Wine Cellar Construction Questions

[Cliff_Rosenberg]

@jan.brekke

Cliff, That was a mistake. No insulation below the tiles, only a vapor barrier.
Original proposal included insulation below a raised floor, which I nixed after getting feedback from all of you.

Makes sense. I would think you could go without active cooling. How hot does it get in that room?

[AndrewH]

@Clint S Q U I E R

@George Hejna

$19K is stupid expensive. All they are doing is building an overly insulated box. Materials for wood, insulation, drywall and vapor barrier +a nice well insulated door would be about $1500 in my estimate depending on how fancy the door is. I built mine it is very easy to do with basic construction knowledge and some good tools.

I will build yours for $10K + materials.

George

You can’t build a birdhouse + exterior door for $1500 much less a wine cellar.

Just materials? I think that’s possible. Not with labor of course (or racking and cooling).

[johngonzales]

You’re not going to get it done with $1500 in materials including tile, a decent pre-hung door, electrical and lighting. But the job as now described seems more like $12 grand to me.

Make sure you verify that a 2x4 ceiling is code. I would probably use 2x6 there. IIRC 2x4 ceiling joists are only allowed to span 8-6" and that’s with a low live load standard. Also double check the local code on hanging green or purple drywall on the ceiling. Eg, most municipalities will not allow 1/2" green on a ceiling unless joists are space at 12" o.c…

What’s the motivation to trowel plaster over the drywall? You’re barely going to see it and it seems like a well taped and painted surface is fine, especially with cost in mind.

[jan.brekke]

John,

Thanks for the pointers. I will look into your questions.
I understand your point about plaster on the walls, as they will be hidden by racks. Wouldn’t the ceiling need the plaster to look decent?

For those asking about making this a passive cellar - I haven’t measured temps, as this room is currently heated/cooled as the rest of the house. It is conceivable with good insulation that I would not need a cooling unit, but I don’t think I will go that route.

[AndrewH]

@jan.brekke

John,

Thanks for the pointers. I will look into your questions.
I understand your point about plaster on the walls, as they will be hidden by racks. Wouldn’t the ceiling need the plaster to look decent?

For those asking about making this a passive cellar - I haven’t measured temps, as this room is currently heated/cooled as the rest of the house. It is conceivable with good insulation that I would not need a cooling unit, but I don’t think I will go that route.

With drywall you shouldn’t need a skim coat. All you need is proper prep for painting. That will involve taping seams/corners and using drywall compound to cover drywall screw holes and taping. True for ceiling and walls. Then paint with whatever color you want.

[Chris_Barnes]

Would it be considered thread drift if I pose questions about my current project (currently in the planning phase)? I need some direction from those who have researched this. I am getting lost.

[Clint_S_Q_U_I_E_R]

@Chris Barnes

Would it be considered thread drift if I pose questions about my current project (currently in the planning phase)? I need some direction from those who have researched this. I am getting lost.

I’d say jump in, looks like the thread kinda died off weeks ago.

[Chris_Barnes]

We are renovating the basement in our walk out ranch with the intent to place a shallow walk in or reach in cellar. I love the look of a glass wall and door. What is everyone’s experience with the pros/cons of the wall. The cellar will function both as storage as well as a showpiece, approximately 6 ft wide with the glass stretching from floor to ceiling.

I know what I need to do in terms of insulation, moisture barrier and green board…but my question is more directed at use of glass wall and door. I am in southwest Michigan and our home is cooled by ac during the “hot” months.

Here is a picture of what we are using as inspiration.

The picture above is larger than our space, but we would like to design the racking after the left 3/4 of that design.

[Andrew_Gold]

Chris
The condensation issues with using single pane glass cellar doors should not be overlooked, as I assume you’ll be using an active design? I designed an installed a very similar cellar a couple years back, for some clients, and have regretted it since…

I would push anyone thinking about this aesthetic to sort out how to tweak the design to allow insulated glass (double pane) with proper weather seals all around. In reality this means actual doors (with wood or similar frames) rather than shower glass style frameless doors.

[jan.brekke]

The cellar project is moving along. Thanks to all for their previous input. I had originally planned on only having racking along the walls, but once installed I realized that there is more room than I expected. I have a “waterfall” rack segment that I was looking into incorporating. I am struggling with how best to incorporate this both aesthetically and functionally. The link is to the waterfall rack set up against the right wall racking ](Photobucket | Make your memories fun!)[/img]

Options include cutting off several of the top segments, cutting off the bottom rows of racking, or a combination of the two. I was thinking of having this rack join the wall racking at the level of the angled display racking. If so, we would need to decide whether to leave the top rack open for bottle storage or place a piece of solid wood, in which we could place some decorative items on top.

Any opinions appreciated. I will post some pictures of the cellar, once completed.

thanks!
Jan