Building Your Own Wine Room in 15 Steps

Step 1: Plan, PLAN, PLAN!

If you want a "successful" wine room, the importance of this step cannot be underemphasized. You must plan nearly every detail of your room before lifting a finger in the parts ordering or construction phases. Here are some of items you need to consider:
1. Desired capacity (number of bottles). The overall dimensions of your room will put a cap on this number. You don't have to install all the potential racking at once, but decide how big you might like to get eventually.
2. Expandability. If you are unsure of item 1, will you be able to expand the room later? If that's a desire and an option (i.e., space is available), choose your room layout and the size of the cooler carefully to allow for this possibility.
3. Electricity. As a rock-bottom minimum you will need a light with a pullchain (ugly!), and if you have a cooler, you will need an outlet for it. The cooler is best allocated a separate circuit (the larger the room the more important, but always preferable). Are you prepared to do the wiring, or will you need to hire an electrician?
4. Backup power. If you have a cooler and the power goes out in the middle of summer, you could have a big problem. Having a separate circuit for your cooler is a helpful start in preparing for this problem. As a backup solution, you might want to install a separate outlet in the wine room terminating somewhere and somehow such that you could attach it to a portable generator outside.
5. Wall thickness. If your wine room is completely interior to the house (no outside walls), you may be able to get away with standard 2x4s, which normally contain R11 insulation (but for which you can also buy R13-R15 insulation, which is better). But if your wine room has any outside walls, a wall that gets sun, a wall in a warmer than average room, etc., you should seriously considering making the wall thicker. Suggestions are contained in the section on building walls.
6. Ceiling and floor. They need to be insulated, too. If the ceiling is also the house roof, you need 9" minimum for insulation. If the floor is concrete, you may wish to build a false floor.
7. Vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a must, all the way around -- on the warm side. Usually 6mm poly film is used.
8. Door. You don't want to use an ordinary inside door for your wine room. Ideally you will use a heavily insulated steel door, like the ones used between a garage and a house. Although less efficient, you may be installing a windowed door, too. But if you do, make sure that your door will fit before you commit! (For example, in the GreatWinesOnline wine room, the ceiling slopes, and the location of the wine room is such that the door had to open inward. If we had installed a wider door, it would have hit the ceiling before it was fully open.)
9. Inside dimensions. After you have figured out your wall, floor, and ceiling situation, you should take a look at inside dimensions of your wine room, after the walls and wall coverings are added. The reason this is important is to gain maximum advantage for your wine racking without wasted space. For example, if you are using the VintageView wine racks (pictured right) sold by GreatWinesOnline, each column takes up exactly 13 inches; so a rear wall which is an exact multiple of 13 inches is a perfect fit. An inch or so over is no big deal, but a couple of inches short will leave you with not enough room for a final column and a lot of wasted space. (Keep in mind that VintageView racks can go the full length of the wall and still have the side walls butt the bottles up against the rack in single-depths, whereas traditional cork-forward racking causes you to lose the space of each corner, or potentially waste a lot of space in a curve.) So ... experiment with layouts before finalizing dimensions. See our Design Samples page for ideas.
10. Cooler positioning. Sounds simple; but coolers generally mount between studs, so you'll only be able to position your cooler wherever the studs happen to fall (without some fancy carpentry). In your particular room, there simply may be no choice where it goes; but if you have options, consider them now, so the cooler doesn't end up smack dab in the middle of your showcase wall of wine. Ideally, the cooler will not be on the wall opposite the door (if that's your longer wall and full of racks). Also, you need to be able to get to the back of the cooler at least annually to clean the cooling fins.
11. Your skills. Are you up for this project? How much can you do on your own? What kind of help will you need? Do you need someone with a truck to haul some 4x8 wood panels? Do you have the tools and skills to cut sections of wood to fit? Perhaps you can do all but the electrical. Etc. Figure out in advance what you can and can't do and where you can go (and how much it will cost) for help. OK! Now that you have thought through the entire room and have laid it out on paper thoroughly, you are ready to begin work. And now, let's continue with Step 2: Deconstruct. Building Your Own Wine Room

Step 2: Deconstruct

This step is only applicable if you are starting with an existing room or even a single existing wall. Otherwise, you can skip to the next step. There are two fundamental considerations here:
1. Prepare for insulating existing un-insulated walls, including adding a vapor barrier.
2. Remove any existing structures to prepare for the right size room. The importance of item 1 cannot be underemphasized. While installing a vapor barrier is covered separately, you generally need to remove the existing wall (drywall in most cases) to be able to install a vapor barrier and (re)insulate. This is not a pleasant task, but it has to be done. If you are lucky enough to be able to get to the existing wall from behind (for example, in a basement situation where the wall is uncovered on the reverse side), then you can work from behind instead -- lucky you! Don't take a hammer to the wall to remove drywall! Instead, cut through the wall vertically with a knife or small saw, cut or bust through enough to get a hand-hold, and begin to peel the drywall off the studs in sections. This is much neater than the hammer approach! When you are done, tidy up the edges and remove all the remaining nails and drywall screws. (NOTE: There is always the possibility that when you cut through a wall you will hit an electrical wire, so turn off power to nearby circuits first and wear gloves for this step. If you do nick a wire, assess damage and replace the wire as necessary.) If there is existing insulation in the wall, remove it. You may be able to reuse it, even if you have to strip off the kraft paper. If you are expanding an existing room, you may need to remove a wall. Do so after carefully assessing that the wall is not required for load-bearing of the floor above! (Hint: a row of 3 or more studs together probably means it's load-bearing.) This may also be the time to consider the need to replace an existing door. You cannot install an "outside" door in an "inside" door frame, because they are different thicknesses. For both cost and ease of installation reasons, new doors are best purchased already in their frames, so you may need to completely remove an existing door and frame. Make sure you have enough room for the door; decide whether it should open in or out; and assess all consequences of using your particular choice of door. (For instance, using a glass door effectively increases the cubic foot requirement of a cooling unit.)

Step 3: Build or Expand Depth of Walls, Floor, Ceiling

The actual construction of the room's walls, etc., will not be covered here. It is assumed that you know how to build a wall (using 2x4s 16 inches apart, etc.). So if you are starting from an empty space, have at it and build your room, and good luck! However, we recommend that you read the suggestions below for dealing with existing walls, as you may wish to use some of these techniques in your new construction. If you are working with an existing space which you have just deconstructed (previous step), now is the time to consider expanding the depth of the walls (and ceiling) to allow for additional insulation. There are three options.
1. Increase the depth by ripping a 2x4 (not pleasant but possible) and nailing it into the existing 2x4s. We used this approach for two walls in the GreatWinesOnline wine room. R19 insulation isn't a perfect fit, but it can be used; R21 (see below) would be better.
2. Double the depth by adding a second set of 2x4s right on top of the first. Use two unfaced batts of R11-R13 to reach R22-R26.
3. More than double the depth by adding a second wall a few inches behind (or in front of) the existing wall. Again, we used this approach in the GreatWinesOnline wine room for two walls in attic space. In all of these cases, you should give some consideration to the thickness of standard insulation batts that are available to you. There is no point in creating a cavity for which there is no insulation batt or combination of unfaced batts that can be combined to make up that amount of space! So here is a table of the common sizes of insulation batts available today and their thicknesses: R-Value Thickness R11 3-1/2" R13 3-1/2" R15 3-1/2" R19 6-1/4" R21 5-1/2" R30 9-1/2" R38 12" Yes, it seems strange that R11 - R15 all fit in 3-1/2", but the composition of the insulation may be different, and that's what the manufacturers claim. R19 is sometimes listed as 6-1/2" thick; and yes, R21 takes less space than R19! (If you want to know the R-value of other materials, see this R-Value Table from ColoradoEnergy.org.) While we have talked about walls, the same is true for a ceiling. You need to consider what's up above: the floor of the level above, or the attic roof. If it is a roof, be sure to install foam vents along the inside of the roof to carry the heat away. The vents get installed against the wood, with the vapor barrier then covering the vent; then comes the insulation. And now the floor. There are two situations to address: concrete and wood. Let's talk about concrete first, the situation you would typically find in a basement or building on a slab. Unfortunately, this area is not without controversy. Concrete has a near zero R-value, but in conjunction with the earth underneath (often around 60 degrees year-round), it offers a lot of thermal mass -- good for resisting the loss of "cool" from the room or the entry of heat. Properly constructed, it shouldn't allow much moisture in, either, though that is a possibility, especially in older construction or notoriously wet areas. In these latter cases, you should definitely put down a vapor barrier and studs and build a "false" floor, filled with insulation. In newer construction in reasonably dry areas, it's a toss-up. Some people (Breezaire Products Corp, for example) say always build a false floor; others (notably builders, who argue that living areas are built on concrete without false floors) say it's a waste of money. Most websites which address building wine cellars on concrete floors say a floor isn't necessary. There should be no harm -- only some cost, and probably some value -- in installing an insulated floor, but in newer construction it doesn't appear necessary. A waterproof sealer, however, is important! Also, you should use a vapor barrier and insulation on concrete walls. For wood floors, it is mandatory to insulate, especially since cold air falls! You may find it easier to get at an existing floor from underneath. Be sure to fill the entire depth with insulation, even if it seems like overkill. If the insulation falls away from the floor, you seriously impede its effectiveness. Alas, there is one more important consideration for floors and ceilings: boxing in the joists. You want to limit the infiltration of heated, humid air from the uninsulated area (where the insulation ends over or under your room); so you "box in" the area by creating a mini wall at the limits of your wine room. The picture below shows how a wine room floor was prepared for insulation by removing the ceiling below the room, then boxing in (and sealing) the joists at the limit of the wine room above, prior to filling the area with insulation, installing a vapor barrier, and reinstalling the ceiling.

Step 4: Install or Reinstall Door Frame and Door

If you are working with an existing room, give serious consideration to replacing the door. The ideal door is probably a steel door of the type used between an uninsulated garage and a house. These doors generally have good insulation (though the exact R-factors are hard to come by), and you want as high an R-factor on your door as possible. Fiberglass doors are useless, and even solid wood core doors offer limited R protection. It is easiest to buy a door already in its frame. You'll probably want the smallest width available without special order (because special order sizes are generally much higher priced). If you insist on a glass door or one with a glass insert, just be sure you get the most insulated option you can find, as you will definitely suffer heat exchange through the glass. Here's where planning comes in. You need to decide if the door is to open left or right and to open in or out. In any case, make sure you have room and that it isn't going to bump into a sloped ceiling or produce an awkward entrance. Weather-strip it well (and check the seal annually). Go into the room, shut the door, turn out the light, and have someone shine a flashlight under and all around the door to check for leaks. If you can't avoid a less insulated solid door for any reason, consider adding a panel of foam thermal insulation on the inside. You'll probably have to glue it in place, and you may or may not be able to paint it or otherwise cover it up. Ugly, but useful.

Step 5: Frame an Opening for the Cooler

This is really a simple step, and not necessary, of course, if you aren't installing a cooler. But it does take some planning. As mentioned up front, it is hardly ideal to have the cooler the first thing your guests see when they walk into your wine room. If your door is opposite a long wall, you would like them to see all the bottles of wine (nicely displayed on VintageView wine racks, we hope!), uninterrupted by the cooler, especially if the cooler doesn't happen to fit neatly between columns of wine racks. So consider your options carefully before framing out for the cooler. Once you've decided where it will go, you need to frame the space. This means you need a 2x4 crosswise above the opening (no more than 6" down from the ceiling) and a 2x4 crosswise at the bottom of the opening. This lower 2x4 will support most of the weight of the cooler, so install it well! You may wish to put a second 2x4 below the first, perhaps at right angles, for extra strength (or on top of the horizontal one, as shown below, if you have built out the thickness of the wall). Of course blowing the size of the opening has major consequences, so remember the fundamental carpenter's rule: Measure once, cut twice; measure twice, cut once. In our case this means that you must select your cooler prior to framing, study the installation instructions carefully (Breezaire cooler installation instructions are accessible from the GreatWinesOnline website Coolers page), measure out the exact size of the opening -- twice -- and frame accordingly. GreatWinesOnline uses, recommends, and only sells Breezaire coolers -- made in the USA.

Step 6: Install Electrical Wiring for Lighting and Cooler

You may or may not have existing electrical wiring in the room. If all you need is an overhead light and it is in place, you are pretty much done, except for considering if the switch is placed where you want it. If no wiring exists, or you need an outlet for the cooler, then you need to investigate where you are going to tap an existing line or how to install a new one. How to do either of these is beyond the scope of this article, but it is something you must consider and decide whether or not you need to hire an electrician. Don't bring in the electrician (except perhaps for an estimate) until you have framed the room and the opening for the cooler. Here are the points you need to consider for the electrical needs of your wine room.
1. Room lighting. Avoid recessed ("can") fixtures, if possible. They are an escape point for cold air. In most cases, you cannot touch them with insulation or abut them to a vapor barrier by electrical code (double-shelled newer models may avoid this problem). In any case, they stick up into the space normally occupied by insulation, which means you can't have insulation in that space! (The bigger concern here is a path for loss of your cold air, not the heat generated by the lights.) The best solution is simply a standard electrical box flush with the surface, to which you can attach any kind of surface light fixture you wish, including a (low voltage) track light.
2. Light switch. We recommend that you put the switch on the outside of the room. There are two reasons. First, an inside switch can get in the way of wine racks, a cabinet, or shelving. Second, if you have a glass door or window, you can turn on the light "for show" without opening the door. You may wish to consider a switch with a timer, so you don't accidentally leave it on. A light really heats up the room.
3. The house circuit you tap for the light is pretty irrelevant, since the light draws such little current. You can even put it on the same circuit as the cooler.
4. For a large wine room, you may wish to provide a wall outlet to plug in a vacuum cleaner or other device on occasion. It may not be convenient to use the cooler outlet for this purpose. You can put this outlet on the same circuit as the light, if you wish.
5. Install the outlet for the wine cooler above the cooler, because that's a place where you will not be storing wine. If you install it anywhere else, you may find it interferes with present or future plans for a wine rack.
6. For the wine cooler, ideally you will have a separate circuit. The first reason is that since the cooler has a compressor, it has an initial surge requirement that is ideally left to a single circuit. The second reason is that if you have a power outage, you might very well like to make this circuit available for generator power, now or in the future. The third reason is that if something else is on the same circuit and it trips the breaker, you lose power to the cooler.
7. As an alternative to the single circuit for a generator option presented above, give some consideration to installing a second outlet right next to the cooler, and run the line somewhere outside the room to a point where you could attach it to a generator. Thus in an emergency, you could switch the cooler's plug to the second outlet, and plug the other end of that outlet's line into a portable generator outside, maintaining temperature in your wine room. The point is, think of and prepare for this possibility now, even if you do not own a generator right now! The walls will be open, and you can do it easily. Later, it will be difficult. And now, let's continue with Step 7: Install vapor barrier. Building Your Own Wine Room 3>Step 7: Install Vapor Barrier Oh my, this is perhaps the most important step of all! Don't blow it. Every wine room, mechanically cooled or not, needs a vapor barrier. You want to keep the humidity of the surrounding area out of your wine room and away from the walls. If humidity is allowed to reach the walls, condensation will form on the walls, since they are cold, and mold and mildew will begin to form. Yuck. And if your wall is drywall, it will become "wetwall," and any racks mounted on the wall will eventually fall off. Really. Trust us on this. There is some difference of opinion as to whether the vapor barrier should go right against the wine room wall or on the outside of the insulation. There are those that say it doesn't make any difference (though there is no difference of opinion as to whether or not a vapor barrier is required). GreatWinesOnline feels strongly that the vapor barrier belongs on the outside of the insulation! Here's why. The danger point is where a cold surface meets humidity. That's where the condensation forms. So your objective should be to stop the humidity before it gets anywhere near the cold backside of the wine room wall. If you put the vapor barrier against the wall, then the humidity can seep into the insulation and condense against the vapor barrier, forming mold there because it is trapped between the insulation and the vapor barrier. If you put the vapor barrier on the outside of the insulation, then you have stopped the humidity from reaching the cold wall. The outside edge of the insulation against the vapor barrier is not going to get very cold due to the very nature of insulation's purpose in life, so the humidity side of the vapor barrier is not going to be cold and will thus not form a condensate. So put the vapor barrier on the side of the insulation away from the wine room! Period. Just to be clear, when we say "vapor barrier," we mean polyethylene film, as thick as you can buy it (typically 6mm). You can staple it in place. If you are doing all new construction or have access to the back side of the wine room wall, then it is easy. Put up the vapor barrier (as shown above), stuff in the insulation from the other side, put up your wall, etc. But if you are working with existing construction, you usually can't get to the outside back of the wall to install the vapor barrier; so you must install it from the inside, by wrapping the studs. This is a bit of a pain in the neck, but it is readily achievable. Wrap carefully and thoroughly, in as long a continuous sheet as possible, and tape over any minor tears. Cover everything, from ceiling to floor, no exceptions (except as noted below). The vapor barrier should be like a balloon around your room. You do the ceiling the same way -- wrap the joists, assuming you can't get to the ceiling from topside. If the floor is open, wrap it too. If you started with a concrete floor and built up a new floor, you should have put down a layer of vapor barrier first, as previously discussed. If you can't get to the floor area via the floor itself, consider getting to it via the ceiling below, as shown earlier during the discussion of boxing in the ends of the joists. CAUTION: If you are installing a basement wine room without a cooler, you should not completely wrap the ceiling. In this particular case, you need to allow a small escape for humidity from inside the room. Consult Richard Gold's book for more information. When you have installed a vapor barrier on all four walls, the ceiling, and the floor, you are ready to insulate.

Step 8: Install Insulation

Normally (non wine room) one buys "Kraft faced insulation," which means that the insulation has Kraft paper glued on one side, which acts like a vapor barrier. The paper side is generally installed against the inside wall of a house. In a wine room, we reverse the vapor barrier, installing it on the outside wall, away from the wine room. But we have supplied this vapor barrier already, so we don't need another one; thus we use unfaced insulation. Naturally you want the most insulation possible for your wine room, since you are cooling the room (perhaps) to 20 degrees or so less than surrounding rooms. The controlling factor is the thickness of the walls, because the depth available dictates which commercially available batts of insulation will fit. We'll repeat the table we showed earlier. R-Value Thickness R11 3-1/2" R13 3-1/2" R15 3-1/2" R19 6-1/4" R21 5-1/2" R30 9-1/2" R38 12" Thus you can buy insulation for various depths, and in some cases you can find specially manufactured insulation with an increased R factor for the same depth. In general, the rule is that each inch offers 3 R's worth of insulation. Sometimes it is hard to find the thickness of insulation you want unfaced. If you absolutely can't find unfaced insulation, you have two choices:
1. Peel off the facing
2. Use it anyway, but only in situations where you can abut the facing to the vapor barrier you already installed. Never create an inner cavity with insulation between two vapor barriers. Keep in mind that you can't increase the R value of insulation installed in a given space merely by installing a higher R value than the space allows. In other words, don't think you can increase your R value to R19 in a wall of 2x4s by installing R19 where only smaller sizes are intended to fit! In fact you defeat the insulation properties by compressing it -- so don't. Match the R value of the insulation properly to the amount of space available. As long as the insulation is unfaced, however, you can combine batts of the same or different thicknesses to achieve higher R values. Be sure to fill all cavities. There may be some odd places where you have to cut and stuff in insulation, but do be sure to fill all gaps, taking care not to damage the vapor barrier. Any nicks in the vapor barrier should be repaired using duct tape or some other method. It is possible to increase the amount of insulation by adding insulation sold in the form of fiberglass boards. Since we have no personal experience with this technique, we will not discuss it further. Someone may also recommend injecting foam into an existing wall in lieu of removing the wallboard as discussed earlier; however, this raises concerns about the lack of a separate vapor barrier, so you are on your own if you choose this route. (If you have experience with this technique when used for a wine room, please let us know.) And indeed, someone has given us some information about injected foam! Thank you, Art Stratemeyer. This type of foam is available as "open cell" or "closed cell." You want the "closed cell" variety, as it forms a skin which is effectively a vapor barrier. However, be sure your contractor does not scrape the foam (to even it out) on the side away from the wine room. This breaks the surface, defeating the vapor barrier. It is OK to do this on the wine room side, if necessary.

Step 9: Install Walls, Ceiling, Floor

OK, the room has been built, the vapor barrier has been installed, and the cavities have been stuffed with insulation. It's time for the interior surfaces to be installed. You have a choice here. You can install traditional drywall, wood, or a combination. For instance, you may wish to install a standard drywall ceiling but use wood for the walls (because mounting wine racks to wood is easier than drywall, for instance). In most cases, you will be using an existing floor, but in most cases it will be wood (at least for the subfloor), unless it's concrete. You're on your own for installing drywall. There are techniques documented elsewhere. You may even wish to hire someone for this step, as there are companies that specialize in drywall installation. You may even wish to use so-called green board, the kind used in bathrooms, resistant to moisture; but this is not really necessary, since you have installed a vapor barrier on the side where it belongs. Also, be advised that it is harder to mount racks on this type of wall, because it crumbles when penetrated. You'll most likely have to use toggle bolts. If you choose drywall, you might want to consider installing cross supports in the studs at points you know you will be attaching a rack or something else heavy. You will have to plan and measure carefully for this, however; but the result will be a solid foundation in wood as opposed to using drywall anchors. (This is not really necessary for VintageView wine racks, and it is certainly awkward to implement.) If you choose wood, the traditional choice has been plywood. A modern alternative to plywood is called OSB, Oriented Strand Board, which is what we used at GreatWinesOnline. The only problem with OSB is that it tends to omit an odor for some time after installation, that will eventually dissipate. Plywood and OSB come in various thicknesses. 5/8" seems to be a good choice, as you would like at least 1/2" of wood to penetrate for mounting screws. Check with the wood manufacturer or the seller for installation specifications. For instance, you are supposed to leave a slight gap between pieces of OSB to allow for expansion.

Step 10: Seal Walls, Ceiling, Floor

Now that the walls and ceiling are installed, you need to seal them. This helps a bit with the escape of the cold air, but it also helps with humidity control. If you installed drywall all around, then you've done pretty much everything you can, except for the floor. If you installed wood for walls, then you need to caulk all the joints. You should also check the floor carefully for any gaps and seal them too.

Step 11: Install Final Wall and/or Floor Covering

Now you need to make your room pretty! Or not. You can skip this step, if you wish, and just have a utilitarian room. We have several acquaintances who have done just that. The room serves its purpose -- who cares what it looks like! But if you want to make it look good, you need to do something with the walls. If they are drywall, you can paint or paper them (be sure to put "sizing" on first if you paper), or add paneling. If they are wood, you can add paneling or a second layer of finishing wood. If you've got the bucks, this is the point where you invite a fine wood craftsman in to do wonderful things to your walls and build racks (or frames for your VintageView racks from GreatWinesOnline!) which will make everyone ooh and ahh. In fact, we now sell do-it-yourself wood cabinets for VintageView wine racks (right). We chose to add brick-look paneling on top of our OSB for our own wine room. At this point you'll also want to finish the floor (assuming you only have a subfloor exposed, or maybe even if you have a finished floor). Options include ceramic and other tiles, marble, natural wood flooring, cork, wood- or stone-look tiles, but not carpet, which will likely acquire mold. The choice is yours. This is also the point at which you consider whether or not to install a baseboard. There is really no reason to install a baseboard in a wine room. You can start your wine racks right at the floor level for maximum room capacity. If you do that all around, you may not even need the seemingly obligatory quarter-round to cover the seam between wall and floor. Ah yes, one final point. If you are installing a cooler, you may have to install a small shelf to help hold the weight of the cooler. Consult your cooler's instructions for dimensions. Do not plan to put wine on the same shelf, as it may vibrate.

Step 12: Complete Electrical Work

This seems like a silly one, doesn't it; yet it is an important step to acknowledge. Presumably you have one or more open light fixtures in the ceiling of the room, an open wall switch (perhaps completed by now, if it is outside the room), the cooler outlet box, and perhaps a room outlet. You need to complete the wiring for each of these. Think about that ceiling fixture carefully. The higher the wattage, the more heat you bring into the room. A fluorescent light produces very little heat but somehow just doesn't go with a wine room, does it? Hopefully you didn't choose high-heat and hard to insulate recessed can lights, either. Choose a simple fixture to go with the decor you have chosen for the rest of the room, and install the lowest wattage bulb that does the trick: ambience versus your ability to see the labels properly! You can even choose to install a track light configuration, and/or do something with low-voltage lighting. These are options best considered up front; but if you have planned carefully, you will have options for expansion. A few very observant individuals may have wondered why wires were sticking out at various places in the walls of previous pictures shown in this article. The answer is: room for expansion. Those wires come back to -- but are not connected now to -- the one electrical box housing the ceiling light in the GreatWinesOnline wine room. If we ever decide to do wall sconces or multiple ceiling lights or have the need for a light or outlet on the back wall, the wiring is in place.

Step 13: Install Racks

Here it comes, the hard-sell on VintageView wine racks! Not really. While we would like you to seriously consider purchasing VintageView wine racks from us to display the beauty of your wine bottles and their labels, you are perfectly free to install those traditional racks which display the tops of the corks only! In any case, this is the point where you install whatever racks or combination of racks you have chosen. If you have done your planning carefully, the room is laid out efficiently for your choice of racks, cabinets, shelves, built-ins, or whatever. Whether you install the racks or cooler first is up to you. If you are doing some custom woodwork around the cooler, then you'll want to install the cooler first. On the other hand, if you'll be working in the area around the cooler installing racks, we recommend that you install your racks ahead of the cooler simply so you don't bump your head on the cooler while installing the racks! Think carefully if you want to start your racks at the floor or leave space below the racks for unopened cases (14" high recommended, if you choose this option). Actually, unopened cardboard cases are probably best left in a corner as out of the way as possible; but you may choose to acquire some attractive wooden wine cases for storage below your racks. If you installed wood walls, you are good to go. If you installed drywall, you may want to use a stud-finder for any wall-mounted items. If you are installing VintageView wine racks (our fervent hope...), just measure distances carefully and follow the instructions that come with the racks. We used a laser level just to show off, but that's not really required!

Step 14: Install Cooler

Another silly little step: take the cooler (the Breezaire cooler that you purchased at a great price from GreatWinesOnline!) out of the box and shove it in the hole in the wall! Geez, we hope it fits, 'cause it's a real pain if it doesn't! Seriously, prepare for this step by setting a small stepstool in front of the opening for the cooler. Get someone to help you, as coolers are usually heavy. Lift the cooler up, set it on the shelf you built (if applicable), and ease it into the opening. There should be about an eighth of an inch clearance on the top and sides, maybe less. Step to the outside of the room and check the fit, adjusting as necessary. Generally, the unit should be flush with the outside wall, at which point you can install the supplied louver. Use some weather-stripping to fill in the gaps all around. You may want to use multiple pieces in the same area, and you may also wish to put in a trim piece around each edge. Your objective is, of course, to stop up the last gap in your wine room. A cooler is expensive, so seriously consider adding a surge protector in the circuit. Make sure it is one capable of handling the amperage of your cooler.

Step 15: Turn On and Fill Up!

Plug in your cooler and turn it on. It will take quite a while to bring your wine down to your chosen temperature. If you have a large wine room, you may wish to follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the temporary use of a drain hose (which requires that you drill a hole in the shelf so you can access it); but in the case of our small wine room, no liquid ever emerged from the hose. Once you see that your cooler is working properly, you can begin to fill your wine room. Keep in mind that the cooler is designed to keep a room with wine in it cool, not a room simply full of air. In other words, if you leave the cooler on without a significant amount of wine in the room, you will find it runs a lot and may have difficulty maintaining temperature. Once wine in the bottles is cooled, it will be much easier to maintain an even temperature. If you are building your collection slowly, consider putting empty bottles (of any kind) filled with water in your wine room. This will make the cooler's work simpler. And now you can stand back and proudly survey your work. You worked hard on this, and it looks great. And you have added valued to your home. Your friends and neighbors will be impressed. Toast your hard work, and send us a picture! Congratulations. We hope you found this article useful. Let us know and/or send any suggestions for improvement to Adolfo at GreatWinesOnline.com.