september 18, 2013

www.mapleridgenews.com - THE NEWS -- Wednesday, September 18, 2013 -- B1

Kicking back in your cave

By Kerry Vital

Everyone needs a place to escape from the vagaries of ev-eryday life. For some it’s a gar-den or a soothing hot bath. For others, it’s the “no girls allowed” space called the man cave.

“A man cave is mainly for sit-ting, watching and eating,” says James Angus, Lower Mainland director of stores for The Brick Group. “The more seats, the better.”

Thus, perhaps it’s best to start

“ more page.15

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By Kerry Vital

William Shakespeare was known for his liter-ary masterpieces. Now a North Vancouver build-ing company that bears his name brings that same attention to detail and zeal for perfection to every project.

Mark Cooper, president of Shakespeare

Homes, cites a recent full-house renovation as the perfect example of the work the company does. As a North Vancouver resident himself, Cooper says he and his team love working in the community in which they live and are very familiar with the building restrictions that make North Vancouver and West Vancouver different.

The original home was built in the early 1960s, and it looked it. It had two storeys, no space for a garage and just didn’t work for the family. How-ever, it was located on a seriously beautiful piece of property, backing onto a creek and with tons of natural greenery surrounding it. It was time to make the house match its surroundings. One of the homeowners had grown up in a heritage

home and had dreamed of living in a similar place as an adult. So, he brought in Cooper and his team to make his dream a reality.

“This was a great opportunity for the hom-eowners and my people to express themselves,” Cooper says. “We didn’t just construct some-thing that looks like it’s from the 1800s, we actually built the home like it would have been then, while meeting today’s building codes and ensuring energy efficiency.”

Working with Cooper’s team of professionals, including Susanne Doise of Sensitive Design,

North Van home goes from rags to richesShakespeare Homes took the house down to its broken foundation and rebuilt it into something spectacular.

By Kerry Vital

Summer has ended and fall will soon be well-entrenched. With the change of season comes the holidays, new colours and new decor ideas that suit any budget or taste.

“The biggest trends for home decor in the fall are the colours and shades,” says Ikea Canada’s Alicia Zoffranieri. “The most popular shades during the fall season and around Thanksgiv-ing are earth tones, such as chocolate brown, grey, black or cream.”

Pier 1 Imports in-house styl-ist Aimee Beatty agrees, noting, “It’s all about colour, specifically jewel tones in rich textures and distinctive silhouettes.” Among the luxurious colours will be deep purples, red and blues, along with nature themes.

“We’ve brought the outdoors in with decor and accessories inspired by nature’s beauty and woodland creatures,” Beatty says.

“You’ll see a lot of vibrant orange or green, and dark lilac or dark blue at Ikea,” Zoffran-ieri says. “Also trendy this year are patterns with elements of nature, such as trees or leaves.”

Bouclair Home is also focus-ing on earth tones for Thanks-giving, including beige and orange. They’re also seeing gold,

Falling into Thanksgiving decor ideas

The new home now includes a garage built like a carriage house, a third storey with dormers and a new balcony and other heritage-style touches. It now perfectly fits in with the beauty of the stream-side location in North Vancouver.

Shakespeare Homes photos

“ more page.3

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Renovation from top to bottom by the Bard

The new kitchen, above, now includes stainless-steel appliances, custom millwork and an open-plan layout. The homeowners now have a grand entryway below right, and a backyard with stone retaining walls and tons of greenery, below left, among other spectacular details.


Mark Cooper, president of Shakespeare Homes, above during construction, brought in his team to take the home from the 1960s, left, and turn it into something modern and beautiful.


Shakespeare Homes tore the original house down to the broken foundation and began the process of rebuilding it. Among the changes are a third storey and a detached garage for the “man toys” of the homeowner. The garage is built to look like a carriage house, and has its own heat, power and bathroom, making it a true man cave. It’s built with a vaulted cathedral-framed ceiling, making it an architectural masterpiece in itself. The homeowner is planning to install car and motorcycle lifts inside.

The biggest challenge that Cooper found while planning and building the home were the strict rules governing the location and the height of the finished product, as well as the regulations around its stream-side location.

“We weren’t able to move the house within the lot because of the setback restrictions,” Cooper says. “So, we had to renovate and add within the existing perimeter.”

When you walk onto the property, the first thing you’ll probably notice is the dormers on the third storey. The heritage influence is readily apparent, and continues with the double-exposure cedar shingles that cover much of the house, the wood double-hung windows and the exposed rafters and soffits. The outdoor space will soon include an outdoor fireplace and seating area, complementing the stone retaining walls that have been constructed to allow greenery to return to the property. Brand-new decks and patios afford the homeowners gorgeous views of the city, something that they didn’t have in the original house. Hand-cut granite is featured throughout the exterior, including a double-wide chimney and front entrance.

Inside the house itself, the vaulted ceilings include hand-cut rafters to showcase that heritage charm.

“There was a lot of architectural and homeowner design involved,” Cooper says. “There’s real crafts-manship here. Nobody frames like this anymore. It’s very rare.”

Even the accessories inside the house are heritage-style, including an authentic cast-iron claw-foot tub. The character kitchen is built in an open-plan layout with custom millwork and plenty of space to enter-tain. There is also a suite on the ground level that has its own private entrance.

“All of the features and fixtures of the home have been selected to fit that period of time,” Cooper says.

The entire renovation took about 14 months, including three months dealing with the variance process.

“The house has been appraised well be-yond normal market value,” Cooper says.

Because Vancouver can be a generally rainy city, what to do with water runoff was an important part of the building process. The city had originally asked Shakespeare to pump the storm water up to the district system on the street. However, that wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish due to the slope of the property. Instead, Cooper designed a water treatment system for the home that collects, stores, filters and then releases the water back into the natural environment surrounding the house.

In fact, the district of North Vancouver called the new house a “masterful example of stream-side protection.”

Shakespeare prides itself on being a high-quality build-green company, and this is evident in the home. All of the shingles are made from B.C. wood, and much of the other building materials have been sourced locally as well.

“It was built with environmental steward-ship in mind,” Cooper says.

In fact, the old cedar roof system was re-cycled into several structures, including the table in the meeting room at Shakespeare Homes’ office.

The house is unrecognizable from what it started out as. Where it once was in danger of sliding down the steep slope into the stream, the house is now a masterpiece and perfect for the family who lives in it.

“ from page.1


By Kerry Vital

Long gone are the days of one-size-fits-all kitchen countertops, with your only choice being the colour. Now you can find a wide range of countertop materi-als and colours to suit your style and budget.

Perhaps the most well-known countertop product is laminate. It comes in a huge variety of colours and finishes, and it can be one of the more inexpensive materials, making it a great choice for those on a tighter budget.

Another popular countertop right now is quartz, which is one of the hardest minerals in the world.

“Because of its durability, consistency and beauty, quartz has really become a popular choice for renovators,” says Shaun Krahn, general manager for Kitchen Craft Cabinetry.

Granite is one of the most popular choices right now, as it can withstand heat and other abuse well. No piece is identical to another, which lends texture and interest to your space.

Marble, limestone and soapstone are other natural products. All three require a bit more care than granite as they are softer. Because of this, any stone countertop must be sealed. You don’t want to stain your countertop before you’ve really had the chance to enjoy it. A kitchen professional will easily be able to give you advice on sealing your countertops.

An engineered stone countertop come in a larger variety of colours than a natural stone material, and is also a bit more hardy. If your countertops might need to take some abuse, an engineered stone will stand up better than the natural options.

If stone isn’t your style, a solid wood butcher block countertop is both practical and lends a heri-tage style to your home. It must be oiled frequently to seal the surface and prevent staining, but any scratches can be sanded out and wood is very easy to clean. Another recent innovation is concrete counter-tops, which look great in an industrial-chic environ-ment. Concrete comes in a variety of finishes, so it’s easy to customize what you would like it to look like. However, concrete also has to be sealed as it can easily be stained or warped.

The final popular style of countertop is solid sur-face, which is an acrylic product that is non-porous and easily customizable with inlays, seamless back-splashes and integral sinks. However, solid surface countertops cannot withstand high heat and can be scorched or burned.

However, one of the biggest considerations when looking to do any renovation is your budget. Are you able to splash out on something high-end and gorgeous, or are you looking for something a bit more inexpensive? Setting a budget should be one of the first things you do before you start looking at materials.

“There is certainly no universal rule” when it comes to budget, Krahn says. “However, one thing to keep in mind is that kitchen renovations bring back the highest return on investment out of any room in the household.”

As with all renovations, it’s best to get the advice of a professional before making decisions about changing your countertop.

New countertops options suit every style and budget

Among the popular options for kitchen countertops right now are quartz and granite, both natural stone products that lend elegance and sophistication to the home.

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By Nicolle Hodges

As 2014 quickly approaches, the vi-sion of a home continues to transform and modernize. However as heritage home owners know, it is just as impor-tant to evolve as it is to hold on to a piece of the past.

Generally a heritage home is consid-ered to be over 60 years old with some historical association, whether embed-ded in its interior or overall structure. The unique process of renovating a heritage home embodies what it means to improve a home’s practicality, while maintaining a historical appeal.

Harald Koehn and his team at Harald Koehn Construction Ltd. were finalists in last year’s Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association Ovation Awards with their renovation of a 1918 heritage home in North Vancouver.

The owner of the home was looking to preserve its authentic appeal while giving it a much-needed renewal; an inevitable upgrade for most heritage home owners. The process of renovating such a home is often long and requires finding a balance between maintaining the feeling of former times and incorpo-rating the functionality of now.

It is these kind of challenging projects that Koehn and his team know how to handle.

“The challenge in renovating a heri-tage home is trying to retain its original character and style, and rebuilding it to current building bylaws and standards,” explains Koehn. “The duplication of features can also be very challenging and expensive.”

When people are looking to renovate their heritage home, it is usually for

greater energy efficiency. Koehn suggests having a professional qualified reno-vator do a “very compre-hensive assessment,” which includes structural and seismic appraisals. Also, if there is a heritage status of the existing home, he sug-gests having any drawings done prior to reconstruc-tion.

When it comes to recy-cling some of the original components of the home, Koehn says to “assemble a list of what you would like to have done,” and to remain realistic about what is possible. “Most heritage renovations are done with a sense of renewing and breathing new life into a special, older home that has seen its day,” says Koehn. “Preserv-ing original features may not always make financial sense.”

However, he en-courages owners to simply ask themselves if the renovations are right for them, because often budget doesn’t even enter as the “main consider-ation.”

For many, if the renovations make sense, it’s worth the price to preserve.

Renovating a heritage home is an evolution

The old kitchen, above, was outdated and didn’t work for the family, so Harald Koehn and his team made it more contemporary, top. The staircase, left, was relocated and made to fit in with the modern new home.

Harald Koehn Construction photos (www.haraldkoehn.com)

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By Kerry Vital

A garage door is often one of the first things you’ll see as you pull up to your house. It’s something that can add a lot of curb appeal to your home, and there are many options to choose from when it comes to materials and appear-ance.

If you’re considering replacing your current garage door, it’s best to start with a professional opinion.

“The first thing you should do if you are interested in buying a new garage door is call a sales representative, and have that person come visit your home so that they can take all of

the necessary measure-ments of your garage,” says James Matheson, account manager for Overhead Door Co. of Vancouver.

He or she will then go over your options with you and give you advice on what would work best for your particular needs.

“You may be trying to

keep the garage warm for the purpose of using it as a work-shop, in which case you would most likely choose from a range of fully insulated garage doors,” Matheson says. “Or maybe you’re tired of looking at the square raised panels on your garage door because that’s what everyone else has, and so now you would like to have something a little bit fancier such as an elegant-looking carriage house-style garage door with deco-rative spear hinges and handles.”

There are several different materials avail-able for garage doors, including steel, vinyl, fibreglass, wood and aluminum.

“Most common garage doors today are made with galvanized steel sheet metal, from which you have a choice between insulated and non-insulated mod-els,” says Matheson. “Non-insulated garage doors tend to be the least durable, as they are constructed from only one exterior layer of sheet metal, which

makes them very easy to dent.”

Fully insulated doors are built with three lay-ers: an exterior layer of sheet metal, an interior layer of sheet metal and a middle layer of either polyurethane foam or polystyrene.

There are also semi-insulated garage doors which have an exterior sheet metal and an interior vinyl-backed insulation. However, Matheson notes that those can be damaged easily as there is no pro-tection for the interior vinyl.

“Wood garage doors are also very durable, but they require much more maintenance over

the years, and they are quite expensive when compared to mod-ern-day galvanized steel doors,” says Matheson. “While wood garage doors don’t necessarily dent, over time they can rot and eventually fall apart depending on how much weathering they are exposed to, and also depending on how regularly the door gets re-painted or re-stained.”

Garage door design has come a long way from the old-fashioned raised squares that Matheson calls “Stan-dard Raised Panel.”

“People will often look at something like a Long Raised Panel or ‘Ranch Panel’ style,

which instead of having, say, eight square panels ... you would instead have four long panels going across the door,” Matheson says.

However, if you’re looking for something a bit more stylish, you may consider installing a door that looks like one from an old carriage house.

“These types of garage doors simulate old-style swing doors, and can be fitted with decorative hinge and handle hardware to give the garage door the authentic carriage house look,” notes Matheson.

Many things to think about when replacing a garage door

One of the popular options in garage doors is the carriage-house style, which look like old-fashioned swing doors, but still go up and down like a regular garage door.

Overhead Door Co. of Vancouver photo

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By Kerry Vital

Everyone has heard the adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This has never been more true with the recent trend to “upcycle”, or turn some-thing that may no longer be useful into something new.

“Upcycling is the act of taking an unused item and literally turning it into an item you will use,” says Amber Bosma, marketing manager for UsedEvery-where.com. “Essentially you take something that’s no longer wanted or needed and turn it into some-thing fabulous.”

Almost anything can be upcycled, from old furni-ture to clothing to construction materials.

“I think the most popular upcycle I’ve seen lately involves pallets,” says Bosma. “I’ve seen pallets turned into garden swings, into bed frames and into beautiful coffee tables!”

Other creative projects include turning old cloth-ing into pillows (or a dog bed for man or woman’s

best friend perhaps?), making jars into lanterns or candleholders or updating an old mirror with a new frame or paint.

“That bulky old television cabinet turns into a kid’s play kitchen,” suggests Bosma. “The inherited grandfather clock you don’t like but want to keep becomes a stylish shelf.”

If craft projects fill your heart with dread or con-jure up some bad memories of school projects, you don’t need to worry. Upcyling doesn’t need to be complicated and it doesn’t have to require unlimited creativity.

“Use the Internet to follow upcycling blogs for inspiration,” Bosma says. “For example, the UsedE-verywhere.com blog has an upcycling series that shows you items that can be found inexpensively or even for free on our websites and then offers several upcycling options for that item.”

Pintrest and Facebook are also a great source for upcycling ideas.

Upcycling: turning trash into treasure

Upcycling can be as complicated or as simple as your time, budget and skills allow. Plus, it’s kind to the environment as fewer things will be tossed in the trash. This old cabinet was given new life as a bench in an eating nook.

Lacey Sheardown photo

Blogs, Pintrest and other social media sites are great places to find creative ideas for turning old things into something new and amazing.

“ more page.10

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B8 -- Wednesday, September 18, 2013 -- THE NEWS - www.mapleridgenews.com www.mapleridgenews.com - THE NEWS -- Wednesday, September 18, 2013 -- B9


“Choose good quality items to upcycle,” says Bosma. “The item itself may be ugly, but what’s important is the quality of the material. An upcycle can be as simple as a lick of paint and new handles or as compli-cated as your imagination allows.”

Upcycled items are more than just unique; they’re also much kinder to the environment.

“Why throw it away when it can be reused and given a new lease on life?” says Bosma. “If you love unique pieces of furniture then upcycling is the way to go, plus you get to add your own flair if it’s a do-it-yourself project. And best of all, if you’re like me and you love to bag a bargain, upcycling your own items is much cheaper than buying new.”

Suddenly spending weekends scouring garage sales sounds much more appealing! You never know what treasures you’ll find or what will inspire your next project.

Upcycling kind to Mother Nature and your budget

The old cabinet, top, was refinished with new cushions, above, and accented with mid-century modern chairs and a tulip table from the 1960s, left. The cabinet, chairs and table were found on UsedVictoria.com.

Lacey Sheardown photos

“ from page.7

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By Nicolle Hodges

The newest trends in flooring are a direct reflection of those looking to the future, yet wanting to remain comfortable while doing so.

Monarch Flooring owner Matt Robinson has no-ticed that there has been a shift towards more detailed and multi-dimensional flooring. When people are considering hardwood, there seems to be a move away from maple and walnut shades and more towards wide-plank white oak. Besides offering a unique look, the influx can also be credited to its long lengths and affordable pricing. Wire-brushed flooring offers a unique take on texture, while multi-level staining provides different colour effects. “It really gives some neat looks and a larger variety as opposed to mono-tone flooring,” says Robinson.

Peter Pocrnic of Casa Madera Floors has seen something very similar when it comes to hardwood.

“We’re seeing people going for the lighter shades of grey,” he says, as well as the lighter earth tones.

“The brushed oak is very popular,” he says. “It goes with the lifestyle. People have kids and dogs, and these products cover scratches really well.”

Robinson has noticed that when it comes to lami-nate, “in a lot of ways it is mirroring what is happen-ing in hardwood,” he says. “The boards are no longer boring, and are beginning to look more detailed with hand-scraped rippled surfaces.” In addition, when it comes to baseboards, Robinson and his team are add-ing more square trim as opposed to rounded, further-ing the overall structured feel.

However, in the case of carpeting, the preferred look doesn’t follow the edgy trend. Instead, many are opting for a more plush carpeting with the cut-pile carpet, as it’s fairly thick and soft under your feet. Wool and synthetic blends are making an appearance, with an emphasis on grey and neutral tones.

Vinyl has also seen a shift towards what is consid-ered “luxury” with plank and tile. While durability is a great selling point, the product’s tile and plank format make for easier installation and repairs over the tradi-tional 12-inch-wide sheets.

When it comes to tile in particular, Fontile Kitchen and Bath Sales Specialist Sean Cloete says that with the use of technological advancements in the area of digital imaging, floor trends continue to replicate natural stone.

“All the great stones from Marmol Carrara to Calacata Gold to tiles that look like real wood, or even combining both wood and stone together is a new trend that has emerged,” says Cloete. “Combin-ing the two is both beautiful and exciting to have.”

Porcelanosa Grupo, a leader in ceramics for both floor and wall tiles, have been replicating real stone in board lengths (6 by 26 inches and 8 by 48 inches) on porcelain tile with texture for over 14 years. By using Digital Ink Imaging, they are able to replicate stone in a large format (24 by 48 inches and 18 by 38 inches) that reduces grout lines and creates a natural-looking replica.

“Digital imaging allows the tile to be imagined no matter what the texture angle is, which is a step up from flat tiles,” says Cloete. “Glazes have also ma-tured to the point that glossy is no longer a standard, but now matte, matte sheen, honed and textured matte are all natural glazes to further replicate real stone, and fooling even the most experienced in our industry.”

Pocrnic advises homeowners considering replac-ing their flooring to set aside at least one to two weeks for the renovation depending on how large the room is, and always involve a professional.

“A professional will be able to properly set up the sub-floor to ensure the installation is immaculate,” he says. He also notes that you need to look at pur-chasing quality products and ensuring high-quality workmanship.

As the industry continues to cater to the future with metal detailing and digital imaging, there is still a focus on ensuring the interior of a home remains warm. As trends show, now is the time to embrace the best of both worlds, with comfortable and con-temporary all under one roof.

With files from Kerry Vital

Changing up what lies beneath your feet

Among the popular shades in flooring right now are lighter wood shades and grey. Earth tones are always in style, and can be found in all manner of materials and budgets to suit your style and space.

Monarch Flooring photos

By Nicolle Hodges

When Tom Bakker’s clients ask him about what’s “new and upcoming,” he asks them how deep their wallet is, “because you will have to do what Paris tells you.”

When it comes to Tom Bakker Design Ltd., he says he’s opposed to following trends. Instead, he advises to do what is timeless, because timeless is not trend-sensitive and is cost-efficient.

“Quality, expertise and attention to detail sur-pass trends,” says Bakker, who doesn’t believe in following what “everyone else is doing.”

Instead, Bakker stresses that “it’s about cus-tomizing the client’s needs, wants and desires,” and whether a client’s style is contemporary or traditional, or he is designing a house in the mountains or on the coast, it’s about the search for “quality and creativity.”

When Bakker is designing the interior of a home, he finds its design direction by listening to his clients and creating a home that nurtures them; something he says is “often overlooked” in the industry.

“The trend that everyone should be concerned about is not colours or tiles, it’s about the client and who they are, what they want, what their dream is,” says Bakker. “It’s not about seeing something on T.V and just hanging a new curtain up.”

While interior designer Sarah Gallop of Sarah Gallop Design would tend to agree that trends “come and go,” she says it’s also about creating longevity with a classic neutral backdrop, and then incorporating accents and items that are easily changed out.

Gallop foresees yellow as a popular accent colour for 2014, as well as glass and reflective materials, and spaces that embody warmth and comfort, while remaining elegant.

As with all trends, they pass, and often quite quickly. In that case, Gallop suggests that people base their design decisions on how long they plan on living in that par-ticular space. “With a short-term stay it’s important to consider resale and choosing materials and finishes that will appeal to a greater range of people,” explains Gallop. “If they plan to stay in the home for a long time it’s not a major concern to do some-thing that is super customized to their own lifestyle or taste.”

Interior design should suit your individual style, not trends

A new year brings new trends and new styles, whether it’s in interior design or clothing. However, designing with your own personal style in mind, whether it’s a retro look in your kitchen, right, or a cozy living area with space to entertain, below, will last longer than following every new trend.

Sarah Gallop Design photos


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bronze and copper, as well as chevron patterns. All of these colours are ones they see continuing into the winter season as well.

Gathering your own leaves to decorate the Thanksgiving table can be a great activ-ity for kids and adults alike. Hitting your local park and choosing the perfect leaves to make a centrepiece (perhaps mixed with some feathers, chestnuts or acorns) can become a family tradition. Just make sure to give them a rinse first to remove any bugs or dirt.

Another great idea for the kids is to unroll a length of butcher paper on the table, provide some coloured pencils or crayons, and let them go to town making a table-cloth or placemats.

The grocery store can also be a good source for decorations, including fall flowers (your local market will be able to advise on what’s growing in your area), pumpkins and other gourds.

“We’re also seeing unique one-of-a-kind decor as a hit this fall,” says Beatty. “Each piece tells its own story while being part of the bigger style story in the room.”

If you’re looking for something a bit more time-consuming, consider taking some tissue paper in your favourite fall colours, wrapping clear glass vases or candlehold-ers and securing the edges of the paper with clear tape to make an elegant addition to your tables or fireplace mantel.

Whatever your style or budget, decorating for Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be complicated. A bit of creativity and some inspiration goes a long way towards mak-ing your home glow. Spending some time on sites such as Pintrest and Tumblr will garner tons of ideas. Perhaps you’ll become your neighbourhood Martha Stewart!

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with your chairs and couches. Angus notes that the two most popular furniture items he sees people purchasing are a recliner and a sectional.

“Recliners are terrific these days; they’re so huge and comfortable,” he says. “If it’s just yourself then that’s fine, but you want to have buddies over, so you’ll need more seating.”

Sectionals can fit several people on them at once without taking up a ton of space, so Angus says they’re perfect for man caves.

However, when you think man cave, you probably think technology. You’d be right.

Sean Peever, a member of Best Buy’s Geek Squad, has seen a lot of man caves in his day and he is passionate about the technology that most of them hold. Long gone are the days of a small television in the garage.

“There has been a huge change in resolu-tion lately,” Peever says. “4K TVs are really hot right now. It’s four times as much resolution as a 1080p set. That’s a drastic difference.”

Many of the televisions installed in man caves these days are 46 inches or larger, Peever notes. However, a television isn’t your only option.

“A projector and screen is a great way to go,” says John Penner of Audio Visual Unlim-ited Langley. “It’s a bigger screen and the pic-ture is super clear. ... You can blow everything else away. It’s something you would want to write home about.”

Penner recommends that a homeowner looking for a screen should look at one classi-fied as a “daylight” screen, which will bounce more light back to your eyes and allow for a better viewing experience.

“Most man caves are very bright due to ambient light,” he says. “It’s very important to have a bright screen.”

When it comes to the projector, you will need to keep that ambient light in mind, so

Penner recommends looking for one with at least 2,000 to 3,000 lumens (a rating for the brightness of the light that is projected, similar to watts in a lightbulb).

“3D projectors tend to have the best video processors,” he says.

But the visual component isn’t the only important thing.

“You’ll miss the entire experience without sound,” Best Buy’s Peever says. “It’s the biggest impact you can make.”

He suggests starting with an amplifier and speakers.

“I’m not talking about a sound bar or the TV speakers,” he says. “You want to feel like you’re in a theatre ... or in Rogers Arena, and if you don’t have good sound your experience won’t change.”

Penner agrees, saying that he recommends homeowners pur-chase a 7.2 system, with three front speakers and four for the back of the room. The speakers are respon-sible for the first part of that number, with the remaining 0.2 being two subwoofers.

“It depends on the size” of the room, he says, but “you can really play with how the listener receives sound. The more you have, the more you can play with distance.”

He cites the example of a plane taking off. With a television speaker you’ll have a single source of sound, while a full surround-sound system will allow you to hear it from all around you.

“You can really feel what the director was trying to achieve,” Penner says.

The two subwoofers he recommends will pick up the lower register of the sound.

“It’s important to have two (subwoofers) to pick up multiple ‘sweet spots’ in the room,” he says. “You don’t typically have just one seat in the room, so you want to reach everyone.

Your recliner might be your ‘man cave command centre’ but we can calculate sweet spots for a whole room of people.”

However, with all that technology in the room, how are you planning to control it?

“You can automatically control the elec-tronics in your home with a home automation system,” Peever says. “You control it from your tablet or phone. Everything from light switches to plugs to the thermostat. It’s really the epic pinnacle of what a man cave should be.”

No man cave is complete with some home automation, Penner declares.

“It’s an absolute necessity in your cave,” he says. “You can actually run your entire house” off of a single remote.

Lighting might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re constructing your man cave, but Penner says it is still important.

“It’s best to have three or four light circuits,” he notes. “I recommend having one circuit as sconces on the wall, and pot lights in the ceil-ing as the second. The third could be another set of pot lights, and the fourth a rope light at the front of the room.”

If you’re looking to spend some time doing something other than watching the game, you might consider purchasing a gaming system.

“The new gaming systems are going to be huge,” says Peever. “It’s an epic event to have the new PlayStation 4 and XBox One release around the same time.”

Both will be released in November.However, neither of those can really be

classified as purely a gaming system anymore.“They’re entertainment systems,” Peever

says. “It’s a Blu-Ray player, gaming console, DVD player, movie rental service. It’s a great new world.”

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