MORE HIT SONGS OF THE SIXTIES

MORE HIT SONGS OF THE SIXTIES

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The dawn of man’s cave: Father spends three years and $50,000 creating fantasy basement complete with sword rack, suits of armor and even a secret passage behind a bookcase

 

 

 

 

My French Retreat: The foundation was built on top of the escape tunnels of the old original Chateau as early 1160 and now the sealed tunnel / dungeons below the house. There maybe a connection to the other garage across the street as the cement slab was built on top of a gravel pit to fill up another tunnel connecting to the house. It was common during the olden days. Also the proximity of the house from the church may suggest that it was a part of the original ancient village around the church.

Caves and tunnels have always been part of human life. We've grown more adept at shaping these underground shelters and passages over the millennia, and today we dig for hundreds of reasons. We excavate to find both literal and cultural treasures, digging mines and unearthing archaeological discoveries. We use caverns for stable storage, for entertainment, and for an effective shelter from natural and man-made disasters. And as the planet's surface becomes ever more crowded, and national borders are closed, tunnels provide habitat. Collected below are my dungeons in France

 

Home sweet home: While there is nothing fantasy-themed about the outside of his house, underneath  is perhaps the finest example of a man cave ever created

Home sweet home: While there is nothing fantasy-themed about the outside of his house, underneath is perhaps the finest example of a man cave ever created

There is even an alcove for Tyler's one-year-old boy - who he plans to introduce to the Elder Scrolls series once he is old enough to play.

   

THE DAWN OF MAN CAVE

 

Entrance to the future man cave. Original Granite steps, the walls here are 6 feet thick. This could be a part of the ancient wall of the old city.

 

Granite threads from the basement leading to the first dungeon.

Going down to dungeon # 1

 

 

Entry door of the first dungeon from the outside

Hallway to Dungeon #1

Dungeon number one

Cobble stone of the basement and dungeons. Threads are original granite stones. I will keep it that way or maybe lined it with  flagstones.

 

 

Dungeon # 2

 

Dungeon # 2

 

Dungeon # 2

Staircase to utility room from Dungeon # 2

 

TRAP DOOR IN TOOLS  ROOM TO SPIRAL STAIRCASE TO Dungeon # 2 BELOW

 

Dungeon # 2

 

Above is the floor of the tools room

 

 

 

 

Dungeon # 2

 

 

 

 

The ultimate man cave: Father spends three years and $50,000 creating fantasy basement complete with sword rack, suits of armor and even a secret passage behind a bookcase

  • Tyler Kirkham, 32, from Utah, began creating his basement in 2012 and has since spent $50,000 on the creation
  • Themed around fantasy video games, it contains a $100 medieval helmet, $250 Italian crossbow and potion lab
  • Also features $20,000 cinema system, $15,000 shower complete with waterfall, pool table, and $8,000 of masonry
  • Wife Jill helped design room and says it's 'awesome' - but admits it would have been nice to have a pool as well

Complete with its own sword rack, $20,000 cinema system for playing video games, and even a secret door hidden behind a book shelf - this basement can perhaps lay claim to being the most glorious man cave ever created.

The brainchild of 32-year-old father-of-one Tyler Kirkham, from Utah, the fantasy-themed room also includes a $15,000 bathroom with its own waterfall and ivy-covered rock face, a stained wooden floor costing $8,000, and is finished using $8,000-worth of stone and masonry.

Mr Kirkham, a comic book artist who has worked on Tomb Raider, Transformers, Amazing Spiderman, X-Men, and Ultimate Fantastic 4, spent three years building the basement, despite wife Jill asking for a pool in the back yard.

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No expense spared: Tyler Kirkham, 32, from Utah, spent three years and $50,000 creating this fantasy-themed basement underneath his family home complete with $15,000 shower room and $20,000 cinema system

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No expense spared: Tyler Kirkham, 32, from Utah, spent three years and $50,000 creating this fantasy-themed basement underneath his family home complete with $15,000 shower room and $20,000 cinema system

Small touches: As well as the waterfall in the bathroom, and the $8,000-worth of stone used to finish the walls, Mr Kirkham also spent $100 on a medieval helmet and $250 on an Italian crossbow for his basement

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Small touches: As well as the waterfall in the bathroom, and the $8,000-worth of stone used to finish the walls, Mr Kirkham also spent $100 on a medieval helmet and $250 on an Italian crossbow for his basement

Nerd-vana: Themed around the Elder Scrolls series of video games it contains its own armor suits, weapon rack and potions lab - alongside the flat screen TVs, pool table, and kitchen

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Nerd-vana: Themed around the Elder Scrolls series of video games it contains its own armor suits, weapon rack and potions lab - alongside the flat screen TVs, pool table, and kitchen

Eye for detail: Mr Kirkham, an artist who currently works for DC Comics, used screenshots from the houses in the video game to make sure his real-life creation was as close to the fantasy as possible

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Eye for detail: Mr Kirkham, an artist who currently works for DC Comics, used screenshots from the houses in the video game to make sure his real-life creation was as close to the fantasy as possible

Themed around the Elder Scrolls series of video games, it features weapons, armor and details that will be familiar to anyone who played the last Sykrim installment - set in a land based on real-life vikings.

Just like the houses in the video game, it comes with its own alchemy station for brewing potions and poisons, and is equipped with a weapon rack and armor stands to store hard-won treasure after a quest.

Mr Kirkham spared no expense on the weapons inside, which include an Italian crossbow he bought for $250, and a medieval helmet which cost $100.

He said: It felt amazing to turn our dream vision of what we wanted the space to be into a reality. I wanted to do something fun with the basement and I love the fantasy world of these games.

The ultimate $50,000 man cave inspired by Elder Scrolls

 

Tucked away: The basement features a bespoke gaming system for Mr Kirkham and his brother, an alcove for his one-year-old son Indie, and a bookcase which swings back to reveal a hidden passage

Hubble bubble, toil and trouble: True to the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim computer game, Mr Kirkham's basement also contains an alchemy lab along with a set of potion and poison bottles (pictured)

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Hubble bubble, toil and trouble: True to the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim computer game, Mr Kirkham's basement also contains an alchemy lab along with a set of potion and poison bottles (pictured)

Ready for battle: A sword rack is just one of the fantasy-themed elements to the basement, which also includes practice dummies covered in suits of armor (pictured left)

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Ready for battle: A sword rack is just one of the fantasy-themed elements to the basement, which also includes practice dummies covered in suits of armor (pictured left)

'When you're in there it just has a very unique feel, it's completely different from the rest of the house.'

Tyler's wife Jill, 32, a real estate agent, even helped with the design. She said: 'With all the money we've put into finishing the basement, maybe we could have divvied it up and put in a pool in the backyard.

'But I never wish we had a plain basement - who wouldn't want one like this, it's amazing.'

The basement has been a huge hit with Tyler's friends and neighbours too. He added: 'Pretty much everyone's reaction has been the same, whether they know what the game is or not - wide eyes, mouth open, with a shocked look on their faces. They always ask: 'How did you guys think of this?''

Finishing touches: Cladding the walls in masonry and stone with lantern-style lights cost Mr Kirkham around $8,000, while the $15,000 bathroom ended up being so expensive he had to stop building for months until he could afford to fit it

Treasure trove: While to the untrained eye the basement appeared to have a medieval theme, in fact it is filled with references to the last Elder Scrolls game, called Skyrim (pictured, a helmet from the fantasy world beside a pendant bearing the game's dragon symbol)

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Treasure trove: While to the untrained eye the basement appeared to have a medieval theme, in fact it is filled with references to the last Elder Scrolls game, called Skyrim (pictured, a helmet from the fantasy world beside a pendant bearing the game's dragon symbol)

No done yet: While the basement features items and decor from the last Elder Scrolls game (pictured), Mr Kirkham says he plans to add a wine cellar or children's play area based on the newest installment in the franchise, which comes out today

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No done yet: While the basement features items and decor from the last Elder Scrolls game (pictured), Mr Kirkham says he plans to add a wine cellar or children's play area based on the newest installment in the franchise, which comes out today

One of the basement's biggest admirers is Tyler's brother, Tristan. The pair love to play the game together with friends.

Tristan said: 'I think Tyler did a great job, he's always had a knack for interior design. When Tyler first told me about the basement, I was very excited, because we both love the game and I knew he'd do a great job of it.

'When I entered the basement for the first time I was completely floored.'

He began construction on the family space and theatre in February 2012 and uses screenshots from the games to ensure maximum accuracy. Financial constraints meant that Tyler had to wait until the summer of 2014 to add the bathroom.

The basement features a wealth of other nerdy details from the game, including coin purses sourced from Italy and homemade scrolls customised to look ancient and tattered.

Hanging out: Mr Kirkham says that one of the biggest fans of the basement is his brother Tristan (right) who often comes round to play video games on the room's $20,000 cinema system

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Hanging out: Mr Kirkham says that one of the biggest fans of the basement is his brother Tristan (right) who often comes round to play video games on the room's $20,000 cinema systemQuality man time: Mr Kirkham and brother Tristan play the last Elder Scrolls video game together in the basement, ahead of the latest release, which came out today

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Quality man time: Mr Kirkham and brother Tristan play the last Elder Scrolls video game together in the basement, ahead of the latest release, which came out today 

And Tyler has plans to expand his creation further. He's considering a wine cellar or children's play area inspired by the latest instalment in the series, the multiplayer online game Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.

He said: 'I'm really looking forward to playing Elder Scrolls Online on my XBox and PS4 - the idea of playing with friends against people who might be a state away, or even a continent away, is amazing to me.

'I might be fighting a guy who is in Europe, or who is in China, or we could be teaming up to fight orcs or goblins or trolls.'

Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited is available now on Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC and Mac.

Day at the office: During the day Mr Kirham works as a comic book artist and his work has featured in Tomb Raider, Transformers, Amazing Spiderman, X-Men, and Ultimate Fantastic 4

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Day at the office: During the day Mr Kirham works as a comic book artist and his work has featured in Tomb Raider, Transformers, Amazing Spiderman, X-Men, and Ultimate Fantastic 4

 

 

 

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