Unlike all things on earth it gets tastier with age. Yes, it is the special trait of wines that is being talked about here. Wines are prized possessions for their owners. They want to store a collection of the finest wine, either for self consumption or sharing with the guests coming to the house. Once you taste the finest wines, other tastes seem so mundane. But the taste of a wine depends on its preservation. A well built wine cellar can bring new life into those sealed bottles.

Homes with wine cellars see a rise in their values. Additionally you are building a space where the beloved bottles can be stored in proper conditions for many years. To turn your basement (which is the most popular space for wine cellars) into a wine cellar some planning will help. It will make sure that the project finishes smoothly and there are no issues in the future.

  • Budgeting: The first step would be to set up a realistic budget. The building contractors would charge you anything in the region of $50,000-60,000. The costs of concreting pouring and excavations are not included in the initial quotes. You will have to take all the factors into consideration before setting a budget.
  • Space: There are two types of wine cellars. One which are solely used for storing wine and the second type where there is space for occasional dinner and wine tasting. The first variety of wine cellar is a 10X10 foot room, which can accommodate about 1,600 bottles. For the second variety, you will need a much larger room.
  • Air Conditioning: You have to install a separate room air conditioner for the wine cellar. Temperature maintenance is of optimum importance for wine storage. The ideal room temperature for wine storage is 55-590F and the humidity should linger between 60-70%. As such unusual temperatures need to be maintained, thus the normal home air conditioners will not suit the wine cellar. There are many varieties of wine cellar cooling units you may choose among, such as the split system, wall mounted or ducted system. The choice depends on your budget, esthetics and cellar design.
  • Frame: To create frames on the basement walls you should ideally use 2X6 lumbar. This specific size is required to maintain a consistent room temperature. This lumbar size is accepted for R19 insulation. If there are any existing walls using the 2X4 lumbar, do not be demoralized. As a matter of fact, it is advised that any wine cellar should have two existing walls. You can make the lumbar work, by attaching two sided frame to the existing wall.
  • Plastic Installation: Plastics should be installed on the outside walls, which are referred to warm walls. The plastic you install negates vapor formation. If the outside walls cannot be accessed you can attach the plastic from inside.
  • Electric Installations: All the electrical work should be completed before the racks are installed.
  • Wall Construction: To provide best insulation you should use R19 for the walls and R30 for the ceilings. If the floor of your basement is pretty cold you should install furry strips at the base to maintain the insulation. Interior walls should have a moisture resistant product.
  • Flooring: The ideal flooring material for wine cellars is tile or hardwood, as they are moisture resistant.
  • Racks and Doors: As wine collection is your hobby, so try to use racks that will look good in the future. The doors should provide ideal insulation and maintain an air tight seal on the room.

Go build you ideal wine cellar, which would be your place of passion!