Bar build - Thanks All

First I wanted to thank everyone who has posted their builds of Keezers or Kegerators. You all gave me the inspiration and the ideas to build my bar.

I thought I would share my progress, and hopefully soon, final pictures.

I started with buying a 24.9cf chest freezer and converting it into a keezer.

After much deliberation, I decided to start work on a real bar for the basement, of course incorporating the keezer. I am not the handiest with a hammer, so I found a contractor to build it for me. I also hired a designer to provide the CAD drawings to the builder, to make sure I ended up with what I wanted. After a few changes, I decided to place the taps away from the keezer, to make opening it easier. This meant adding a glycol pump to the build though. Then the night before the build began, I had an epiphany. I could move the whole keezer to my storage room and run the trunk line through the soffit, to the bar.

So, the build began with tearing out the carpet, and chalking out the outline of the bar and equipment.

Week 1 - They delivered the wood for framing out the knee wall and began the framing. THen they moved the plumbing to the proper place, for the sink, and started the electrical work.

Subscribed! Love me a good bar build!

When they were adding the wiring for more lights, they had to open the soffit. THis was a perfect time to run the trunk line for the glycol and beer lines.
THen the red oak showed up and they began building out the bar, along with the trim.

I'm subscribed too! Can't wait to see the progress!!

Week 2 - They began building the boxes for the cabinets. I had expected them to just buy cabinets, but they are custom building all of them.

They then started adding the trim to the boxes, hanging them and began work on the bar top.

Note - There will be a bar rail, and the top will be Dark Mottled from color copper.com. The back bar counter will be Antique copper, from the same source.

I plan to have a bar mirror, on the back wall, that will have a decal that looks like etching. Huge difference in price between real etching and the decal. $2,000 vs. $176. Made the choice easy.

Moving the keezer also gave me a whole bunch of new, usable, counter space. I had a 3 tier liquor stand planned for the back corner, under the TV, but I decided to run it along the whole back wall. I have a lot of bottles so, it worked out well. It will be lit from below when completed.
THey also began work on the back bar counters.

Now, they have started the flooring. I went with a Brazilian slate tile, in a pattern of different sizes.

My concept is one of an Irish pub. The bar will be stained a dark brown, with a hint of red.

That is it so far. I will continue to update this thread with the progress. It is expected to be done in another week and a half. THere are more pictures, taken every day, in my Facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...073741825.100000019500852&type=1&l=ae57e3bcce

I love the tile pattern you chose! Also, that is a HUGE chest freezer, I didnt even know they came in such a size!

Nice looking build

bknifefight said:

I love the tile pattern you chose! Also, that is a HUGE chest freezer, I didnt even know they came in such a size!

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I really, really like beer. I have not started home brewing yet, but I have friends who do. They keg it up and can bring it over anytime! I try to keep one tap open just for that.

I really like the wood work on this one. Can't wait to see it finished.

They finished the flooring and got the grout in. I decided to try and visualize the sitting area, with short stools and a table. When I was in Ireland, I fell in love with the short stools near the fireplace in the pub. Eventually I will add a fireplace in the corner.

While the contractors worked in the bar area, I worked on changing my Keezer setup, to support the glycol. I have all the lines coming into the freezer and then they have quick disconnects, so I can change up the type of gas or keg connector quickly and easily. I run CO2 and BeerGas, so I can always have Guinness, and any other stout, on tap.

Looking good! Shamless sub...

Today they finished some more cabinet doors, drawers and added the bottom molding to the bar. This means that they will finish all of the millwork tomorrow and sand everything down to be ready for stain on Wednesday. This means I had to choose a color. I made a few samples and think I have settled on the Red Mahogany from MinWax. It seems to be what I am looking for, a dark brown with a hint of red. The picture is of the sample piece along with the two types of copper I will be using. The mottled looking one is what will be on the bar and the brownish (Antique) one will be on the counters behind the bar.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn! This is one awesome build. Keep the pics coming, because this is turning out to be a jaw dropper!

SuhWeeeet!!! Sub'd

Very nice, love the progress. sub'd

Sub'd. Gorgeous

Today they just about finished all of the woodwork. Staining begins tomorrow.

holy **** this is amazing ! if you dont mind answering what do you do for a living?
great job keep it up id say subed but i think any one who post is.

smonteton said:

holy **** this is amazing ! if you dont mind answering what do you do for a living?
great job keep it up id say subed but i think any one who post is.

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Thanks. I work in IT management. It has been my dream to have my own pub for years. After lurking here for quite some time the temptation was too great to resist.
What I have learned here helped me immensely. When I first built the Keezer, I had the idea that I would box it in and make it part of the bar. The complexities of its placement, with the taps attached to it directly, was daunting as it would need to be too far from the wall to not hit the taps when I opened it. So, I ended up turning the Keezer into my "cold room" and running glycol. Again reading threads in here helped me figure that out. So, while it was my dream, the implementation credit certainly goes to this forum.

Wow. Nothing like an over achiever to make me feel small

Amazing build you have going on. Kudos.

skeaterbait said:

Wow. Nothing like an over achiever to make me feel small

Amazing build you have going on. Kudos.

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I certainly have no intention of making anyone feel small, but I know what you mean. As I was "researching" my build, by lurking here, I was constantly comparing what I had done to other's here.
When I saw cruelkix's bar buildout, I was quite jealous. Also Jester's keezers got me going. I have to admit that I totally stole the copper idea from reeg68bird after seeing it the colorcopper.com site. I had gone there looking for hand hammered copper and saw his mottled look, and really liked it.

It's all about execution. I have a ton of award winning projects, in my head. But when I actually get my hands on the materials a whole new world emerges, and it's not a pretty one.

Hats off to your talents even if they are borrowed or inspired ideas.

you woodworkers piss me off..

looks great

I don't have any talent when it comes to hammer and nails. I have a defective hammer gene. I wish I could take credit for the woodwork, but I hired a contractor to do that for me. My only talent is knowing what I want.

Today they installed the sink. I went with a triple sink so I could wash, sanitize and rinse glasses, quickly and easily. I decided not to put a dishwasher in the bar, so I need a convenient way to clean the glassware.
They also installed the tower and drain, but they are not hooked up yet because they will need to move them when they install the copper on the counter top.
They sanded things down and did a quick stain test on a cabinet door. That gave me the chance to put one of the bar stools up against it to see how they would look together. Hopefully tomorrow they will finish the staining!

So I chose the cabinet knobs today. I decided to go with a brushed stainless steel foot rail, instead of brass, because I have a stainless tower and I thought the pewter and the stainless would tie in the slate nicely.

Stain went on today. I love the way it makes the grain really pop.

Upper cabinets, pendant lights with the stain and a stool with the stain.

Wow looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product. also nice choice on the stain, perfect compliment to the slate and stainless.

Cheers!

Wow! If MDDave means you're in Maryland, I may have found my new favorite bar!
But seriously, it looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product.

tunder2 said:

Wow! If MDDave means you're in Maryland, I may have found my new favorite bar!
But seriously, it looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product.

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I was in MD when I started on forums and I chose my screen name. Too old to remember 100 different names so I stuck with it. I moved to VA last summer though. I'm now in Gainesville, so iris not too far from MD.

What is that in the last picture? It looks like an upside down metal goblet.