Cellar Design

[xanxer82]

I've been seeing a lot of mid stage cellars being built in this and one other forum.
The designs are great and give me ideas for my own future cellar and wine making area.
I'm curious to see the progress of those of you who have cellars completed and some dimensions and amount of bottles and carboys that can be stored as well as insulation and temp control issues. Do you have water/waste piped in?


Right now I'm using an old cedar chest at the foot of my bed as a "cellar". I live in a basement apartment with my fiance and son, so we are used to the steady 60-65 deg F. temperature. This just happens to be pretty good and stable for wine as far as I know.
It would be great to find some cheap temporary storage solutions that could be used while in this temporary space until we buy a home. The chest will hold another 30 - 40 bottles at most in addition to the 30 I have stored in there already. I plan to to keep around 200 or so bottles on hand.

 

[Wade E]

I have 10 x 12 room for wine making which also has my furnace and oiltank in there. The furnace keeps the room at about 70* all winter long and ince this room is in my basemet it stays about 68* in the summer. On the other corner of my basement in the most subterrean corner which is about 5' under ground I have my wine cellar. This room is about 9 x 8 and also stores my cold water holding tank which helps keep the room at around 58* all year round, the only problem with this room is about 3 weeks out of the year in the dead heat of the summer it can get humid so I have to run a dehumidifier to get rid of the extra humidity. When that is running it jacks the temp up to around 63-64*.

 

[DageonYar]

Wow Wade... Running out of rack space there. I could help out with that

 

[Wade E]

HUH, it was getting empty but I just filled it back up with 2 batches that I finnaly bottled Saturday. I still have a lot to bottle but I guess those will have to stay on the floor in boxes like Toms room. I have just ubder 1000 bottles on shelves.

 

[xanxer82]

Wade, I'm always impressed with pictures of your wine making and storage area.
I think I'm gonna have to break down and buy some racks or get my skills up to par so I can build my own.

 

[Wade E]

Mine are actually very easy to build, probably the easiest out there. The only downside to them is you have to go out and buy little cabinet door bumpers that are self adhesive and stick them in the backso the bottles dont roll around. I was in a hurry and didnt want to spend ny money. All this wood was free from work and slotting them to keep the bottles stable was not in my time frame. My wife wanted the bottles out of the other room asap!!!!!!!!

 

[xanxer82]

Are those mainly 1x2" scrap boards?

 

[BobF]

Mine are actually very easy to build, probably the easiest out there. The only downside to them is you have to go out and buy little cabinet door bumpers that are self adhesive and stick them in the backso the bottles dont roll around. I was in a hurry and didnt want to spend ny money. All this wood was free from work and slotting them to keep the bottles stable was not in my time frame. My wife wanted the bottles out of the other room asap!!!!!!!!

Any chance of you sketching out some plans/instructions? Wine storage is on my short list.

I looked at your photos before and was wondering how you kept the bottles from rolling - good idea!

 

[xanxer82]

Yeah that stuf is real useful to keep things in place.
I'm gonna ask Kat's brother if he would want to help me build them since he's got those pnumatic tools he's dying to find a use for.
I'd like to see a couple of specs for Wade
s wine racks. The only thing I would do is put divider braces between each bottle for some added strength and to keep the bottles from rolling.

 

[Wade E]

They are white oak and 1 1/16" x 1 1/2" and they dont need braces in between for strenght at all, they are rock solid, dividers though is another story. You will want screws though, not nails. Here are some pics, hope they help. I really didnt have any plans for it, just built as I went.

 

[BobF]

They are white oak and 1 1/16" x 1 1/2" and they dont need braces in between for strenght at all, they are rock solid, dividers though is another story. You will want screws though, not nails. Here are some pics, hope they help. I really didnt have any plans for it, just built as I went.

Thanks for the pics. I might just use this.

Question; how is the lateral stability? Are they screwed to the walls or are they free-standing? One more 'q'. How did you come up with the vertical spacing? Science or asthetics?

Thanks again!

 

[xanxer82]

Thanks for the detailed pictures. I'm definitely talking to my soon to be brother in law about starting that building project after new years.