Adolfo Sanmartino, a wine seller and collector, was tired of storing his wine in an old closet in his basement (figure A), so with the help of his better half, Chef Cynthia Lehr, they built their own wine cellar.

1. Measure and mark the interior of the closet or space in which the wine cellar will be built.
2. Remove the old baseboards, cut the carpet and scrape the old carpet padding off the concrete to create a smooth area for the new ceramic tile flooring.
3. For this particular project, the walls were properly insulated with R-13 insulation, so there was no need to tear them out. The ceiling can also stay; however, the recessed lighting will have to go.

Note: Be sure to schedule a licensed electrician to properly terminate the electrical connections.

4. Before the electrician arrived, Mosby began cutting the 2" x 4" x 96" studs to frame the walls. Framing for a wine cellar is similar to framing for any other interior space. Be sure to take your time and don't forget to double-check your measurements (included in the complete instructions, link at the top of the page).

Note: Like any other do-it-yourself project, this one took a lot of planning and research. Mosby visited other wine enthusiasts' cellars, including a consultation with the experts at Wine Cellar Innovations, a manufacturer of wine cellars in Cincinnati, Ohio. He discovered the unique aspects of building a wine cellar that are different from any other interior home addition. He learned about the importance of having a stable climate control unit (figure B -- this one is a self-contained unit that is 14-1/4" wide, 17" deep and 15-3/4" high), insulation and vapor barriers and racking options.

Did you Know? -- Michael Franz, a wine critic for The Washington Post , says, "If you want to age wine, the most important thing you want to ward off is warm temperatures or any fluctuation of temperature that will have the wine spiking up and down. It's well established that hotter temperatures will not only make the maturation process undesirably brief, but it will actually cook and harm the wine." Which means a good cooling unit is vital for the success of any wine cellar.

5. Measure and mark out the door opening. The door will come from the factory pre-hinged and pre-hung.
6. For added support, be sure to double stud (figure C) the roughed in door opening.
7. The side-wall framing is a little more complicated, mainly because this is where the cooling unit will be mounted. Be sure to refer to the manufacturer's installation instructions, and for the unit that Mosby purchased, a rough opening of 14" x 16" was needed (figure D). Placement of the unit is important for maximum temperature and humidity control.
8. Framing the space for the cooling unit is similar to framing the rough-out for a small window. A 2" x 4" header and footer are cut and screwed to the frame (figure E) above and below the opening, with support studs below.
9. Raise the framed wall (figure F) and muscle into place, level and attach. Because plywood sheeting will be mounted to the interior walls, Mosby had to install small pieces of 2 x 4s in strategic spots (figure G) to provide a nailing surface for the plywood.
10. Secure the framing to the floor by using concrete or TapconB. screws (figure H).
11. The new walls should be attached (with screws) to the existing walls in the ceiling joists above.
12. At this point, the electrician arrived to take care of all the electrical issues:
    • Installing the cooling unit, which called for installing a dedicated circuit (20 amp and 120 volt AC).
    • Terminate the recessed lighting and light switch that won't be needed inside the new wine cellar.
    • Install a new light switch outside the wine cellar (so it won't interfere with the racking inside).
    • Install track lighting.