Building a home bar is an exciting addition that any spacious home or even a small apartment can have. In this feature, you will learn ways of how to build a home bar and how it'll allow you to organize your alcohol, all in one place...
How to build a home bar has been the one thing you've always wondered about, if you've wanted your very own bar area. You can have a mini bar tucked in at one corner of apartment, with crystal lining the bar, alcohol bottles stacked in neat rows with a polished, flawless wood/glass finishing.
You must have watched shows on television of fancy home bars all over the world. You don't have to be filthy rich to go about building a bar in your home. Though building a home bar can be a big task, you can always hire someone to do it for you.
How to Build a Home Bar
Getting Started
Before you consider building a home bar, ask yourself if it'll be easier to hire a contractor, or you could just attempt to do it yourself. There are three kinds of ways that you go with - custom-made bars to do yourself, custom-made bars built by a contractor, or a ready-to-assemble bar.
If you have a massive project on your mind, it is advisable to hire a contractor to take care of your needs. It is easier to rely on them to manage the minor details, electrical problems and so on. Take suggestions like plans and construction tips, since they will know what works best for the home bar.
Once you draw up an estimate contract with the total costs and payment terms, be sure that you have all your bar items already in the house, so that the contractor can accordingly build the bar based on the sizes of these items. Dimensions can then be measured around them. If you're going to do this yourself, a detailed layout is necessary.
Things You Will Need
Here are a few things that you will need to keep ready before you start building your home bar. The last thing you would want is a delay due to unavailable material or lack of proper planning.
Arm rests and foot rails
Bar stools
Wet sinks
Wine rack
Keg holder
Refrigerators
Bottle pourers
Glasses (depending on which alcohol you decide to stock up on)
Alcohol (bars can have any alcohol that you find preferable. Suggestive stock - wines, rum, bourbon, whiskey, scotch, tequila or gin).
Bar mats
Straws
Bottle openers
Cocktail shakers
Blenders
Stirrers
Mixers (keep a good stock of these in the refrigerator - soda water, cranberry juice, tonic water, orange juice, Sprite, Cola and so on)
Other additional bar accessories depending on home bar layout.
Tools required to start building home bar (circular saw, drill with screwdriver, clamps, measuring tape, hand saw, hammer, electric drill, miter box with any wide blade saw, safety glasses and so on)
Ice machines
Draft beer systems
Choose the theme that you'd like to go with, it can be anything from classic, traditional, rustic, glass and metal - to wood, sports themed, music themed, brand themed and so on.
Common Bar Layouts
While you can be really creative and build your home bar any way you like, there are a few home bar ideas that have been successfully used time and again. Some of these common bar layouts have been provided here, in case you get stuck in your quest for the perfect home bar design idea.
45 Degree L Shaped Bar Plan
Features a wet bar sink, keg cooler, and formica preparation counter. Can seat around 7 guests, and can have a wine cooler and refrigerator, and a bar area situated at the bottom for bar items and glasses.
Back Bar Plan
The back bar plan can incorporate tiered shelves for alcohol stock, a wet bar sink, glass racks for glassware, and a light display area.
Frameless Straight Bar Plan
This bar plan features a wet bar sink with a curved bar top. Can have a wine cooler, beer tap and refrigerator, keg cooler and can accommodate around five guests.
Eight Foot Straight Bar Plan
The seating area in this bar plan is spacious, with foot railings not needed since bar stools come with foot rests. Can be reassembled, where a wine rack and adjustable shelves can be added, along with tiered bottle shelves and pine plywood finishings.
Companies at Your Service
There are companies that help with building home bars, with easy to build home bars and bar pub designs that will leave you wide-eyed. Reasonably priced, these companies offer a gargantuan array of bar accessories, bar designs and free plans for a home bar.
Barplan
They help out with many suggestions on bar designs, which you can then use to build your home bar. They provide 3D views of the bar plans with a manual in a flash movie sequence of what you can expect the bar plan to materialize into. Once you choose on what works best for your home space, you can then go on to building your home bar all on your own!
GreatHomeBars
The definition of a great help guide is when a company manages to house all your needs under one roof, leaving no room for confusion. From indoor home bars and outdoor home bars to wine cabinets, home bar décor, bar stools and the cost of a home bar, that you can select based on your budget plan.
KegWorks
An 'A' class company that allows bar owners to indulge in a world of all you can buy bar related gear. From draft beer equipment, bar accessories and bar furnishings to bar foot rails, mixers and more.
How to plan and build a home bar can be thought out by first checking how you can position it in your home. Do you want to go all out and build a bar that takes up a lot of room? Or a bar that fits into a niche to give a room more of an edge?
Or maybe your tired of stacking your alcohol stock in a random cabinet or in the refrigerator, and need some order? Whatever your reasons, you can be certain that people will take notice of your new home bar.
Home bar construction isn't all that difficult if you know how to go about it; wouldn't hurt to have some carpentry skills though. So the next time there's a game on, a house party or an occasion, be sure to call people over to check out that new home bar.