How To Design An Elegant Wine Cellar In Your Home?

Answer 1

Whether you enjoy collecting fine wines or you enjoy making your own homemade wines, a wine cellar may be a perfect addition to your home. Wine cellars can add a touch of elegance as well as protect these delicate ales. To construct your own home wine cellar follow these step by step instructions that will help you.

Step 1. You will need to decide where you want to locate your wine cellar within your home. To do this accurately you should take into consideration the amount of space you will need to accommodate your wine collection. If you plan on storing just a few hundred bottles of wine, than a space the size of a walk in closet will be sufficient for your cellar location. However, if you have a larger collection than you will need a larger sized space within your home. When deciding on an area, you will also need to take into consideration that a wine cellar must be kept at a constant temperature, have a constant humidity and provide darkness. Proper ventilation and clean conditions are very vital to this area as well. If the are you have chosen does not have these conditions, than you will either need to contact a local building contractor to incorporate these into the space or you can do the work yourself to create these conditions if you have the expertise in construction and building trades areas.

Step 2. You will need to purchase a wine cellar kit that will also include the racks necessary for your cellar space. You can purchase these kits at a wine making retailer or through online sites. The average costs of these kits are between $2000 and $4000. The costs of these kits may seem kind of steep, however, they will have an effect on the quality of your wine. This is especially true when you are talking about delicate choices like Chardonnay and Cabernet varieties.

Step 3. When you begin the construction of your cellar, you will need to inspect the insulation within the space. The outside walls and ceiling should have an insulation with a rating of R-19, inner walls however, should have an insulation rating of R-11. If your designated are is located in your basement, you must install a vapor barrier that has a concrete sealant applied on it will be best used on the floor. This vapor barrier which should be a 6mm polyethylene sheeting that is plastic should face the warm side of the cellar, which in most cases will mean that it should face outward. Not placing this correctly can case damage to your walls.

Step 4. You will need to install an air tight door that is solid, insulated and has no windows. This door should not be made of wood because wooden doors do not insulate accurately. To create a more airtight construction, you can apply weather-stripping around the doorway.

Step 5. When placing your cooler in your wine cellar, you will need to place it in the back area to provide for aesthetic purposes. The cooler should be place in between boards that are arranged crosswise and are about six inches from the ceiling.

Step 6. Finish your wine cellar by dry walling and installing a durable strip paneling style. Lighting will also need to be installed. Avoid a recessed style lighting system as this is a less airtight option. Light switches for you lighting should be placed on the outside of the wine cellar.