Industrial units take off as ‘man caves’ during COVID-19

Lockdown has been tough on everyone, but some have found an ingenious way to survive by turning industrial-strength units into man caves with jet skis, boats, and bikes.

Buyers willing to splash their cash on gaining some alone time have set up “man caves” on a site on Brisbane’s southside.

The warehouse development in Morningside has become hot property among those seeking to set up personal spaces, such as a home gym, poker room or wine cellar, away from their family homes.

Hamish Jackson of Engage Group, the site’s developer, says the industrial units were initially devised as an affordable solution for small businesses wanting to own a small commercial or warehouse space, rather than rent one.

He says low interest rates meant the loan repayments on the units, priced from $275,000, could be cheaper than renting something similar. Yet with the emergence of COVID-19, Jackson says the units offered owners a safe way to maintain social distancing away from their homes, while enabling them to work out or unwind.

39 Dunhill Crescent, Morningside. Photo: REA

“At first we thought the buyers would just be small-business people who needed room for an office and maybe a bit of storage space for their products,” he says.

“Suddenly we had buyers telling us they thought the space would be perfect for combining work and pleasure.”

“As well as having an office space, some of our buyers have turned them into man caves, that they are filling up with big toys, from motorbikes to jet skis, even boats.”

 Jackson says the development is also proving popular with inner-city residents who have limited storage space and want to be able to store boats and caravans, as well as hobby car enthusiasts, who don’t have the garage space at home to work on their cars.

There are 13 units still available for sale.