Category Archives: wine cellar design

Basic Construction Specifications when Building a Custom Wine Cellar in Canada

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Planning to have a custom wine cellar in Canada? Whether it’s a commercial or residential wine cellar, there are specifications you need to follow in order to make sure that your wine storage room will function properly. Here are a few construction specifications for wine cellars in Vancouver:

1. Cellar Wall & Ceiling Frame

When building a wine cellar, make sure that the wall framing is built using standard 2×4 or 2×6 construction methods. It’s also imperative that you know and follow the building codes in your area. If metal studs will be used, be sure to place at least 5 rows of nailers horizontally in between studs at the right heights, or attach firing strips on the left edge of the metal studs. These nailers or strips are where the wine racks will be attached, so these have to be very durable.

2. Wine Cellar Vapor Barrier & Insulation

You need to install a vapor barrier and insulation to your custom wine cellar in Vancouver if it is to be chilled. Vapor barriers and insulation make sure that the cold inside the wine storage room is kept inside and remains constant.

In creating vapor barriers, you first need to apply 6-mill plastic sheeting to the warm side of the wine cellar walls. You must apply a vapor barrier on the outside walls and ceiling of your custom wine cellar. Make sure that the seams are taped and sealed before the walls are closed.

In cases wherein it’s not possible to apply a vapor barrier on the outside of the studs or joists, you must apply plastic inside the wine cellar to the outside walls. What most people commonly do is wrap the entire interior of their residential wine cellar in Canada leaving the plastic loose inside the stud cavity. In between the studs, you can apply insulation. It is imperative that all of the cellar’s walls and ceiling are completely wrapped in plastic so that vapor barrier is effective. Insulation for the walls should be R13, or greater while R19 to R30 is best for the ceiling.

3. Custom Wine Cellar Doors

If your custom wine cellar is to be chilled, the exterior grade of your wine cellar door should be solid core 1.75”. You may also choose to have glass on the cellar door; if so, you must use sealed insulated glass. To prevent warm air from penetrating the door, exterior grade weather stripping is also required.

4. Residential Wine Cellar Lighting

The best type of lights are LED lights, but if you want to use recessed cans and halogen lighting accents, you must have a good wine cellar cooling unit to remove the heat generated by these lights out from the cellar. It is important to consider also that lighting that emits more heat also consumes more power.

Wine Storage Essentials for the Wine Collector in Vancouver, Canada

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The art of storing wine goes way back to ancient Egypt. In those days, wines that had been properly stored and allowed to age tastefully were only served to the pharaohs. Wine tastes exquisitely good if it properly stored, and that is why only the elite class of society in ancient Egypt were given the privilege of drinking properly stored wine.

Today, although good tasting wine is available and accessible to all people, we still put great value on proper wine storage. People who do not put importance in the proper storage of wine will not be able to taste wine in its best quality.

Canada Wine Cellar Racks – Choosing the Right Wood Material

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I have a newly built Canada residential wine cellar and my wine bottles are ready to be displayed and organized in wine racks. There are a lot of designs and kinds to choose from, and the decision has to be made- one that I won’t ever regret. This calls for a thorough analysis of my options, as I consider choosing wine racks very important for my wine collection.

In the market, there are options for wooden or metal wine racks. However, I am leaning more towards choosing wooden wine racks as these go well (or better) with the design and concept of the rest of my home. Canada wooden wine racks are also more versatile, and when properly made can be as durable as metal wine racks. Since wood does not conduct warmth or coolness to the wine bottle, I am assured that my wines are properly stored and aged.

Most Popular Wood Species for Wine Rack Construction

There are three kinds of wood usually used in wooden wine racks. These are pine, mahogany, and redwood. It is important to choose the right kind of wood which is conducive to the environment inside the wine cellar. As the wine cellar environment is cool, damp, and dim, it is wise to use the right kind of wood to avoid mildew inside the wine cellar. Mildew can harm my precious wine collection and ruin my investment.

Pine is the most economical wood to use and the most versatile as it absorbs wood finish well. Redwood is another type of wood which is resistant to moisture and mildew as redwood has natural oils that do the work. It can also be stained for customization.

Designing Custom Wine Cellars in Vancouver, Canada

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Genuine wine lovers and wine collectors know that it’s not enough to collect wines and keep them at home. There is a need to have a good storage room for wines to be housed in. Wines require a custom wine cellar that can provide the ideal conditions for them to age tastefully.

You can have a professional design your wine cellar in Vancouver, or you can design it yourself. Here are tips on how to go about designing a custom wine cellar:

1. Decide on a Functional Layout for Your Custom Wine Cellar

The layout always comes first when designing a custom wine cellar in Canada. There are different kinds of layouts. You can explore these various styles, but the most important thing to remember is that the cellar should keep all the bottles laid at their side. Wine needs to be stored this way to prevent oxidation. Moreover, decide how many wine bottles you intend to collect and store, because this will affect the layout that you need. The more bottles you plan to collect, the more wine racks you need to include in the layout.

The Importance of Building A Custom Wine Cellar in Canada Correctly

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Custom wine cellars in Vancouver need to meet a certain standard in order to be suitable for wine storage. It’s not enough that a wine cellar design is pretty. It needs to be designed and built to house wines properly. Wine is a very sensitive beverage. Small mistakes in the building of a wine cellar can potentially damage the wines that will be stored in it.

The following are a few of the most common mistakes that people make when building a custom wine cellar in Canada. Learn about these in order to avoid them.

1. Choosing a Poor Location for the Custom Wine Cellar

The location where a custom wine cellar should be built is commonly taken for granted. It is very important to select a good location for the cellar, both in terms of condition and flow. The location should be away from windows and mechanical rooms because wines are easily ruined when exposed to heat. Choose an area wherein you can build a proper vapor barrier and insulation for the cellar. Lastly, it would be nice to have the wine cellar located in an area that is accessible to guests.

2.   Installing an Under-Sized Wine Cellar Refrigeration System

Wine cellar cooling systems are not cheap, but they are necessary for the safety of your wine collection. Sometimes, people settle for a small cooling unit in order to cut down the expenses, only to find themselves facing more costly problems later on. Have a professional calculate the heat load in your custom wine cellar in Richmond so that you can get the proper wine cellar refrigeration unit to provide the correct temperature and humidity to meet your wine storage needs.