Do's and Don'ts of Wine Cellar Installation & Construction

Ask any wine aficionado and they will tell you how important proper storage is for a wine collection. Wine needs to age but it also needs to age well. If it does not age at the proper temperatures, humidity levels, and light levels, it can be ruined. People like to cook with vinegar but they don’t like to drink it.

Any general contractor can build a wine cellar in a room or basement but it is important to find an experienced wine cellar builder to do it right. A quality wine cellar is more than a wood frame with drywall and a refrigeration unit. Many make a lot of mistakes when it comes to building the cellar properly so here is what can be done to make sure your wine cellar project turns out well:

• Stay Away from the Light – the ultraviolet rays in sunlight and even in home lighting can damage wine inside the bottle. It’s that simple – keep the light away from the wine. There are specially made bulbs for wine cellar interiors and they should be used at all costs. To protect a wine investment, remove the appliance bulbs from any wine fridge and remove wine racks that are anywhere near a light source.
• Insulate it – a wine cellar is cool inside and warmer outside. When warm and cool get together, it creates moisture and mold. Make sure the wine cellar is built like a refrigerator, with insulation with an r-value of eleven against interior walls and nineteen against exterior walls. Make sure the ceiling also has an r-value of nineteen. And the unit needs a vapor barrier to prevent the moisture from ruining your wine and your wine cellar.
• Keep it Level – the temperature and the humidity must remain constant. Heat can kill the flavor of wine and too much cold can prevent it from maturing. Humidity needs to be in the 50% to 70% range. Temperatures must remain below 65 degrees. Even if the cellar is within those ranges, one must make sure there are no fast fluctuations up or down. Cool and dark and humid is how wines ages the right way.
• Sheetrock is Not Right – when the cellar is being installed, one should make sure the wine cellar contractor does not use drywall. Drywall is great for a bedroom wall but not a wine cellar. A wine cellar is battling cold, damp and dark conditions to keep the wine at proper levels. A quality wine cellar builder will use concrete-based backerboard, which is used behind bathroom showers or just about every "wet" area in a home, to prevent moisture problems and mold. It has a solid concrete core and uses fiberglass to cover both sides instead of the paper used on drywall.
• At the Front Door – when there is a cooling system installed on a wine cellar, there needs to be a quality front door. Quality means the door must be similar to an exterior door on your home. It needs to be a solid core door that is almost two inches thick. It must be properly sealed and insulated. Energy costs could go up and temperature fluctuations can occur if the correct door is not used. Many recommend doors with windows, but glass can let in light. And light kills wine. It can be suggested that glass doors or doors with windows be avoided altogether. If glass is used, it must be double-paned and insulated glass with a quality UV protection.

Building a wine cellar the right way is not an easy or inexpensive job. Many homeowners will spend a lot of money on their wine collection and cut corners on the construction of their cellar. But to make the wine cellar does its job, it needs to be built the right way. Many make the mistake of building around their current collection and not their future collection, to save money. Plans should be made for what a wine collection will look like in ten or twenty years out and it should be built to those specifications.

How to Find Wine Cellar Builders

ConstructionDeal.com matches homeowners to quality wine cellar and wine storage contractors. It’s a fast and easy service to find local wine cellar builders – at no cost. Describe your project and have wine cellar contractors call you. You’ll save time. And you will get 4 quotes the same day. More quotes mean you will get the best price on your cellar construction project. Make sure to check references on the cellar contractor and ask to see finished photos from previous wine storage building jobs.

• Get 4 Quotes from Wine Storage Contractors