Reply #9: Absolutely, you need your space

[salvorhardin]

It's just that in pre-surburbia, people used to walk to the local pub, club (social club, not dance club), library, park, etc. to get a little "alone" time, or just time socializing with somebody you're not sleeping with and/or feeding every single day. Also, man caves have been around for as long as there have been men. It used to be the garage, basement workshop, VFW, or the aforementioned social club. Witness the proliferation of how-to magazines in the 40s-70s. Guys didn't really take up woodworking because they liked knotty pine -- it was a chance to get away from all the noise, confusion and honey-dos. Now we all hole up in our houses like we're under siege (I'm as guilty of this as anyone, perhaps more so).