Building A Bar - Potential Traps

Thanks to this site, I have a new motivation for my mancave. I was alway content with my setup, but the small details were lacking. Since discovering this site I have picked up the pace on these items and I am moving along nicely.
My question is for anyone that has built their own bar, what are some issues or problem areas that you wish you would have planned out better pre-construction. I am in the planning phase now, with construction to start in May. Any help would be appreciated. Nothing worth than getting started and then addressing problems that would have been ironed out previously.

Tons of details. Wet or dry? Reefer behind or elsewhere? Electric available? How many seats? Types of materials, how handy are you? And on and on. Maybe if you post a pic of what you have now in terms of room, utilities we could all chip in on how to proceed. Of course we would be spending YOUR money, so the sky's the limit!

I'm thinking rare Brazilian hardwoods, inlays, crystal accents, lighting from someone rediculously overpriced (but very cool). Salt water aquariums. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Good luck!

As a cabinet maker for more than 20 yrs. now i have seen some pretty cool designs as we do a lot of HIGH END interiors. We just finished CITY CENTER in vegas and many other casinos around the country... http://www.glennrieder.com/projectgallery

thanks, I will take a picture or two tonight. I was struggling with where to put the bar, and then I found the perfect spot or so it seems. it is in a small already finished room that houses the pump that ejects the waste from the bathroom. it also borders the utility room so access to water should not be very difficult. other selling points are the cable box is one room over and there is already electric in the room.
I never thought of putting the bar in there since this WAS the only room I conceded to the wife for storage of baby stuff as the kid grew out of things. This is also the reason construction waits until spring so we can have a yard sale! and I can reclaim the room as my own.
The room is 8 feet accross. So my thoughts are if I install a double door at the entrance I can open the room up for an easy flow in and out and at the same time have the capability to lock the room as the kid grows up; if she is anything like me this will be a needed feature.
I will post again tomorrow.

damn I love these chairs...they log a lot of hours and still look pretty good

other side of the stair well. thought about taking out the closet under the stairs but there are several wooden supports under there and access to a drain would be a whole lot harder

this is my only concern with the location, it is off a bit from the rest of the action

Stairs and my old star wars stuff from when I was a kid...will eventually be working on some sort of a display system for these but I need a bar before I can work on that.

looking through the door at the space I think will work best...I would keep this with one door during construction (another benefit would be the ability to simply close the door while building the bar and not have an eye sore) but when finished putting two doors in so that when opened the flow into the rest of the area is there

pump for bathroom in basement that shares the wall. I am told by a plumber neighbor that I should be able to tap a sink drain into the pipe on the right which is the vent pipe for this pump system. I plan on covering this whole thing but keeping the cover light enough to remove in case of issues with the pump.


electric is already there along back wall...wall is 8 feet across and I have 6 feet of depth until I hit the door to the storage space
Easy access to the hot water lines, a bathroom is above and the washer and dryer are next to that bathroom upstairs

door on the left is hot water heater, heating unit

door on the right is unfished space, storage, electric box, verizon hookup, etc..
http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2010/01/19-1825129676T.jpg" alt="" />

other side of the basement, tv, movies, rock band, etc...

pool table, darts, working on a drink rail across the far wall as we speak...should be finished up this weekend, depends on how many coats of stain it take me to match the table finish

bath room down the hall

crash station, for those nights I had way too much to drink, but mostly the guest room

a look down the hall, other stuff I need to find a way to display...i have a bunch of frames I need to make

view coming out of the prospective bar room. to the left of the air hockey table I could put a bar, there is a clost behind that wall.....OR...I could put the airhockey table in the extra room and then put a bar in that corner. I get cold water above the air hockey table (runs outside right there) but not hot and no drain unless I get creative

last pic to tie it all together.

so my have to have are a sink and a draft beer system. you can't see from the pics but I tried getting a fridge down the stairs...did not go too well and it now rests in my garage. I would need one of the small kegorators, which I can put under the bar of course.

Sounds like alot going on to help it might be easier to skech out a floor plan of the space with dim. That will make it easy to see what you have to work with and easier to make changes.Just a thought. BILL

I've got bad news for Mrs. Gatman and the kids. That whole space is already Man Cave! Pool table, big screen, band practice area (great memories there for me) and I had a hell of an idea and wanted to tell someone before it died of loneliness.

That "small place" IS your bar area. Here's how I need you to make it. Pic 12 from the top, labeled "looking through the door at the space" starting at the back wall in line with the wall on the right extending 75% towards the door. Your back bar wall is on the right. A nice wood bar, footrest, cool bartop, with overhead cans on dimmers for lighting. Track lighting on dimmers aimed at your shallow back bar where all your liquor is shelved. Lots of mirrors on the back bar, and end wall (ladder) will make the room much larger. Clean up the sump plumbing, put it right in the corner and a false wall to cover it almost to the floor. The bar is on hidden locking casters, so it can be moved for plumbing repairs. On the wall end of the bar, underneath is your 4.0 cf beer fridge. This will hold 3 cases with room left over for misc items. More than enough for most events, certainly for day to day. Finally, remove the door wall altogether, that will enlarge both rooms and create a roomier impression. As I come up with more ideas, I'll bore you with them. What do you think?

BTW, the here's how I need you to do it line was humor. You've already got a great space!

Blake,
thanks for the ideas. I had not thought of turning the bar length wise. that may work out better and allow me to get the classic L shape as opposed to straight across the back wall. And, instead of everyones back to the rest of the basement, it is just a turn of the head to see what is going on.
The wife conceded the basement upon moving in, but she was holding that room as her own. The ladder and other tools that have begun to invade the room are symbolic of my recapturing of the space.
I will have to take some measurements this weekend to see if your idea will work out. I think I will actually gain bar space.
Spring can't get here soon enough! If anyone needs baby stuff let me know, might be able so save myself a yard sale and get to work quicker.

Gatman, looking at the same pic, what are the dimensions of the room?

Blake,
8 ft across by 11'7". measured last night.