to finalize a few of them...

WW-- next time you are in the DFW area (soon, right?), maybe you could help me come up with an official plan?

PS: what kind of slot machine? a real LV one? Where can I get one, and *about* how much are they?

Nice Playroom [b]but the safe is close![/b] What are you hiding in there?