I obsessively researched hidden bookcase doors. Unfortunately, the resources that I found were either incomplete or for smaller applications (like attic doors). I was committed to having the bar arcade hidden behind a bookcase door. Besides satisfying my wildest nerdy dreams, I felt that a bookcase makes the main basement area look complete. A regular door does the job, but a bookcase door completely divides the two spaces.

This was a major financial decision. A Murphy door is a solid, complete answer for my need – however, it would have cost close to $1,300 to get the door in the form that I wanted. Looking at the cost of materials, I felt I could build the door for $300. After adding the Murphy door to my cart a dozen times I finally decided to make the door myself.

 I am extremely happy with my decision. The bookcase door came out better than I had hoped for and well within budget. Further, it gave me an opportunity to spend time with my daughter on a fun project. Even at three years old, she was able to see and appreciate the transition from a traditional door to a secret bookcase door. She loved helping build and decorate the shelves. Mr. Moonman being one of her favorites.

Click below for free step by step instructions on how to build your own bookcase door!

Building a bar, a

libationerating, erm liberating

experience.

Every good (adult) hideout should include some form of bar, at least in my humble opinion. The bar will serve as a focal point and may be the first indication of the vibe of the room. For example, my initial plans called for a sleek polished walnut bar top. 

 When I arrived at my local miller I fell in love with a spalted piece of maple. That decision set the tone for the rest of the design. 

Building a bar takes work but it is much simpler in design then a bookcase door. You will want to measure your space and build a stable frame to support your bar top.

Here we can hone in on our sanding and polyurethane techniques. Bring your belt and/or orbital sander, this one will get dusty.

 Click below for detailed instructions on how I built my bar.

Barn Beam Light Fixture, let’s light up this Bar.

This hand hewn barn beam light fixture was destined to happen. We built a barn beam mantle in our first home and this was the scrap that was left over. I loved the look of the beam offcut but couldn’t decide on what to use it for. Once the bar was built it immediately became apparent that this little hunk of hand axed wood was destined to illuminate newly polished bar top. 

Full Free instructions, click below.

How to Paint basement

concrete, the lazy way.

There are projects that I obsess over, painstakingly mapping out each step and replaying them in my head like sugarplums in that classic Christmas Story. This my kool kitten crew (you’ll realize why we stopped the K’s eventually) was not one of those projects. In fact, I planned next to nothing and resolved myself to dealing with the repercussions. Thus far, those repercussions have yet to surface.  

Click below to see my haphazard approach to painting the arcade floor. Warning, there may be better ways to do this – but I can assure you, they will take longer.

Sidenote of encouragement: I love the way the project turned out

Cover AC Duct with Scrap pine.

This can be a fun project with the kids. Don’t have a kid? That’s fine too, I did most of the painting after their 5 minute attention spans ran their course. Using extremely cheap (often free) wood from Home Depots scrap pile, I was able to cut down and “weather” some thin pine boards.

The light weight nature of the boards allowed me to easily nail them up to some support beams. This added some pops of color and most importantly hid an unsightly metal duct.

Yeah keen eyed cats, the bottom is still not finished. It’s a hobby, not a profession. I’ll get to it one day…what are you, my wife?

We are going Full Rustic.

The Speakeasy Bar Arcade officially took shape during this step. The aged textures of 100+ year old wood, mixed with some newer distressed boards created a wall that handled the only studded wall in the speakeasy. Better yet, it was cheap and quick to install.

Click below for full instructions. 

We put the Bar in Barn.

I love a good patina. The thought of hanging corrugated metal panels appealed to me for a multitude of reasons. It was a perfect match for the theme of the speakeasy but it was also functional – providing a thin cover for the ceiling, maximizing head space while also subtly completing the rustic look. Hanging some controllable LED patio lights allowed for even and unique lighting throughout.  

How to build a Virtual Pinball

Machine, and still keep your wife.

I may have narrowed my target audience here a bit. If you aren’t married then you could assume that the above means that virtual pinball machines can be expensive. The virtual pinball machine is the only thing in the arcade that I researched more than the Secret bookcase door (It’s technically a secret doorway bookcase but I really think that sounds dumb, roll with me on it). 

In reality, virtual pinball machines range from $700 to over $10,000. Even do it yourself builds can cost upwards of $5,000. NOT TODAY folks. While I will leave the full DIY build instructions to extremely capable people like Michael J Roberts and TheWayOfTheWrench, I am going to share my process and how I was able to build a fully capable, 4k 120hz blazing fast Virtual pinball machine with real pinball parts and Surround Sound feedback (don’t worry these terms will quickly become staples in your brain).

Click below for my guide on how to build a capable virtual pinball machine on a budget.

Honorable Mentions

1. Burlap Walls: A few hours and those white padded walls were gone! I purchased a 96×50 yard roll of burlap from Uline, met a commercial trucker at a gas station to get it.

I was able to cut and tuck the burlap around the white insulation. Every so often I hammered a nail through the burlap into a stud. It has held up well but be warned, burlap is extremely flammable. DO NOT install burlap if you ever intend to have open flames in the space. Bonus, you will likely have yards left over to use for other projects.    

2. Faux Brick: Another upgrade that took minutes and was super cheap. Yeah, it’s fake but it adds a bit of character to the arcade and really breaks up the space.