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From She Sheds to Man Caves: Designing Your Personal Retreat
Episode 224716th July 2026 • Around the House with Eric G®: Upgrade Your Home Like a Pro • Eric Goranson
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Ever thought about how a she shed and a man cave can be two sides of the same coin? In this lively discussion, Eric G, John Dudley, and Wendy Glaister tackle the fun quirks of designing your own little escape. They throw around witty remarks about the crazy things couples choose to include in their sheds—like, who knew that daffodils and moose horns could be such hot topics? The episode is packed with stories of real-life clients who have turned their creative visions into reality, from tech-savvy entrepreneurs needing separate workspaces to the hilarious dynamics of partners negotiating their décor choices. It’s not just about the physical space either; the trio dives into the emotional importance of having a personal retreat and how it can impact relationships. They discuss the potential pitfalls of man caves becoming too enticing, leading to husbands spending more time in their sanctuaries than with their families. Wendy shares her experience of creating a stunning man cave for her husband, only to find that he never wanted to leave! It’s a light-hearted yet thought-provoking exploration of how our environments shape our lives, making this episode a must-listen for anyone looking to carve out their own personal space.

Takeaways:

  • Designing a man cave or she shed is all about personal expression—make it uniquely yours!
  • Compromise is key when creating shared spaces, balancing individual tastes without starting a home design war.
  • It's important to consider future needs in your space—invest in good wiring and features that last.
  • Creating a dedicated space can help maintain sanity in a work-from-home world, but balance is crucial to avoid isolation.
  • Bringing in personal elements, like favorite sports memorabilia, can add character and make your space feel like home.
  • Avoid creating a paradise that keeps you too comfortable—sometimes a little discomfort is necessary to encourage socializing.

Links referenced in this episode:

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Wendy Glacier Interiors
  • Soundscapes
  • Blacktail Studios

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We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/

Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.

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Episode 2240 — Prep Like a Pro: Tile Secrets with William White of Ardex Americas | Made in America 250

Great tile starts long before the first piece goes down. In this episode of our Made in America 250 campaign, Eric G sits down with William White from Ardex Americas to break down the prep steps the pros never skip — and the shortcuts that cause tile jobs to fail months down the road. As a Certified Kitchen Designer with 35+ years in the industry, Eric uses Ardex on his own tile projects, and in this conversation you'll hear why. William shares what proper substrate prep really looks like, the products that make or break an installation, and how American manufacturing keeps Ardex at the top of the trade. If you haven't heard of Ardex, this is your introduction — give them a try on your next project. Learn more at ardexamericas.com. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/69c7e03f-1852-4481-9a23-ccd389961aec/ In this episode: Why prep is the difference between a tile job that lasts and one that fails The prep products the pros trust before every installation What makes Ardex an American manufacturing standout Ardex Americas is a featured brand in the Around the House Made in America 250 campaign, celebrating the American manufacturers building better homes.

Ardex

Episode 2241 — Real Design Starts with American-Made Tile: Inside Daltile | Made in America 250

Great design starts with great materials. In this episode of our Made in America 250 campaign, Eric G digs into what makes American-made tile the right choice for your next project — and why Daltile has been a go-to for designers and pros for decades. As a Certified Kitchen Designer with 35+ years in the industry, Eric uses Daltile in his own projects, and in this conversation he breaks down how the right tile elevates a design, what to look for in quality and selection, and why manufacturing here in America matters for the products going into your home. If you haven't experienced Daltile, you need to check them out — from kitchens to baths to outdoor living, they've got the surfaces to bring real design home. Learn more at daltile.com. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/07a8c105-8e88-40eb-b8f1-a5340d6a3518/ In this episode: How American-made tile elevates your next design project What separates quality tile from the bargain-bin stuff Why Daltile's selection gives designers and homeowners more to work with Daltile is a featured brand in the Around the House Made in America 250 campaign, celebrating the American manufacturers shaping real design.

Daltile

Made by Contractors for Contractors check out Instabid.pro

Turn 3 hours of manual estimating into 5 minutes. Real material prices. Real labor rates. Professional PDF quotes delivered instantly. To find out more head to https://instabid.pro/

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Whether you’re camping, tailgating, or running backup power near the RV, weather can change fast. A generator still needs to run outside, but rain and snow can put your power plan at risk. GenTent helps protect your portable generator while it’s running, without blocking airflow or access to controls. Keep your power ready for the trip, no matter the weather. Visit gentent.com/ericg.

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Evolve Stone

We tell the story of Evolve Stone and how they are made in the USA. To listen to the complete episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ef96f15d-b960-44a8-9522-1c3fa56c7cb7/ To find out more and order your free samples with promo code ATH26 head to EvolveStone.com

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Transcripts

Speaker A:

Foreign.

Speaker B:

Ready to turn your house into the home you've always dreamed of without the headaches or huge bills.

Speaker B:

You're tuned to around the House, the nation's number one home improvement radio show and podcast with expert advice that's helped millions tackle everything from remodels to repairs.

Speaker B:

Hosts Eric G. And John Dudley have got you covered with the best advice and information about your home.

Speaker B:

Now let's get this hour started.

Speaker C:

Welcome to the around the House show, your trusted source for everything about your home.

Speaker C:

I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining me today.

Speaker C:

John Dudley, Good to see you, my friend.

Speaker D:

You too, brother.

Speaker D:

What's happening?

Speaker C:

Oh, it is that time of the day where we got Wendy Glacier in the studio.

Speaker C:

WENDY glacier, Interiors welcome back, Wendy.

Speaker A:

Hi, guys.

Speaker D:

How are you?

Speaker A:

I'm so happy to see you.

Speaker D:

I love this scarf.

Speaker C:

I like a little controversy.

Speaker C:

This one's gonna be fun.

Speaker D:

Isn't it always controversial on both side?

Speaker C:

Oh, yeah.

Speaker C:

I can too.

Speaker C:

Everybody else going, what are you guys talking about?

Speaker C:

And today we're going to talk about kind of the difference of a man cave and a she shed and how those can be similar but two different projects.

Speaker C:

And I think it's hilarious how depending on the client, depending on the house, how these can be such different situations.

Speaker A:

They can.

Speaker A:

It's funny.

Speaker A:

We last year we did a project for a couple of years who had a tech business together and she was general counsel and he was CEO and they could not stand working in the same house, but they wanted to work from home.

Speaker A:

So we put in two tough sheds and tricked both of them out.

Speaker A:

And the things that he chose for his and the things that she chose for hers were completely different.

Speaker A:

It was so funny.

Speaker A:

They had their individual styles and tastes and it was a lot of fun.

Speaker D:

You want the daffodils or the moosehorns?

Speaker C:

Mentally, I think there is something to be said about creating a space that you don't have to compromise on.

Speaker C:

Right.

Speaker C:

That this is my space.

Speaker C:

For John Dudley over there, it's going to be his studio with the instruments and the 2 inch tape player sitting in the corner.

Speaker C:

And he's got exactly where that needs to go.

Speaker C:

Where me it's more of the shop and everything else of what I've got going on and the studio and stuff that we're building now.

Speaker C:

But I think it's healthy to have a space that's your own that you can just kind of go reset to and go enjoy without having to compromise on where everything goes.

Speaker C:

I think it's a hot topic.

Speaker D:

I think it's a blessing and a curse.

Speaker D:

And I think it can cost you a marriage.

Speaker D:

I'll say that.

Speaker C:

I like it, Johnny.

Speaker D:

Right away, I'm just going for the jugular, man.

Speaker D:

I'm all my fault.

Speaker D:

I'm.

Speaker D:

There's no blame there.

Speaker D:

You know, you fall asleep up in the music studio and you wake up at seven when your wife's leaving for work.

Speaker D:

It only lasts for so long before she.

Speaker A:

I'm just saying, come out of the cave occasionally.

Speaker D:

Yeah, that's kind of my point.

Speaker D:

Be careful, right?

Speaker D:

Make it cool, but not too cool.

Speaker A:

I made that mistake too.

Speaker C:

John Dudley with the truth.

Speaker C:

I like it.

Speaker D:

I got nothing but.

Speaker D:

I got nothing but the truth, brother.

Speaker C:

Yeah, I know, but you're not wrong though.

Speaker C:

I mean, if you.

Speaker C:

Here's a warning sign, I think, for relationships out there too.

Speaker C:

If you're creating a place to escape to a lot, maybe you need to work on that a little bit.

Speaker C:

Because I know plenty of people that get home and they go escape to their place.

Speaker C:

Probably not the healthiest for the relationship long term.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

And that's a solid point.

Speaker D:

And to be fair, that was not what my intention.

Speaker D:

But you know, me and a guitar, it's pretty hard to stare me away.

Speaker C:

I know, man.

Speaker C:

I've spent 3am in your studio back in the band days, going, all right, man, I'm going home.

Speaker C:

Oh, but one more try, right?

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

Next thing you know, I'm sleeping on the keyboard.

Speaker D:

Yeah, yeah, I digress.

Speaker D:

Sorry.

Speaker D:

Let's be more professional and designy about it.

Speaker D:

You just got the contractor's take.

Speaker D:

That's more than enough.

Speaker C:

Oh, I think you're right though.

Speaker C:

It's.

Speaker C:

It's one of those things that.

Speaker C:

That can be healthy, especially in today's work from home situation where people need to have their own space because we've all seen the videos of people sitting in the during COVID that we're sitting on the island and the kids go naked running by in their zoom meeting or whatever happens.

Speaker C:

Or their spouse comes walking in half awake, not knowing that they're now on a.

Speaker C:

On a zoom call or an interview or something where they're out.

Speaker C:

There needs to be a balance, like everything.

Speaker A:

I think so.

Speaker A:

I think too.

Speaker A:

What I've seen a lot in different couples over the years is different people's tolerance of a mess and what their definition of a mess is.

Speaker A:

I worked with a couple in their commercial office and then they asked me to come and help them in their home and she was the CPA and he was the rainmaker and he liked Everything just so.

Speaker A:

And you would think as a cpa, she would have as well, but I.

Speaker D:

Already had that backwards.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And it drove him out of his mind.

Speaker A:

And she loved.

Speaker A:

I mean, she was so creative.

Speaker A:

Like, she loved sewing and she loved scrapbooking, and she loved all the things, but she loved all the things to do all the things.

Speaker A:

And so they built her this beautiful office with double doors that slid shut so that he wouldn't have to look at it because he just.

Speaker A:

He could not do it.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

And that's a.

Speaker D:

That's a marriage saver right there.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

Right.

Speaker A:

That was useful.

Speaker D:

This is.

Speaker A:

See, this so much in homes is, especially if you're at the place in life where you want to be in your forever home, whatever that looks like, and you're making all the changes to your plumbing layouts and your kitchen and all these other things, then at some point, people usually also do something for their specific interests or hobbies to accommodate those things in the long run.

Speaker A:

And usually it's because they have learned what their spouse can and can't tolerate about their specific interests.

Speaker A:

But it's almost a protection in a way.

Speaker A:

But I think it.

Speaker A:

I mean, it shows a lot of respect and understanding that they want to do that.

Speaker A:

I think it's kind of neat.

Speaker A:

But, yeah, if you don't ever recognize those differences, it can be pretty problematic.

Speaker C:

I think it can be interesting.

Speaker C:

People like Johnny and I with her who are both ADHD people, we have our way of living, and when your spouse has a little more ocd, that can be problematic.

Speaker C:

And we see that stuff all the time as clients.

Speaker C:

And for me, and I know Johnny both, that we both battle that.

Speaker D:

And so you're laughing a minute ago because we legitimately were talking about this an hour ago, like, sharing.

Speaker D:

I'm like, dude, I put the water on the boil, she moves the handle an inch.

Speaker D:

Is that really.

Speaker D:

Is it better now?

Speaker D:

Are you okay?

Speaker D:

Like, yeah, I just laugh at it.

Speaker D:

Doesn't bother me.

Speaker D:

Drives her crazy to let a lot.

Speaker A:

Of those things go, I think.

Speaker D:

Oh, I don't even think twice.

Speaker D:

I just go, oh, you're cute.

Speaker A:

It's a long game is what you've got to play.

Speaker A:

And I think that comes into play quite a lot with man caves and girl, she sheds and the whole thing.

Speaker A:

I've learned a lot, especially because I know I've kind of been sharing with you guys about this house.

Speaker A:

Yeah, let's park and all that.

Speaker A:

So he has a barn now.

Speaker C:

Sweet.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

He doesn't go out there enough, though, really.

Speaker A:

At our former home, I created this incredible man cave for him because I felt bad because the rest of the house was pretty feminine, flowery.

Speaker A:

And so I thought, oh, poor guy needs a man cave.

Speaker A:

So we did the sound system and the lighting and a linear electric fireplace clad in marble and all.

Speaker A:

It was gorgeous.

Speaker A:

But he never left that room, ever,.

Speaker D:

Because you designed it too nice.

Speaker D:

You designed it.

Speaker D:

I mean, beautiful thought, very kind, very understanding, very compassionate, very going for the long haul.

Speaker D:

But a man's gotta just make his own man cave.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And here's the thing.

Speaker C:

When it's kind of getting too good of a mattress for the guest bedroom, it can't be that comfortable.

Speaker A:

I think it needs to be soundscapes.

Speaker A:

Guys, they looked at me and they said, you just put in this outdoor TV and this whole sound system for him, so he come outside with you, but then you're making him this man cave castle thing.

Speaker A:

He's.

Speaker A:

He's never coming out here, Wendy.

Speaker A:

He's never gonna come outside.

Speaker A:

But it got it into a habit of doing paperwork on the weekend in this beautiful man cave with it all so perfect, and habits are hard to break.

Speaker A:

And so now here we've.

Speaker A:

There's not really a man cave.

Speaker B:

We're going to take a quick break, but stick around because Wendy Glaster is with us and we're just getting warmed up.

Speaker B:

While we're away, I want you to do two things.

Speaker B:

First, go to aroundthehouse online.com.

Speaker B:

That's our home base.

Speaker B:

Show notes, past episodes, everything we've talked about today, and a whole lot we haven't gotten to yet.

Speaker B:

Second, open up whatever podcast player you use, Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen, search around the House with Eric G. And hit follow.

Speaker B:

We've got a back catalog that goes deep.

Speaker B:

And I promise you, whatever project is staring you in the face right now, there's an episode in there for it.

Speaker B:

More with Eric G, John Dudley, and Wendy Glaster.

Speaker B:

When around the House returns.

Speaker C:

What it's like to play an instrument.

Speaker D:

And being a friend.

Speaker B:

What's up?

Speaker C:

This is Stixitinia and Satchel from Steel Panther, and you are listening to around the House with Eric G. Yeah, we.

Speaker B:

Love Eric G. And you should, too.

Speaker C:

1987.

Speaker B:

Welcome back to the around the House show.

Speaker B:

If this is the first time catching the show, we welcome you to the number one home improvement radio show in the country.

Speaker B:

Now let's get back to Talking man caves.

Speaker B:

And she sheds with Wendy Glaster from Wendy Glacier interiors.

Speaker A:

And habits are hard to break.

Speaker A:

And so now here We've.

Speaker A:

There's not really a man cave, and that was intentional, but some of the furniture and some of the things ended up in the living room.

Speaker A:

And so now that's where he sits on the weekends, and he does his feet for where he can watch his go.

Speaker A:

And I'm trying to adjust, but maybe soon we can finish the little office in the barn and he can go out there.

Speaker A:

Because golf all weekend is a lot.

Speaker A:

It's a lot of noise.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

Golf is not my thing.

Speaker C:

I'm sorry.

Speaker C:

Johnny's dying over here.

Speaker D:

Golf is a lot of noise.

Speaker D:

It's the one sport nobody makes noise at.

Speaker D:

What are you talking about?

Speaker A:

Oh, no, it's the guys who have to whisper on.

Speaker D:

It's like, ah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker D:

So you should have built him a Zen garden, apparently.

Speaker A:

No, he wouldn't do that.

Speaker A:

He wants to get it on the tractor.

Speaker C:

Yep.

Speaker D:

I can't believe he's not hanging out in the barn.

Speaker D:

I would be all about the barn.

Speaker A:

Well, he is.

Speaker D:

I'm excited to come down and hang out in the barn with him and ride the tractor around.

Speaker D:

There you go.

Speaker A:

We just have to get the office function out there.

Speaker C:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker C:

It shouldn't be too hard.

Speaker C:

I mean, you already got the building there.

Speaker C:

There's probably power out there.

Speaker A:

So I ran Internet out there.

Speaker A:

I'm getting closer.

Speaker D:

Okay, I tell you what.

Speaker D:

For 50 bucks, I'll come up there and kind of nudge.

Speaker D:

What do you say?

Speaker A:

Thank you.

Speaker C:

Totally fun.

Speaker C:

But that's one of those things that Wendy.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

You got to create those spaces.

Speaker C:

And of course, when all of his comfy furniture ended up in the living room, he now has taken over that space.

Speaker A:

Indeed.

Speaker A:

Cup holders and all.

Speaker D:

See a man in his chair.

Speaker C:

There's no room in the garage.

Speaker C:

That's the other one that I see, too, sometimes is the people have the garage of stuff, and it's the garage.

Speaker C:

It's the man cave.

Speaker C:

I've been shocked.

Speaker C:

I've seen people put hot tubs in their garage for their man cave.

Speaker C:

And I'm like, it's not my deal.

Speaker C:

But I've seen that Barry Simpsons.

Speaker C:

Yeah, it's just gonna get moldy out there.

Speaker C:

You gotta be careful putting that much humidity out there.

Speaker C:

But I've seen that, and I've scratched my head and go, maybe we need to do an outdoor project here.

Speaker C:

But for them.

Speaker C:

And it's.

Speaker C:

Yeah, no, I think we need to fix that now.

Speaker C:

It sounds like, Wendy, you're kind of on the road to that.

Speaker C:

What's the next steps on that then?

Speaker C:

Are you just going to get.

Speaker C:

Get some more framing and power and stuff out there or.

Speaker A:

Yeah, I'm really excited because actually a close friend of ours is a contractor and he and Mark get along great.

Speaker A:

Perfect.

Speaker A:

So within this giant barn, there's a.

Speaker A:

This middle section, which is for farm equipment and animals and things, I guess on the smaller shop.

Speaker A:

And it actually has a water heater, the sink, which is pretty cool.

Speaker A:

And I have an air conditioner.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

And then there's a larger workshop kind of thing.

Speaker A:

So I think if I take the little shop and empty it and insulate, do all the rough and electrical and all of that.

Speaker A:

Insulate, drywall, tape, texture, and then have my friends at Soundscapes come back to do the tricked out speakers and all that.

Speaker A:

Actually, they would do that before refn, let's be honest about the process here.

Speaker A:

But then he could go out there and he could have the speakers in the big workshop area, and then he could do his paperwork in the little one with the air conditioning and he could listen to any sport he wants as loud as he wants.

Speaker A:

All weekend long.

Speaker D:

You had me a water heater.

Speaker C:

I'm living there.

Speaker D:

What are you talking water heater?

Speaker D:

That's the shower, baby.

Speaker D:

I'm good.

Speaker A:

There you go.

Speaker A:

It's a very tiny water heater.

Speaker D:

I'm a very skinny man, Wendy.

Speaker D:

I shower like a cat.

Speaker A:

There you go.

Speaker C:

What's funny is you take that and what you're doing there.

Speaker C:

And then we had Cam Anderson on the show a few weeks ago, and from Blacktail Studios, he's in the middle of the ultimate barn build for his shop.

Speaker A:

Oh, really?

Speaker C:

When it's done, it's gonna be a figure shop.

Speaker C:

I think he's probably in the $950,000 range on this shop build.

Speaker C:

And it's going to be a million bucks by the time he's done.

Speaker A:

So what's putting in there?

Speaker D:

I'll bet he goes another 2, 300 grand past that pretty quickly.

Speaker C:

You and I both know that just.

Speaker D:

From the chat the other day, I'm like, oh, that's headed for the sky.

Speaker C:

So he did a huge concrete slab with in floor hydronic heating in it.

Speaker C:

And he brought it up to me, goes, why didn't you do the cooling?

Speaker C:

Why didn't you, Eric?

Speaker C:

You didn't tell me you could put a heat pump on that and cool it.

Speaker C:

And I'm like, because I don't want a cold floor.

Speaker C:

Your feet get cold.

Speaker C:

I'd rather have the hot floor.

Speaker C:

And if you need an air conditioner, just air Conditioning.

Speaker C:

I'd rather condition the air than the floor.

Speaker C:

But yeah, I mean, you could do that.

Speaker C:

But it's like at what point is, are you past the ridiculous side?

Speaker C:

And I mean, he's building.

Speaker C:

That's, that's an expense for his business and it, he'll do fine with it.

Speaker C:

But it's an awesome shop.

Speaker C:

But holy smokes, most people are not going to spend a million dollars on their work and man cave.

Speaker D:

But look at, I mean, the stuff he's building and he's talking about, oh, we're just gonna flip over this 2 ton slab of a table.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

I mean he needs giant equipment in there.

Speaker D:

He's.

Speaker D:

Yeah, it's super.

Speaker C:

Super.

Speaker D:

It's off the charts.

Speaker D:

Cool.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

If there aren't a lot of people that could spend a million dollars on a shop.

Speaker A:

That's true.

Speaker A:

But if you're in that income category and you have interests or a real reason within your work to do something like that, I can see where that would be really useful.

Speaker A:

Because if things are set up properly so that you can do your work efficiently and so that everything is working and in good order, then you can really get some great stuff done.

Speaker A:

And there's.

Speaker A:

You're not constantly running into barriers to your progress or your success or breakthrough or some interesting things that you're trying to get done.

Speaker A:

I mentioned this to farmer clients and they always need a shop.

Speaker A:

And that shop is really important.

Speaker A:

Sometimes people buy the land just for the shop and then later they think about the house is kind of how it works where I'm from.

Speaker A:

And it's really interesting because it's also sort of a declaration of your priorities as a homeowner and as a, as a business person.

Speaker A:

So I joke that a lot of times I'll see families where the John Deere tractor comes through a new one every year.

Speaker A:

And then finally the wife says, enough, you're not getting another tractor till I get my kitchen.

Speaker A:

It's kind of like that.

Speaker A:

I mean, it's she shed and man cave, but in a, it materializes in a different way.

Speaker A:

She needs a beautiful kitchen to get the things done that she feels are a priority.

Speaker A:

He needs a really well equipped shop to get his work done.

Speaker A:

And so it just, it's nice when couples can share the responsibility of all these different things that they as a couple have decided are important.

Speaker A:

And then they invest in those interests and their priorities equally so that each feels valued in the relationship.

Speaker A:

And I think that's probably something that you don't say out loud a lot at Least I don't have that conversation out loud with clients a lot.

Speaker A:

But I try to be really mindful of it because it is a big part of the motivation of why people do what they do.

Speaker A:

And it's fun to work for clients like that person and are willing to invest in what they love.

Speaker B:

Make sure you follow us on social media.

Speaker B:

Just look for the around the House show or head to our website aroundthehouse online dot com.

Speaker B:

We will be right back.

Speaker B:

Foreign.

Speaker B:

Welcome back to the around the House show.

Speaker B:

To find out more or contact the show, head to our new updated website at aroundthe house online.com now let's get back to talking Man Caves and she sheds with Wendy Glaster from Wendy Glacier Interiors.

Speaker A:

And I think that's probably something that you don't see say out loud a lot.

Speaker A:

At least I don't have that conversation out loud with clients a lot.

Speaker A:

But I try to be really mindful of it because it is a big part of the motivation of why people do what they do.

Speaker A:

And it's fun to work for clients like that that value their person and are willing to invest in what they love and what they find interesting, not just themselves.

Speaker A:

And they're usually very successful couples.

Speaker C:

Very true.

Speaker C:

It's funny with Cam, rarely do I tell somebody, hey man, maybe going back to your helicopter career would be a cheaper solution.

Speaker C:

Buy a helicopter instead of build a shop.

Speaker C:

But that's kind of a rare situation.

Speaker C:

But he'll make money with that.

Speaker C:

He's got a really profitable business.

Speaker C:

He builds amazing stuff.

Speaker C:

It's a great write off.

Speaker C:

He needs that for as well as he does so and it's going to make his job easier.

Speaker C:

So on paper it makes a lot of sense.

Speaker C:

And he bought that 20 acres so he could put a shop on it and it was the right space and it's going to be ridiculous.

Speaker C:

Can't wait to go over there and see it when it's done.

Speaker C:

But yeah, they've been just cranking along on that thing and that's neat when he gets it all in there.

Speaker C:

I mean it's got its own, it's got its own huge power supply.

Speaker C:

I think he's all got three phase power going to it and it's going to be a commercial building pretty much when it's all said and done.

Speaker C:

But there's a lot of work that goes into that.

Speaker C:

And I think that's one of the things too because he could have put a very inexpensive barn on there.

Speaker C:

But because he was building it the way he was doing there was a ton of soil work.

Speaker C:

All of a sudden you're putting something pretty heavy on there.

Speaker C:

When you put in a 8 inch slab of concrete.

Speaker C:

And there's a lot of work that has to be done.

Speaker C:

And then I bet it took him six months to get through the permit process on that, if not longer.

Speaker C:

So that stuff adds up and the things sneak up where on these projects, sometimes just getting power there can be expensive.

Speaker C:

I think he had 12 or 15 grand just to get power across the road.

Speaker C:

And even though power was right there, they just didn't have enough in the transformer to do it.

Speaker C:

So they had to bring it from another line on the other side to do that.

Speaker A:

So I think too, just as a cautionary tale, you don't have to be doing a project that large.

Speaker A:

But for the couple that we gave a he shed and a she shed for their work, the contractor, within the scope of work, it was written out and was very clear it needed to bring data, high speed data to both sheds.

Speaker A:

Underground cable.

Speaker A:

It was all called out nice.

Speaker A:

And they didn't.

Speaker D:

To his office.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

But she got dialed up.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And it.

Speaker A:

And then they tried to argue with me and explain to me that it couldn't be done and that of course we called in someone else and build them back.

Speaker A:

But it's really important that I think if you do have specific needs for these specialty rooms or spaces that you're trying to accomplish, you really want to interview the people that are doing the work to know that they comprehend what you're asking for.

Speaker A:

Because there are people in my area that understand all that and they're very high end and devoted to the craft.

Speaker A:

And then there are people who swing a hammer and they, they do well enough, but they aren't really equipped for something like that.

Speaker A:

And so I think that's important to do your research and make sure that you have people in there that really understand.

Speaker A:

And it may come with a higher price tag, but in the long run, amortized over time is something I like to say.

Speaker A:

You will be fin.

Speaker C:

Here's what's funny about that too.

Speaker C:

Wendy.

Speaker C:

I saw a huge smart home advertised new construction project in Florida, major national builder.

Speaker C:

And they were building this whole green community all powered by solar and high speed Internet and smart home this smart home that somebody I knew at the time moved in.

Speaker C:

All the smart home things were sitting on the shelf in the closet.

Speaker C:

None of them were installed.

Speaker C:

And the houses on the streets were done but they forgot to put in the fiber underground.

Speaker C:

So the whole subdivision had no Internet.

Speaker C:

And for three months while they're going through the permit process to get that dug out and line board through everywhere.

Speaker C:

They literally had fiber optic lines that duct tape to the sidewalk going up to the homes just so they could have the Internet because the locks they supplied were smart locks.

Speaker C:

It needed the Internet.

Speaker C:

And so does that happen on the biggest scale?

Speaker C:

How do they.

Speaker D:

How do you miss that?

Speaker D:

I mean, look, we all make mistakes, but you're talking about an entire housing project based on the one thing you forgot, and it's all underground and the houses are done.

Speaker D:

How does that happen?

Speaker D:

Seriously?

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

Someone may have gotten fired over that.

Speaker C:

I'm gonna guess we did.

Speaker A:

Man, that'd be promoted.

Speaker C:

We're promoted.

Speaker C:

They could have got promoted out to another position because they didn't want to work with them in that position anymore.

Speaker A:

Oh, man.

Speaker D:

I'll tell you one thing both of you touched on, I think is super important because.

Speaker D:

Yeah, right.

Speaker D:

You're creating a space that expresses who you are in a way.

Speaker D:

Right.

Speaker D:

Obviously.

Speaker D:

Whether it's new swarms or motorcycles.

Speaker D:

And it also is a space of comfort and peace and relaxation or rest or interest or all those things.

Speaker D:

It becomes such a piece of human psychology, just like you're talking about with the different couples, Wendy.

Speaker D:

And there's definitely the people Eric brought up that are like, I'm going to watch TV over and hide.

Speaker D:

It's kind of the contrast.

Speaker D:

And it's funny for me, Wendy.

Speaker D:

I bought.

Speaker D:

ght a house that was built in:

Speaker D:

And it literally.

Speaker D:

The city was knocking it down in two months.

Speaker D:

And I put an offer in on it for $49,000 HUD offer only because there's boards up, trees.

Speaker D:

Trees growing through the windows on post and beam and falling down.

Speaker D:

Literally, like, horrifying.

Speaker D:

And I'm like, oh, Michelle will never go for this.

Speaker D:

I'm like, ah, check this out.

Speaker D:

8:00 Clock at night.

Speaker D:

She's, oh, my God, I love it.

Speaker D:

We have to have it.

Speaker D:

I'm like, you gotta be kidding me.

Speaker D:

Buy the thing if you kicked me to buy it.

Speaker D:

And I was like, all right, let's go.

Speaker D:

Two and a half years later, right?

Speaker D:

The point being is that the biggest prize for me was doing exactly what you're talking about.

Speaker D:

Everything.

Speaker D:

What do you want?

Speaker D:

Viking or, you know, granite or hexagon tiles here and crayon hinges and crayolenges.

Speaker D:

It just.

Speaker D:

Whatever.

Speaker D:

I was like, go, man, it's all yours.

Speaker D:

And I literally would.

Speaker D:

I ran my construction company all day, worked till Four in the morning on that place.

Speaker D:

But the.

Speaker D:

The reward was Carriage House Studios.

Speaker D:

But that came first.

Speaker D:

Then I got our little playroom.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

And that's important.

Speaker D:

It's super important.

Speaker D:

It creates.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

Just a healthy, happy environment.

Speaker D:

And that's.

Speaker C:

Here's one thing, Wendy.

Speaker C:

I don't know if you're seeing this.

Speaker C:

I'm seeing this out there because I'm hearing more and more about it where it's almost like we're going back to the 40s and 50s again, where the couples are staying in separate bedrooms.

Speaker C:

I've seen more and more of that.

Speaker C:

Like the Lucy.

Speaker C:

I Love Lucy show where they stayed in separate bed bedrooms because one person snored or somebody had a work schedule that they were coming in the middle of the night because of work.

Speaker C:

And I'm seeing more and more of that.

Speaker C:

And I'm scratching my head going, okay, I guess if you've got your man cave and she shed there, maybe that's going to be their own spaces.

Speaker C:

But to me, it's a little bit of a head scratcher.

Speaker D:

It's a little lonely.

Speaker D:

Maybe Covid.

Speaker D:

Blame it on Covid started all that, maybe.

Speaker D:

Which I also wanted to say.

Speaker D:

I kind of thank Covid because everybody just had to lighten up a little bit, right?

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

Naked baby running by and he's just got you like, ah, don't worry about it, man.

Speaker D:

Show up in your bathrobe.

Speaker D:

It's cool.

Speaker D:

We all get it.

Speaker D:

We're all doing it.

Speaker D:

It's like camping with, you know, working focus.

Speaker D:

I don't know.

Speaker C:

Oh, yeah, no, it's.

Speaker C:

You're not wrong.

Speaker C:

And my buddy Tony made it, who's actually my.

Speaker C:

My insurance agent now, but he was working for a local country station here in Portland, and he made it on all the national.

Speaker C:

I mean, cnn.

Speaker C:

He was on all the.

Speaker C:

The good extra TV shows and everything else because they were doing a meeting and it was kind of like a zoom thing with the fans and with the.

Speaker C:

With the people from the radio show because they were doing it from their houses and he was wearing the tighty whitey sitting there doing the show.

Speaker C:

And then they went to break and he thought they went to break, but they were still live.

Speaker C:

And he goes walking off and the camera tracked him and he's in his underwear and it just blew up on the Internet.

Speaker D:

And there's a few of those.

Speaker C:

No, I know these people.

Speaker C:

I've worked with them.

Speaker D:

That's hilarious.

Speaker C:

That's not made up.

Speaker A:

But no, you have to be very.

Speaker C:

Famous in his covet underwear.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

There was more than a few of those slips, right?

Speaker D:

Talking to Eric in my underwear.

Speaker C:

No.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

No, I'm just saying.

Speaker A:

And you have to get up and go running or what if.

Speaker C:

I don't know, what if the camera falls?

Speaker D:

Oh, Wendy, what's gonna happen to your dog?

Speaker D:

Come on.

Speaker C:

No, I'm eight.

Speaker A:

What if.

Speaker D:

So I can never be in my underwear now because my.

Speaker D:

Something might happen with my dog.

Speaker A:

But if you're in front of a camera and you jump up to go help your puppy, then that's.

Speaker C:

That's not a good situation.

Speaker A:

You gotta be prepared.

Speaker D:

I. I do want to ask.

Speaker D:

I do want to ask one more question.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker D:

What does your husband want before you get to texture and drywall and everything you were talking about?

Speaker A:

He really wants.

Speaker D:

Do what?

Speaker A:

He has brought it up.

Speaker C:

Okay.

Speaker A:

So I think that's something that he would really like to do.

Speaker D:

I'm just saying maybe lesson learned, because you designed and did the whole thing on the other one.

Speaker C:

You know, maybe listen to the client.

Speaker C:

Is that what you're saying?

Speaker D:

You can nudge.

Speaker D:

You can nudge, right?

Speaker D:

Say, hey, look, I bought you this cool tractor sign on ebay.

Speaker D:

Right.

Speaker D:

You should make that place cool.

Speaker D:

But yeah, when you're like, I decided we're painting gray, it's great.

Speaker D:

Have fun out there.

Speaker A:

No, I definitely would love for him to be more involved this time.

Speaker A:

And I think it's not completely his man cave in the living room now, because I've done these.

Speaker A:

He's a huge football fan.

Speaker C:

Cool.

Speaker A:

So he has these autographed jerseys they've had framed for him.

Speaker A:

And where are we gonna put the jerseys?

Speaker A:

I'm like, oh, I guess in the man cave that you get to build.

Speaker C:

To ask.

Speaker D:

That was subtle.

Speaker C:

What's his team?

Speaker A:

He plays fantasy football.

Speaker C:

Okay.

Speaker C:

Which is which?

Speaker C:

I'm sorry.

Speaker C:

I always make fun of fantasy football.

Speaker C:

It's Dungeons and Dragons for football fans.

Speaker D:

Oh, Lord, now we're gonna get purists about football.

Speaker D:

Come on.

Speaker A:

He does.

Speaker A:

Oh, he has a Montana.

Speaker C:

Okay.

Speaker C:

Joe Montana Jersey.

Speaker C:

He's a 49ers fan, maybe.

Speaker A:

Yeah, he loves.

Speaker A:

He likes the 49ers, but he grew up going to the Raiders with his grandpa when he was little.

Speaker D:

That makes sense.

Speaker A:

So he has stuff from there.

Speaker D:

He's gotta go.

Speaker D:

Raiders or Rams.

Speaker D:

But the Rams went somewhere.

Speaker D:

Right.

Speaker D:

I just remember.

Speaker C:

So, yeah, Raiders in Las Vegas.

Speaker C:

Rams are la.

Speaker C:

And they came back to la.

Speaker C:

Yep.

Speaker D:

The Rams went away for a while, but they were meant.

Speaker A:

Johnny, I think this time I would really like to get Mark's input But I.

Speaker A:

He's written so much.

Speaker D:

No buts.

Speaker D:

You just negated.

Speaker A:

Oh, yeah.

Speaker D:

You just negated absolutely every bit of credit you were trying to give him.

Speaker D:

And you went, but he kind of doesn't know what he's doing.

Speaker D:

And I'm the designer.

Speaker A:

A lot of checks recently getting into this house, and I don't think this is a time when he would freely like to write any more.

Speaker A:

So for the moment.

Speaker D:

So you'll write them and he'll feel better?

Speaker D:

Yes.

Speaker A:

The planning phase.

Speaker A:

So that when we get to execute on it, it's exactly what he wants.

Speaker C:

There we go.

Speaker D:

We'll let him plan then.

Speaker C:

I like it.

Speaker D:

You've already got the whole thing down.

Speaker A:

To the door handles going, oh, yeah, he'll be ready.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

One of the things, though, you brought up something interesting with smart home stuff.

Speaker C:

When you're bringing cable out for the shed, the barn, any of that stuff, you never want to buy what's okay for today, because if you're buying it today, then five years from now, it's not going to work as well.

Speaker C:

So when you're at it, it's like, all right, I want to run the Cat 9 cable, not the Cat 5 cable out there, or whatever.

Speaker C:

It's.

Speaker C:

You want to get as good as you can and plan for the future with that.

Speaker C:

Because it seems no matter what we do, all we're doing is doing more data these days than we ever have.

Speaker C:

Could you imagine trying to do dial up with AOL now?

Speaker C:

It would.

Speaker C:

We wouldn't even get the computer to log in.

Speaker A:

Agreed.

Speaker A:

ore his grandfather's farmall:

Speaker D:

There you go.

Speaker C:

There we go.

Speaker A:

Do that.

Speaker A:

He's gonna need to watch a lot of YouTube, so my gift to him was running the Internet out to the barn so he can watch all the YouTube he needs to to work on that.

Speaker A:

Very cute, somewhat decrepit, but someday we'll be beautiful tractor Classics.

Speaker C:

That's.

Speaker B:

Oh, yeah.

Speaker C:

It's like an old 40s Ford or something.

Speaker C:

That's really cool.

Speaker A:

Have you watched Classic Tractor Fever?

Speaker C:

No, but I know what it is.

Speaker C:

I used to own.

Speaker C:

I used to own old tractors, so I can work.

Speaker C:

I could probably help him on that farm.

Speaker A:

All see, There you go.

Speaker A:

That's some of our Ferguson.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker C:

Yeah, not the band Johnny, but the tractor.

Speaker D:

I know.

Speaker C:

Don't forget, though, I have seen Massey Ferguson play at the tractor.

Speaker D:

There you go.

Speaker D:

It's actually funny.

Speaker D:

What if those guys are still around?

Speaker C:

I think they are.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

Going back to the band days of us playing.

Speaker C:

And there's a place in Seattle called the Tractor Tavern, which is a cool place.

Speaker C:

And it was funny to me when I was watching them and they were playing.

Speaker C:

It was a tractor name playing at a place called the Tractor.

Speaker C:

I thought it was kind of funny.

Speaker A:

We've talked a lot about how I'm going to accommodate Mark and his interests and be a nice wife and not.

Speaker D:

I'm holding you to that.

Speaker A:

For the women in your life and their special spots.

Speaker D:

Two and a half years.

Speaker D:

and a half years restoring an:

Speaker D:

Come on.

Speaker C:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker C:

Johnny did that.

Speaker C:

My girlfriend that I live with now, we.

Speaker C:

I sold my house and moved in with her.

Speaker C:

So she has 95% of the house.

Speaker C:

So until we sell this to get our own, she's got most of it already.

Speaker C:

I've got my shop now where I'm building the studio out, which is kind of my space out there until we decide to get it into a bigger house.

Speaker C:

But I've got my big shop and I'm over there every week building on that, getting that thing ready to rock.

Speaker C:

And.

Speaker C:

And that's going to be the.

Speaker C:

The man cave, shall we say?

Speaker C:

It's only 15 minutes away from the house, so it's not too far.

Speaker A:

Oh, that's good.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker C:

And that.

Speaker C:

That'll work, but.

Speaker A:

Very nice.

Speaker D:

Mine's a balcony.

Speaker C:

Yeah, Johnny's got his balcony.

Speaker D:

I just hang on the balcony.

Speaker D:

Actually, my last.

Speaker D:

A few houses ago here we had three floors and that was cool.

Speaker D:

It was cool.

Speaker D:

And I took the two upstairs.

Speaker D:

Bed, five bed.

Speaker D:

That's just how Columbia works.

Speaker D:

Five bedrooms and six baths or.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

And it's always more baths and bedrooms.

Speaker D:

It's wacky.

Speaker D:

Anyway, the entire house was kind of vacant, but my upstairs two rooms were the live room and the recording room.

Speaker D:

And a balcony.

Speaker D:

And a balcony.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

That was the man cave.

Speaker D:

It was very cool.

Speaker D:

But.

Speaker D:

So that meant the rest is yours.

Speaker D:

The other two floors, whatever you need, just let me know.

Speaker D:

I'll be up there.

Speaker A:

Very nice.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

I've got my chaos of the office, which is one bedroom out of the, what, three.

Speaker C:

So there's nobody else in the house.

Speaker C:

And the dog, so it's pretty simple.

Speaker C:

But yeah, it'll be.

Speaker C:

It's going to be way more interesting when we get our own house to really kind of combine that stuff.

Speaker C:

That's where that compromise and negotiation is going to happen.

Speaker A:

Those are the two words I was thinking about.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker D:

And you gotta.

Speaker D:

You gotta get the right space.

Speaker D:

You gotta at Least think it's gonna be your forever home for 10 years before you're committing to really creating that space is part of the issue.

Speaker D:

So if you're like, man, yeah, probably not here.

Speaker D:

Sometimes it takes a while to get to that point.

Speaker D:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

And the other problem is too is she's gonna retire in a few years.

Speaker C:

We're getting to that point where she's got under five years left of her career before she retires.

Speaker C:

And being that we're living in one of the highest tax states in the U.S. i think we're depending on what list we're either number 40 or number 50 for the worst place to retire in.

Speaker C:

I'm not sure if we're gonna stick around.

Speaker A:

Oh, it's sad.

Speaker C:

When I go, I think we might move to California where it's cheaper to live.

Speaker A:

But that's sad.

Speaker A:

Yeah, California is a great place to live, sir.

Speaker C:

Oh, it is.

Speaker C:

Don't get me wrong, it's not cheap either.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker D:

The only state I still like in the US I will say that out loud.

Speaker D:

I am native born.

Speaker D:

San Jose, California, Cupertino.

Speaker D:

I did a ton of growing up there throughout my life.

Speaker D:

I told you, I lived in Sierra Nevadas and Twain Heart and Soulsbyville and all those little tweaky places.

Speaker C:

Santa Clara is where the, the stadium is down there for the football team.

Speaker D:

So, yeah, maybe now.

Speaker B:

I don't know.

Speaker D:

I haven't seen Santa Clara.

Speaker D:

I haven't seen Santa Clara since Apple took over my grandpa's arco station in 78 or something.

Speaker D:

76.

Speaker D:

I don't know.

Speaker A:

Oh, wow.

Speaker D:

No, no.

Speaker D:

Honestly though, no, California is the best.

Speaker D:

If I ever had to move back to the US it's the only state I would live in.

Speaker D:

It's crazy.

Speaker D:

It's broke, it's got all its faults, but so does everywhere else.

Speaker D:

And it's just absolutely beautiful.

Speaker D:

And I love it.

Speaker D:

I love the beach.

Speaker A:

There are a lot of fun things to do here.

Speaker C:

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker C:

We're spoiled that way in Oregon too.

Speaker C:

Where I'm at, I can literally be at the beach with the camper in 90 minutes.

Speaker C:

And then I could be up in the mountains at the ski resort in that same 90 minutes.

Speaker C:

So it works out pretty well.

Speaker C:

All right, Wendy, we're running out of time here, so I want to make sure that we cover this.

Speaker C:

If someone wants to find you to design their next she shed man space or kitchen or whatever they're doing across the country, how do they track you down?

Speaker A:

Oh, thank you.

Speaker A:

You can find me www.wendyglasterinteriors.com and it's G L A I S T E R. You can find me on Instagram under the same tagline.

Speaker A:

So I'd love to have you follow along on all of our design adventures.

Speaker A:

Thanks so much for bringing that up.

Speaker C:

No problem, Wendy.

Speaker C:

Thanks for coming on the show.

Speaker C:

And John Dudley, always great to see you, my friend.

Speaker D:

You as well.

Speaker D:

Even when it's only been an hour since I last saw you.

Speaker D:

Did I say that out loud?

Speaker C:

Did you say that out loud around the house?

Speaker A:

Take care.

Speaker D:

You don't want to be a Debbie downer Just turn a frown upside downer don't be a stick in.

Speaker C:

The mud grab your buddy grab your butt Take this good time and turn.

Speaker D:

It up louder no one ever talks about the nights they went to bed counting them she kitchen cheese getting pretty r act in your age don't make a good story knock one back no buzz no glory no one ever talks about the shots that.

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