It’s often said that we come up with our best ideas in the shower.
Tyler Graham can vouch for that. The 34-year-old Nashville native is a content creator who makes videos about DIY projects, lawn care tips, and tool reviews.
He was in his bathroom, looking at his backyard tool shed from a window in his shower, when he had the idea to transform the space into the man cave of his dreams.
“My shed’s always been a disaster,” Graham told Business Insider. “I review lawn tools and then dump them in there. I couldn’t even get inside.”
So, he figured he’d turn the space into something more fun: a man cave that doubles as a cigar and whiskey lounge.
Over the course of three months, Graham completed one of his biggest DIY projects to date. His former storage spot is now unrecognizable.
Tyler Graham decided to renovate his tool shed in August 2025.
He originally considered using the space as a studio to make videos for his social-media channels, The Lawn Review. But the thought of a man cave was more enticing.
Graham shared the idea with his wife, who wasn’t initially on board. Still, he “knew it had potential” — even if he’d never done a project to this scale.
His first step was to empty the shed of the tools and equipment he’d stockpiled over the years.
“I moved stuff I wanted to keep into the garage, and the things that I didn’t want, I either gave to friends or donated to various organizations around Nashville,” Graham said.
All the while, he documented his progress on TikTok and accumulated tens of thousands of views on each video.
Then it was time for demolition and construction.
Once everything was out of the shed, Graham said it took about a week to demolish the interior shelves, rip up the flooring, and clean up the space.
The project overall, which included installing new storage, adding appliances, making DIY walls, building the floor, and more, took about three months to complete.
“[The shed] already had electrical output, which was a godsend, but I learned how to rewire it, install lights and fans, and insulate the thing,” he said.
Graham did the entire project on his own, only asking friends for help when he needed another pair of hands to lift something.
“I knew how to take things apart, but I didn’t really know how to put them together,” he said. “The shed was really built by ChatGPT and YouTube.”
The final result was unrecognizable inside.
From the outside, the 12-foot-by-20-foot space looks more or less the same. Depending on the season, there are just some new decor pieces and plants outside.
Once inside its wide double doors, though, you wouldn’t be able to tell that Graham’s man cave was once a tool shed.
The space features a TV, fireplace, bar, and more.
Many of the materials and decor pieces — including the brick flooring and fireplace — were given to Graham as promotional items from brands.
So what could’ve been a $10,000 project only cost him about $3,000.
He spent around $1,500 on a cowhide couch from Facebook Marketplace and $1,500 on wood to make new cabinetry.
The walls and ceiling of the renovated shed are especially impressive.
“When anybody steps into [the shed], they’re immediately drawn to the walls and ceiling, which are covered with whiskey barrels I deconstructed,” Graham said.
He used barrel staves (the curved strips of wood used to craft the containers) to create a 3D woven effect, which adds warmth and texture to the space.
He received the materials from a distillery in Nashville that reached out to offer help when Graham first started posting about his project.
He replied: “I actually need a boatload of whiskey barrels.” They sent around 20.
“It was a crazy experience because my neighbors were smelling whiskey a couple of houses down,” he said. “I also love Tennessee and being from Tennessee, so there’s a lot of character in pieces of the shed being derived from the state.”
Now, Graham’s man cave is the ideal space to have a cigar, enjoy some whiskey, or watch a Disney movie with his son.
The process wasn’t always easy, which makes Graham even prouder of the work he completed.
“There were multiple times when I wanted to give up,” he said. “It was a pretty stressful three months, because I didn’t know how to do any of this stuff before. But it turned out way better than I thought it was going to.”
Now, he uses the space to watch University of Tennessee football games, host friends, and relax when he gets some private time.
His son, though, might be the man cave’s biggest fan.
“I’ve used [the shed] more as a Disney movie theater with my son than I have as a whiskey and cigar lounge,” Graham said.
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