A "wine closet" to build

[Gryphon noir]

I have been using different permutations of Ikea's "Ivar" line of shelves. Unfortunately, that line is being phased out, but you may be able to get some on Craig's list.
I like the Ivar stuff because you can easily add cleats to the shelves to hold bottles on either the deep [about 20"] or the shallow [about 12"]versions: on the deep shelf units, doors can be added, and since Ikea has continued to make other products in the same widths, several types of doors can be fitted.
Sturdy, easily put together and taken apart, and best of all che--uh, thrifty, the Ivar shelves can be adapted to almost any use you can think of.

[Detroitpete]

I have been using different permutations of Ikea's "Ivar" line of shelves. Unfortunately, that line is being phased out, but you may be able to get some on Craig's list.
I like the Ivar stuff because you can easily add cleats to the shelves to hold bottles on either the deep [about 20"] or the shallow [about 12"]versions: on the deep shelf units, doors can be added, and since Ikea has continued to make other products in the same widths, several types of doors can be fitted.
Sturdy, easily put together and taken apart, and best of all che--uh, thrifty, the Ivar shelves can be adapted to almost any use you can think of.

I JUST saw those at a local Ikea--I thought the same thing about adding the cleats! Good to hear that it works--I may have to go that route.

[jkane]

Mine is in a 5'x7' room with a 7' ceiling. I nailed or glued 2" foam insulation all around including the ceiling. So only the concrete floor is exposed in the basement. I used an "outside" door so it would be insulated. that also gave it a good lock to keep my teen agers out of it. ;-) I added an air conditioner to make sure the temp stays low. It broke a couple of years ago. I never replaced it. Cold enough at ground temps already. It only dropped the temp a couple of degrees anyhow.

I took 12" wide pine 1" thick and made shelves. They are each a box 3' wide and 6' tall. I added a shelf to each at 2 foot increments. So there are 3 shelves about 2' tall and 3' wide on each of the "racks". Next, I took another piece of the pine and placed it vertical at the 1' point on each shelf alternating. The top and bottom shelf have a 1'x2' box on the left side and a 2'x2' box on the right side. The middle shelf is the opposite. The small shelf is on the right side. I then made an "X" out of more of the pine to fill in the 2'x2' side. That makes 4 triangles on that side and a big 1'x2' box on the other side. The triangles hold about 11 bottles of wine. I had hoped for a case each, but not quite. The bigger box will hold more than a case, but it gets to be too many stacked on each other. I would modify it next time to be 2 1'x1' boxes there by putting another horizontal shelf in the middle of each shelf as it is now. If I want to put a bottle upright, that sehlf comes in handy. I made 4 of these racks for that room. It holds about 750 wine sized bottles.

Is that confusing enough? I should have taken pictures! :-O

[Detroitpete]

Mine is in a 5'x7' room with a 7' ceiling. I nailed or glued 2" foam insulation all around including the ceiling. So only the concrete floor is exposed in the basement. I used an "outside" door so it would be insulated. that also gave it a good lock to keep my teen agers out of it. ;-) I added an air conditioner to make sure the temp stays low. It broke a couple of years ago. I never replaced it. Cold enough at ground temps already. It only dropped the temp a couple of degrees anyhow.

I took 12" wide pine 1" thick and made shelves. They are each a box 3" wide and 6' tall. I added a shelf to each at 2 foot increments. So there are 3 shelves about 2' tall and 3' wide on each of the "racks". Next, I took another piece of the pine and placed it vertical at the 1' point on each shelf alternating. The top and bottom shelf have a 1'x2' box on the left side and a 2'x2' box on the right side. The middle shelf is the opposite. The small shelf is on the right side. I then made an "X" out of more of the pine to fill in the 2'x2' side. That makes 4 triangles on that side and a big 1'x2' box on the other side. The triangles hold about 11 bottles of wine. I had hoped for a case each, but not quite. The bigger box will hold more than a case, but it gets to be too many stacked on each other. I would modify it next time to be 2 1'x1' boxes there by putting another horizontal shelf in the middle of each shelf as it is now. If I want to put a bottle upright, that sehlf comes in handy. I made 4 of these racks for that room. It holds about 750 wine sized bottles.

Is that confusing enough? I should have taken pictures! :-O

Sounds great! And it proves that I'm not crazy--at least in this endeavor.

[piperdbh]

I should have taken pictures! :-O

Well said!

[Tartan Tess]

You just have to drink at least 6 bottles of wine a year and "relocate" into your next level to make room for what you have placed already if you can't expand.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Good Luck!

[Alan H]

I'm not sure how "temperature controlled" you need, but Home Depot and Lowes sell 2 inch thick foam insulation for pretty cheap. It's actually home siding insulation, but it will work just fine for something like this. Everything like this that I have seen has been like a gigantic see-in refrigerator, so that's what I have in mind.

Frame it up out of 2 x 2's. Line the inside with the foam panels cut to size. PL3000 or even liquid nails will get the foam up on the plywood sides. I tend to agree about the wire racks, cutting out racks from 1/2 inch plywood is going to get old, fast. Then again, if you are only storing 30-40 bottles, and you can get ten on a rack, then cutting these things out won't do you in.

Now, a double-glass door. I would probably try to improvise something with a double glass window, like a big casement window. Just lose the crank and install your own latching system. Home Depot and Lowes sell budget plastic-framed double glazed windows that won't break the bank. Just get the window FIRST and then design the unit around the size of the window.

[Detroitpete]

Thanks Alan,

The walls are already insulated and I have a small cooler and humidity controller--I used to work for a beverage distributor for beer and wine, so I had the opportunity to learn a little about set-ups. Which I had a dime for every remote keg/tap dispensing unit I had to charley rig.

The red wine should be fine--temp doesn't get above 65, but I have a seperate chiller for the whites.

I'm using a reclaimed door form another room--not going with glass, since this will be in a utility area of the basement.

I think I'll crank this one out as easily and inexpensively as possible. It may give me some ideas to attempt a 'real' wine closet (glass doors, specialized lighting, custom shelves/racks) off my dinning room later.

[beloitpiper]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wine+cellar

[Maclachlan]

Despite being a chore (read pain in the ****) to build, the simplest form of wine rack is still the best and one of the least expensive to build unless you decide teak is the wood you want! A simple rack system built stick by stick out of cedar is beautiful and inexpensive.

One like this is what my wife wants in our basement.