Bakersfield Life

Big Game

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When Michael Moore was growing up in a middle class area in Bakersfield, none of his neighbors had a pool table, let alone a game room.

“The closest we came was a ping pong table in the garage,” said Moore, executive vice president of Walter Mortensen Insurance.

As a testament to how times and trends change, Moore and his wife, Georgia, with the help of a structural engineer and a contractor, recently took down walls and turned one of the spare bedrooms and small child’s play room in their Seven Oaks home, where they’ve lived for two-and-a-half years, into a state-of-the-art game room complete with a custom pool table, convertible card table, plasma TV, sound system, wine cellar, beer fridge and antique French buffet.

“We wanted it to be comfortable, not showy,” Moore said. “A place where our family and friends would want to hang out.”

The central gathering points in American homes have changed with the decades. Fifty years ago, it was the kitchen. In the ’70s, adults laid claim to the living room while the children were relegated to the basements. In the ’80s, it was the family room, while the ’90s ushered in the great rooms with their high ceilings, columns and skylights.

Today, in a world of HDTV, video games and Texas Hold ’em, the Moores are part of a growing number of local residents adding or converting existing space into specialized game rooms to meet their families’ growing leisure needs.

Russ Johnson, owner of Billiards and Barstools, said game rooms experienced a major boom in the early 2000s and are still rising in popularity with many homeowners, even during tough economic times.

“Money is tight, but so is time, and game rooms keep families together and close to home,” said Johnson, who said outfitting a game room is still a more economical option for many than spending money on gas to travel elsewhere for entertainment.

He added that typical game room owners fall into one of two categories: The bachelor wanting to cater to his buddies or, more commonly, the parents with soon-to-be teenagers who want their house to be a safe, inviting local hangout spot for their kids and their kids’ friends.

“You know where your kids are and they’ll be occupied for hours,” said Johnson.

He said the staple of any game room is a pool table, which can be accented with a shuffleboard table, foosball table, video games, pinball machine, jukebox and – especially in the last five years – a poker table.

When Moore envisioned his game room, he pictured a place where age didn’t get in the way of fun. A father of four and grandfather to seven, it’s common to see the grandchildren playing pool with their own cues with grandpa at least one day a week.

Moore and Georgia also entertain friends at least once or twice a month.

“Flow was really important to us,” said Moore, who likes that the game room is right off another gathering place, the kitchen.

During the construction phase, Moore was also careful to make sure the game room complemented the rest of the house, which is open and airy.

“I didn’t want it to look like an add on. I wanted to build a game room that suited the house versus building a house around a game room,” said Moore.

The couple personalized their game room with mugs and souvenirs from trips to Scotland and Ireland and sports memorabilia purchased locally at charity events.

Brent and Misty Cruz, Seven Oaks Showcase residents and parents of two who own the 17th Street Cigar Bar and several small grocery stores, also took the creation of their game room very personally. Although an interior designer was employed to help decorate the rest of their house, they did most of the game room themselves, drawing on trips to bars in Europe, Mexico and Las Vegas for inspiration. 

The result can be summed up in one word: wow.

The 1,500-square-foot room boasts wood flooring, burgundy walls, a copper inlay ceiling, 11-inch baseboards, double-stacked crown molding, a temperature-controlled 2,000-bottle cedar wine cellar surrounded by stone, a fireplace, two plasma TVs, an integrated sound system that runs throughout the entire house, a pool table, a bathroom, and the focal point – a SIZE mahogany bar that seats a dozen comfortably and features ornate detailing, a granite backsplash, parquet bar top and slide out shelves containing hundreds of bottles of the Cruzes favorite types of vodka. Autographed Sugar Ray Leonard boxing gloves and family pictures complete the scene.

The Cruzes admit they went way over budget on the room but said it’s worth it if you entertain a lot as they do.

“We’re in the entertainment business. It fits our lifestyle,” said Brent, who added that the couple designed their home so the bedrooms are on the first floor and game room, office and home theater – all well insulated – are on the second floor in order to effectively separate the spaces.
The Cruzes have packed dozens of friends into the game room for parties, but they also value it as a place to relax and bond as a couple.

“After the kids have gone to bed we’ll come up here and have a nice glass of wine,“ said Brent.
Johnson said the biggest mistake people make when planning their game rooms is not having adequate space, adding that just a standard pool table can take up a significant amount of room.
Outfitting a game room with amusement accessories typically costs between $2,000 and $5,000, he said.

His father, also Russ Johnson, of Russ Johnson Construction, said the construction cost of adding a game room to a home can vary greatly depending on size, cabinets, materials and other factors.

He recommends starting with a decent sized space and taking into consideration layout and lighting – such as the shadows cast by the balls on the pool table.

Johnson said in addition to the obvious entertainment benefits, adding a game room is a smart, invest-where-you-live approach that will give you an advantage in the real estate game when you put your home on the market.

“I’ve seen many cases where adding a game room enhances the sale of homes,” said