A Small Area Under the Stairs was Brought to Life by a Wine Cellar Master Builder in Vancouver BC

A space under an open staircase was converted by Blue Grouse Wine Cellars Vancouver into an enclosed custom wine storage and display area. Check out the features of this traditional wine cellar designed for a home in British Columbia.

Brilliant Wine Storage Solution for a Tiny Space

When planning to start a wine room installation project, one of the dilemmas faced by most homeowners is finding a suitable place for their wine collection. Nowadays, wine cellars can be built in almost any area of your home including a walk-in closet, garage, basement, and even beneath your stairs!

The small size and odd shape of the room should not be a concern if you work with a professional wine cellar company.

Recently, a client sought the help of Blue Grouse Wine Cellars, to create a design for his wine room that would store and display his wine safely and attractively.

Wine Cellar Construction Under the Stairs

The space was simply an open staircase with a sloping ceiling located in the main living area. It is 4 feet deep and 12.5 feet long. The client wanted to enclose the bottom of the stairs. What we did was to build a front wall to enclose the space that will store the owner’s prized wines.

We incorporated various bottle orientations in the custom racking design and installed an efficient wine cellar climate control system to stabilize the storage conditions. The door and lighting were chosen and installed carefully.

Proper Room Insulation to Prevent External Factors from Damaging Wine
Vancouver Custom Wine Cellar Insulation

One of the causes of wine damage is an unstable environment. Temperature fluctuations and variable humidity levels occur when your wine storage space is poorly insulated or not insulated at all.

Proper insulation of the walls, ceiling, and door can prevent this type of problem in climate-controlled wine rooms. It helps maintain the optimum conditions needed by wine to preserve its desirable characteristics.

On this custom wine cellar installation project in Vancouver, BC, we had to demolish the existing walls at the back and side so that we could add insulation and a vapor barrier. We then re-installed the new type of drywall.

The front wall and the door were constructed from insulated glass to help regulate the temperature and humidity in the room.

Another benefit of a well-sealed Vancouver custom wine cellar is low consumption of energy because your refrigeration system will not be forced to work harder than its normal operation. Proper room insulation will also prevent the breakdown of your cooling unit.

Custom Wine Rack Features

Before designing the racking system, we always take a careful assessment of our client’s functional, aesthetic, and financial requirements. This process is a vital part of building a wine cellar because it allows us to come up with a design that will suit the owner’s needs.

The material and the style of wine racks play an important role in achieving the desired overall appeal of a wine room. We always see to it that the wine racks suit the existing décor of the client’s home and are eye catching.

Ideal Choice Of Wood

On this custom project completed by Blue Grouse Wine Cellars in Vancouver, BC, we used the Knotty Alder wood. One of its distinctive characteristics is its reddish brown color, which creates a rustic feel in a Vancouver custom wine cellar.

Additionally, Knotty Alder has tight knots, straight grains, and an even texture that make wine racks made from this material attractive. We applied the wood with Early American stain to bring out its natural grain pattern. We lacquered the wine racks for a lustrous finish.

Bottle Orientations

The entire racking was installed at the back wall. Its maximum height is approximately 6 feet. The top section consists of individual storage slots for 750 ml bottles and a few storage openings for the owner’s magnum bottles.

Below it is a high reveal display row with three sections for 750 ml bottles and one section for magnums. The display row stores the bottles at a 15-degree angle. This bottle orientation will keep the cork in contact with the wine.

A dried out cork can become brittle and allow an unwanted amount of oxygen to mix with the wine. When this happens, oxidation will occur, and the wine will easily be spoiled. An oxidized wine has an unpleasant taste and aroma.

There are diamond bins at the bottom section of the racking. This style of racking allows for bulk storage and maximizes the capacity of the room. It also provides better organization of the bottles because the client can store the same variety or the same type of wine in each section. The divider in each opening can be removed to allow for wood case storage.

Lighting System

The proper choice of lighting system will help illuminate the wine display area dramatically without compromising the quality of the wine. LED (light-emitting diode) lights are becoming more in-demand in the construction industry because of their low heat emission.

Regular bulbs are not recommended for installation in Vancouver custom wine cellars because they emit more heat than an LED, which can damage your collection.

Another advantage of the LED lighting system is that it can save you money in the long run because it has a longer lifespan and consumes less energy compared to other types of lighting.

On this project, we installed LED strip lighting behind the valance above the display row. It highlights the favorite bottles of the owner. We installed a recessed LED pot light in the ceiling.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration System for a Safe Vancouver Custom Wine Cellar

To achieve the ideal conditions for wine storage, we installed a KoolR Magnum cooling system through the back wall of the cellar. It was placed just above the racking so that the cold air could blow down and create proper airflow.

It vents through a wall that faces into a large open space, which allows the warm air to dissipate properly.

This self-contained wine refrigeration system is a great option for those who are on a budget because it does not need an HVAC technician for the installation.

In addition to its high-value offering, the KoolR Magnum wine cooling system is non-intrusive because of its small size. It also has a digital control panel that displays the current temperature of the cellar in Fahrenheit or Celsius.

The unit comes with a basic one-year warranty.

Door and Wall

The wine cellar door and front wall were constructed from glass framed with wood. The glass panels were laminated to protect the harmful UV rays from penetrating the glass and spoiling the client’s wines.

We also insulated and added sealing components to the door to prevent temperature fluctuations that can deteriorate wine.

The wood framing was stained and coated with clear lacquer to match the existing staircase of the home. We added a door lock for added security.

Convert Your Space into a Stunning Wine Storage Space

With our passion and extensive experience in the construction industry, Blue Grouse Wine Cellars Vancouver will create a design for your custom needs. Contact us today at 1-888-400-2675.