Should You Choose Basement for Wine Cellar Construction?

Have you abandoned your dream of building a beautiful wine cellar due to lack of space? You are not alone; many people discard the plan of building a wine cellar in their home due to the lack of space. We will recommend you not to give up. Why don’t you look at your basement? Basement can be an ideal place for building a wine cellar. Though it is a formidable task, you will be satisfied with the result. Moreover, you will easily enjoy a $3 return in the form of the increased value of your property. For wine enthusiasts, wine cellar construction is the best way of storing the wine collection under the right conditions for many years.

Listed below are some tips that can help you add a wine cellar to your basement:

1. Planning

If you are planning for a mid-sized wine cellar, then a dedicated contractor will charge $50,000 to $60,000. Apart from this, if you want to include excavation and concrete pouring, the expense will soar upwards. Therefore, it is important to determine a budget that you can afford. In other words, the plan should be realistic enough so that you can manage everything within your budget. Your plan should clearly define your requirements including the size of the cellar, number of a wine bottle, designs, materials, etc.

2. Storing

If you want to complement the wine cellar with a gorgeous dining table along with chairs, you would need a larger space. If your basement is not large enough, you need to consider something different that can be arranged even in a small space. A traditional wine storage cellar should be a 10*10 foot room having enough space to store more than 1,500 bottles. You need to decide how to store the wine. Based on your storing process, you should choose a design for your elegant wine cellar racks.

3. Cooling

Cooling is one of the most important aspects of wine storage. In most of the cases, wine requires a cold environment to grow. You should buy a wine cellar air conditioner that can preserve the original taste and color of your wine. You need to maintain 55-59 °F temperature. You should also take care of humidity. An ideal state for wine storage keeps the humidity level between 60-70%. Wine storage always requires a special kind of cooling; hence, a normal home air conditioning unit is not going to work for a wine cellar. You are free to choose between a wall unit, split system, or a duct wine cooler. Your selection of cooling unit will depend on your requirements.

4. Wall Framing

Wall framing depends on the insulation. If you are thinking of R-19 insulation, you need 2*6-inch lumber to build the walls of your wine cellar. Before implementation, you need to consider whether your basement can contain two existing walls or not. If you are framing concrete walls, you should employ a 2-sided frame and connect it to the existing walls. In case of the ceiling, you need R-30 insulation.

5. Plastic Installation

You need to staple the plastic sheeting to your outside wall. Plastic sheet acts as a vapor barrier. If you are not allowed to access the outside from the basement, you should attach this plastic sheet to your inside area. If the walls are made of concrete, attach an anchor stripe that is equal to the length of your desired wine cellar. This phase plays a vital role in a wine cellar construction.

6. Electricity Installation

What makes your wine cellar running? Of course, it is the wine cooler. Without electricity, a wine cooler is useless. Therefore, you should carefully arrange the electrical setup to keep the wine cooler active and decorate the room.

7. Flooring

While choosing the materials for flooring, you should pick a material that can resist moisture. Harwood and tiles are the best choices for flooring a wine cellar.

8. Wine Racks and Door Installation

Now, you are all set to install beautiful wine racks and doors of your choice to complete the construction. Your choice of wine rack should be based on the length of your collection and the sizes of your wine bottles.

Once the construction is done, you will be surprised to see how your basement has been turned into your dream wine cellar!