It is wrong to think that you need to have a hefty amount of money to build a wine cellar. Learn how an expert helped a wine collector in San Antonio, Texas have her beautiful residential wine room on a budget.

Building a Wine Cellar on a Budget

Wine cellars are designed to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity. It also provides larger storage capacities and adds value to your home. It allows you to incorporate your design ideas, creating a wine room that reflects your personality.

Creating a beautiful storage space without having to spend more than the allotted budget, can be a challenge. Wine Cellar Specialists, a leading provider of wine storage solutions in Texas, has faced this problem with many of their projects. Their expertise and experience enable them to create wine rooms that please customers, even on a limited budget.

Custom Wine Cellars San Antonio Phillips Project

If you’re considering building wine storage but have not determined your budget yet, consulting one of their specialists will help you establish the right cost for your project.

Recently, they have completed a residential wine cellar for the Philips family in San Antonio, Texas.  The client was very satisfied with the beautiful wine storage area, custom designed for them. And as is always the case, Wine Cellar Specialists kept their project under budget, making the client doubly happy.

Preparing the Room for Wine Room Construction

To avoid problems and additional cost in the future, the room to be used for wine storage must be sealed properly. Without the right insulation, your wine cellar will not be able to maintain stable temperature and humidity, resulting in spoiled wine. Poor conditions will also cause the cooling system to work harder, increasing your energy bills.

Before starting the installation of the wine racks, cooling system, door, lighting, and flooring, Wine Cellar Specialists framed the room and added the electrical components and ductwork. Then, they used closed cell foam that acts as the vapor barrier and insulation.

The vapor barrier and insulator, play a critical role in maintaining the ideal storage environment and preventing moisture-related issues. Poor insulation will result in undesirable humidity fluctuations, and mold growth. These can damage wine and even the structural integrity of the elements in your wine cellar.

To avoid these problems, Wine Cellar Specialists ensured that the cavities of the walls were well insulated so no gap would allow warm air to get into the storage room. On the side walls, there is 3 ½ inches of foam and about 5 inches on the ceiling.

Before installing the wine racks, Troy (the contractor for this project) painted the room.

 

Combining Kit and Custom Wine Racks for Practical Texas Residential Wine Rack Design

Custom Wine Cellars San Antonio Phillips Project.

With different types and styles of wine racks, it can be challenging to choose the right one. You may opt for readily-built or customized wine racks. Custom wine racks are more expensive than ready-made ones. Like the Philips wine racking, you can combine both to achieve a custom look in your wine cellar without going beyond your budget.

Custom Wine Racking

We installed the left wall (elevation A) of the room with a waterfall custom wine racking with solid diamond bins below it.  The waterfall display style adds character to the wine room while allowing full visibility of wine labels.

The diamond bins enable the client to store wines in bulk, and various bottle sizes.  They can accommodate magnums, champagnes, and standard bottles.  The owners can store bottles on top of each other.

The racking on the right wall (elevation D) was also customized. Nancy designed the structure for individual bottle storage. This type of wine rack offers maximum airflow between bottles, resulting in even distribution of temperature. Like the left wall, the bottom half has a solid diamond bin component below.

Kit Wine Racking

One great way to help keep your project under budget is to use kit wine racks, a less expensive option for many wine cellars. We used kit wine racks for this project in the curved corners (elevation B), and the back wall (elevation C). The readily-built racking on the back wall includes a solid diamond bin with arch and solid bin extenders on top of it. There are also individual racks with display rows. We added individual extenders as well.

Knotty Alder Wine Racks and Door

The wine rack material contributes to the overall look of your storage room. We chose knotty alder wood in rustic stain was for the racks. The Philips wanted a rustic look in their Texas residential wine cellar, so we determined not to lacquer the racks.

The small knots and clusters on this wood are unique and attractive. Knotty alder is also known for its versatility, durability and resistance to rot.

We also found a Barolo-style glass door made from this wood with the same stain as the racking. There are large windows on both sides of the entryway where you can take a look at the wine display from outside the cellar.

To ensure that the entryway provides an airtight seal to the wine room, Troy installed the door with Q-lon weather stripping, an automatic door bottom, and commercial grade ball bearing hinges. They also used double paned glass to add extra insulation to the wine cellar.

LED Wine Cellar Lighting and Ceramic Flooring

The Philips family decided to budget for good LED recessed lighting in their wine cellar. A wine room with good lighting creates a good ambiance in your storage area. It also adds drama to your wine display.

The contractor installed a light valance above the display rows that begin in the corners of the room. They inserted the LED ribbon lighting here.

LED puck lighting was placed over the arch to illuminate the tabletop area. It can also be used to spotlight each bottle on the racks. LED recessed can lighting was mounted on the ceiling to highlight specific areas of the room. These lights were also used as the primary form of illumination within the wine cellar, resulting in a more sophisticated and clean look. You will find recessed can lights in various sizes, styles, and designs. This lighting system is adjustable by dimmable switches affixed to the wall.

The Philips also decided that ceramic tiles would fit into their budget. This material is durable; it can last longer if properly maintained. Ceramic flooring is resistant to high humidity conditions, making it ideal for wine cellars. It is also resistant to stain, so wiping away spills during the application phase is easier. This option is cost-effective and adds long-term value to your home.

Reliable Wine Cellar Cooling System

Achieving the ideal storage conditions is impossible in many environments, especially here in San Antonio, without a quality wine cooling system. Wine Cellar Specialists ensures that the refrigeration unit installed in their clients’ wine room is capable of protecting their collection from temperature fluctuations.

In this project, we decided to install a CellarPro 4200VSi cooling system in an adjacent mechanical room. It comes with a front and rear duct kit, which allows supply and return airflows to be ducted up to 100 equivalent feet.

This CellarPro product allows maximum performance or super-quiet operation to be selected. Other features of this refrigeration unit include an advanced electronic thermostat, adjustable humidity control, digital LED display, energy-saver mode, quick-chill mode, audible and visual alarms, auto-defrost style, vibration-free operation, replaceable condenser air filter and optional bottle probe.

Learn more about CellarPro wine cooling systems.

Need an Efficient and Unique Wine Storage?

If you want to have a wine room that will safeguard your collection, add beauty to your home, and you want your wine cellar builder to stay under budget, talk to one of the experts at Wine Cellar Specialists. They will assess all your needs and create a beautiful Texas residential wine cellar that suits your financial needs. Call them now at (210) 591-1595 or request a custom design for free!