A few friends are in the process of leasing roughly 1,500 SF of space to store wines. I would love to get some feedback/advice especially from those who have experiences in commercial wine storage or large wine cellar.
Some back ground;
1,500 SF - close to 40’X40’
11’ ceiling
R19 all four walls plus ceiling
Sub-basement, 18 ft underground in Northern Virginia, only a few days in summer to get close to 70 degrees.
Two sides face interior, the other two sides are exterior walls and earth on the other side
I am surprised to hear this, AFAICT at 18’ depth the temperature should not vary more than a couple of degrees from the mean temperature at 30’, which is Virginia is around 56 degrees.
We assumed the worst case. Also two sides are facing interior. So what sort of high temperature do you anticipate? Also is R-19 all over, a bit of overkill? We are trying to maintain constant 53-55 degrees.
There are local building codes that would need to be followed for any refrigerated space like that, and energy codes have become quite stringent. Here in Seattle, it requires R-25 just for a 55º cellar. R-38 for a walk-in that is closer to freezing, like a produce storage area.
? The plans look gorgeous!