Cellar Preparation

A number of decisions must be thought through prior to designing and purchasing a custom wine cellar:

1. Climate Controlled Cellar or Passive Cellar
2. • Climate Controlled Cellar -> Climate controlled cellars are for the wine connoisseur to provide the ideal long-term storage and protection of a wine collection.  Proper room preparation with R-value insulation and approved drywall materials, your cooling system of choice, and an insulated door are all crucial to climate controlled wine cellars.  Constant temperature and humidity in the space will provide the correct environment to allow wines to mature and age.
   • Passive Cellar -> A suitable room or wall space that will store wine for short periods of time.  Custom wine racks will enhance the storage, organization, and accesss to your wine collection.
3. IF Climate Controlled, what type of cooling unit will you purchase -- Self-Contained Unit, Split Cooling System, or Ducted System (WCL can help you make this decision and obtain the unit)
4. Wood Species -- Although the most popular wood choice for wine cellars is Redwood, due to its odorless and mildew resistant characteristics, any solid wood species can be and has been utilized in our wine cellars.
5. Desired wall finish -- painted, textured, wood paneling, etc.
6. Flooring (abundance of options) -- tile, wood, and cork or most common
7. Electrical requirements for any lighting fixtures and switch outlets will have to be considered at this stage as well.
8. Design details in the wine cellar racking -- form and function, individual storage or bulk storage, aesthetics, etc.
9. Installation -- One of the final steps, but most critical, is the installation of your custom wine cellar, which, on average, takes 3 to 5 days to complete.  The exact time required for the installation of your wine cellar will depend on the bottle capacity and various components of your wine cellar.