About The Site
Welcome to basement-wine-cellar.com, my website that describes how and why I built a wine cellar in my basement.
This is not a commercial web site. I’m not selling anything. I am not a wine merchant. I don’t build wine cellars. I have no vested interest in whether or not you buy wine or build a wine cellar.
When I decided to build a wine cellar, I did a lot of research. I read books; I searched the web; I talked to people. I received conflicting information, so I had to sort through it all and decide what to do. The results of that research, and my own experience, are contained in this web site.
This web site tells you what I did, why I did it, and whether or not it was successful. Whether or not it will work for you is up to you, but with this site you can at least get some real world experience.
Good luck on your wine cellar quest!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We recently moved into a contemporary home and off the basement but entered through a hallway is what used to be a sauna, fully built, almost like a kit, under the house. It seems ready made for an easy conversion to a wine cellar. It measures 6 x 12 feet. The insulation appears to be drywall with styrofoam behind it but maybe three inches thick, well constructed. Any thoughts?
I have no experience with turning a sauna into a basement wine cellar, but it might work. Obviously it’s well insulated, and the size is right. The only issue will be the internal temperature. Presumably you will need a cooling unit, and that could be a problem if there is no way to install it, or vent it. However, if you can install a cooling unit, converting a sauna may be the perfect solution.
I am in the preparation phase of building my basement wine cellar and was very glad to find your website! I am very interested to learn the brand of spray foam insulation you used and how thick you applied it. I was hoping that if it is only an inch or two thick that I could go with furring strips on the masonry walls instead of full 2x4s. I am also curious to know if you used treated lumber for the framing you laid on the basement floor due to potential moisture coming up through the concrete floor. Your cellar looks great and I am envious. Any ideas on the total cost of your cellar? Thanks for sharing your cellar building experience..
I can’t remember the brand of spray foam, but it was nothing special. The thicker the walls, the better the insulation, so I went with full 2 x 4s; I’d be worried that anything less wouldn’t provide enough room for insulation.
As for the framing on the floor, no, it was just regular wood; not treated. I didn’t want any chemicals from the treated wood to leach out (which probably wouldn’t really be an issue). The other reason: my basement is very dry; we have great drainage, so moisture wasn’t a problem.
As for the total cost, I haven’t added it up, but obviously it would be different for everyone. The actual “cellar” didn’t cost much. I already had the room (it was a large closet), so it was just framing, insulation, drywall and flooring, which aren’t that costly. The real costs are the cooling unit (which is about as expensive as a room air conditioner), and the racking, which is by far the largest expense, but again the cost is dependent on what you buy, and your requirements.
(Actually I guess the biggest cost is the wine………)
I’m in the final planning stages of a new basement cellar and I’ve read in Richard Gold’s book that no insulation should be used under a slab floor unless you wish to raise the temperature. My ground temp at 10′ deep is about 68F year-round. Doesn’t it make sense to prevent that ‘heat’ from entering the cooled cellar with insulation? I enjoyed your site.