What to know when wanting to design/build a wine cellar
- Find the location. A lot of times people will come in for a consultation and are lost on where to even put their cellar…here are places to look
- Closets – do you have a linen closet or extra closet that isn’t utilized? This is a great spot!
- Section of a garage – Some people have too much garage and it just becomes a place to store unneeded things…and that is a great spot to start a cellar.
- Underneath the staircase – Probably one of the most popular places as most space underneath your staircase is empty…it is just wasted space that could be housing your beautiful wine.
- Pantry – who needs a place to store food anyways, that is so 2018!
- Basement – this is where you can get fun with the “underground” wine cellar, spiral staircases going down and the secret entrance from your kitchen floor ????
- Guest room – a lot of people have guest rooms that aren’t utilized, new empty nesters maybe…but this is a great way to utilize space that is currently just making you feel like a hoarder because you throw everything in there!
- Design the Layout. This may sound daunting but all we really mean is measure the space
- Consultation: Come in or call for a free consultation where we will guide you, based on your location and dimensions on what will work best. Mainly…
- Racking – do you want classic wood (Redwood, Walnut, Alderwood, etc), stained or lacquered, or do you want a more modern/industrial feel with Metal, Peg racking?
- Cooling Systems – dependent on where your cellar will go, depends on what cooling system you need (Split System, Fully Ducted or Through the Wall). There is a wide variety and you need an expert to guide you.
- Begin the Design. The Fun Part! Based on your consultation, you will get option(s) back on potential designs and then you can start building.
- Prep your Space. You will need an HVAC tech for the cooling unit and a contractor for the build (we have preferred installers, or you can go with your own)
- Wall and Ceiling Covering for Cellar – You need a vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall, proper insulation (minimum R20 in the walls and minimum R30 in the ceiling), purple board for the sheetrock and your finishing paint.
- Wine Cellar Doors – you need a 100% airtight door seal. If you are going to have glass, it should be double or triple paned. You don’t want your cooling unit working overtime because your door isn’t airtight or not double paned.
- Flooring – flooring is the easy part in terms of what will work…just go with what you like best, as long as it isn’t carpet! Most of our clients use Stone, Marble, Tile or Slate.
- Lighting – a vital part of cellar décor and people are getting really creative these days with color LED lights, floor lights and so on…Just keep in mind that low lights are important, and a dimmer switch adds a nice feature. I love to see the end results of lighting.
- Enjoy!!!
