Wine cellars are gaining in popularity and according to Zillow, result in a significant increase in home value, with 31% of sellers getting over the asking price on their home. Building a custom wine cellar for your home has never been more accessible—or as flexible. From style, to purpose and location—absolutely anything is possible with time and money with custom construction.
When it comes to designing and building your own custom wine cellar, there are a few things to consider to ensure you end up with the perfect build for both fashion and function.
You can have a wine cellar that tucks neatly under your stairs, a statement piece for your kitchen wall, something replicating the original 1600s European design or even a futuristic portal in the floor. Most design considerations come down to only a handful of factors:
Much like how you would have designed your home, either yourself or alongside an interior designer or home builder, you’ll want to go back to that same drawing board. If you’re hoping to share in the design process with your wine cellar builder, it’s always great to start with looking through builder portfolios or even building a pinterest board so that your ideas can come to life.
Your realtor said it and, if you built your house, then your engineer probably said it too and it remains true to the success of your wine storage as well.
What made you decide you wanted this incredible space? Did you decide to build a wine cellar as a showpiece or was it for the utmost care of your tannins? Maybe it was a blend (pun fully intended). There is no wrong answer! But it does impact your next moves:
What happens when your wine cellar is not completely full? Depending on your design this will impact the look.
Is cost a consideration? Wine rack placement matters when it comes to storage capacity, look and even price. Wine rack systems range from $3-20/bottle. This means that a basic wine seller without any design or cooling mechanism may be only the cost of the wall and installation.
There are 6 modern rack designs
Source: Vintage View (left and center) and Vintage Cellars (Right)
Source: Vintage View (left and center) and Vintage Cellars (Right)
Source: Vintage View (left and center) and Wine Enthusiast (Right)
If you’re looking to store as much wine as possible, it may be good to have the corks face out, rather than have the labels displayed. Many larger cellars have a mix of both.
Wine cellars are often humid spaces – does your home have an adequate vapor barrier in the room in question? Chances are it does not. Insulation should be at minimum R-19 on the walls and R-30 on the cellar ceiling. Professional installation is only part of proper construction.
Our Okanagan based team has been building custom wine cellars since 1997. If you’re not sure where to get started or if you are looking to build your own custom wine cellar, contact us for a free estimate.