Dad transforms pigeon shed into incredible man cave with James Bond-style secret door
A dad has transformed an old pigeon shed into an incredible man cave complete with a James Bond-style secret door cleverly disguised as a bookcase.
Neil Wheatley, 40, from Jarrow, near Newcastle, wanted to create something that was going to really wow his four children, so set about overhauling the tired pigeon shed on his allotment.
By using wooden pallets and upcycling items he already had the DIY savvy, sales adviser has spent just £1,200 creating the impressive man cave.
The main bulk of the money was spent on a new roof and exterior cladding to ensure the shed was watertight.
Read more: In-shed-ible: An old hut in a beachside car park is on sale for £69,000
But Wheatley managed to keep the remainder of costs down by recycling and repurposing, with the windows, flooring and kitchen units all being donated by friends.
"I wanted to build something that was going to be fun, so building something basic was never going to work," Wheatley explains.
"The idea for the shed was to be somewhere warm and comfortable for us to spend time together as a family."
While the transformed man cave has plenty of impressive details including a log burner and fitted kitchen, it's the secret door that really adds something special to the project.
Cleverly designed to look like a book case, the secret door actually leads to the toilet.
Read more: These are the dream homes we’ve been lusting after in 2021
"I’m quite creative so with the build I’ve wanted to think out of the box and create something different," Wheatley continues.
"The original plan was just to put a door on the small toilet cubicle, but it was boring and was a waste of space.
"So by creating the bookshelf door we’ve been able to maintain privacy for the toilet, but also maximise space for storing items."
The dad-of-four used wooden pallets to make the door and a wire, a hook and a piece of metal for the latch itself.
The tricky part was figuring out how the door should open, but with a bit of effort Wheatley managed to work it so that a book controlled the mechanism.
"I wanted to create something that stood out," he explains.
"I think the main thing is there is no limit to your imagination, things might not be built to perfection in some people's eyes, but I can look at things like the bookcase and say to myself I created that.
"It might have taken a couple of goes to get the sizing right to make sure it [the door] swung open correctly and trying different things to create the mechanism for the book opening, but that’s how you learn - trial and error."
Watch: Wood artist builds incredible ‘Hobbit house’ in his back garden
With its wooden-clad walls, stove and cosy seating area, the man cave is the perfect winter hideaway for the family to retreat too, but they are also looking forward to utilising the shed in the summer.
"If we are working on the allotment and the kids just want to chill out, there’s plenty of space for them to do that, and in the summer, we can just hang out, have a BBQ and enjoy the weather," Wheatley adds.
Read more: Want to create a garden office? 10 sheds to transform into your work space
The dad isn't the only one to use their imagination to create a unique garden hang out recently.
Earlier this year a couple shared their incredible transformation of a run down shed into a magical hobbit house for their grand children to play in.
May and Rod Proctor, 71 and 73, from Leeds, wanted to create a play space for their 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren to enjoy when they came to visit, but having looked online for inspiration, they realised that buying a playhouse would be too expensive, so they decided to build one themselves.
The couple say most of their supplies for the project came from eBay or the local charity shop.
In total the couple say the project took around two weeks to complete and they are thrilled with the results.
"Our grandson now loves colouring in his own hobbit shed and watching TV, he has brought in some of his own supplies and we love watching him from the kitchen window," Mrs Proctor says.
They weren't the only ones inspired to build a hobbit house in the garden.
Ali Hughson, 47, from South Queensferry, near Edinburgh has been a fan of JRR Tolkien since he was a teenager and always dreamed of one day building a Hobbit themed workshop.
Hughson said he wanted to make something more magical than a typical garden shed to house his workshop and tools.
In total, the father of two spent six months and £2,000 building the two-metre-tall shed which even features the iconic round, green door made famous in the Peter Jackson films.
Additional reporting Caters.
