Moral dilema: Keep or toss a bar...

Back story: We just bought a "new" house (1973 ranch with finished basement). The previous owners followed the "whatever is cheapest" policy on everything they did, so we are in the process of gutting the house. New floors, new doors, new trim, new paint, new countertops...because I'm a cheapskate, I'm doing a lot of the work myself.

Here's my problem, there was a bar in the "rec room" portion of the family basement. At first glance, it looked pretty nice but as you get closer problems pop up. Most of the trim was barely tacked on. In most cases they didn't even finish driving the nails all the way in. The configuration is not the best. It has a sink built in, but there is no way to get water to it or sewer away. There is a tremendous waste space and no way to fit a kegerator underneath. In other words, its adequate for leaning against and storing a few glasses underneath, but that's about it.

So do I dump it or keep it? Here's my thoughts:

Keep it

- Its a bar and you never destroy a bar
- Its finished and all I have to do is move it back in place
- SWMBO likes it well enough to want to keep it
- I could build a much better one but by the time I get done renovating the rest of the house, I'm not going to feel like tackling another project for quite a while

Toss it

- Its pretty useless as far as bars go
- I could build a much better one

I'll have to get some pictures to post but I'm looking for opinions. Is a bar in the hand worth two in the workshop? Or should I just suck it up and build what I want with the $0.37 I'll have left in my pocket after all these renovations?

I could build a much better one but by the time I get done renovating the rest of the house, I'm not going to feel like tackling another project for quite a while

Click to expand...

It sounds like you have a lot of projects to tackle. If I were you, I'd consider myself fortunate that I have a bar at all to soothe the pain of a long day of flooring, etc and keep it. Once you get everything else done around the house, give yourself some recovery time and then give the "fun" project the attention it deserves.

There you go. $.02 from me to you. It won't buy you much.

$0.37 I'll have left in my pocket

Click to expand...

$.02 from me to you

Click to expand...

$0.39 is a decent start for a bar fund.

I also say keep it until you have the time/patience/money to build what you really want. I am in the same boat, sorta where I have a built in bar that I want to build out into the wall but it is low on the list of priorities and my keezer is just sitting beside it until I get the rest of the house up to par so no more drywall from the bedroom ceilings collapse.

Bar trim work cost adds up fast.....like really fast...

NervousDad said:

Bar trim work cost adds up fast.....like really fast...

Click to expand...

Yeah, but I'm all ready up to $0.39 in the trim fund.

The house I purchased in Las Vegas had a wet bar in it, but the bar was badly built and in an awkward locate. I told the seller he was welcome to take it.

In your case, I'd just leave it alone for now. In a year or two, you'll have a better idea of what will fit and where it should go.

Keep it for now, build a new one later using what you can from the old one to help keep the cost down a little.

I would need pics. before I could say. If you cannot fit the kezzer/kegerator it's gotta go!

Keep it for now until a new one fits the budget you'll set. As well, it may help you design your new one. You can determine your likes and dislikes from previous experience you'll have gained. Then again, once I see pictures I may say unload it!

When I bought my house, it came with a crappy bar and a dented refridgerator. I wanted and still want to build a keezer, but it's hard to pass up free. My bar and keggerator are getting the job done and I have no complaints. There are much more expensive things to worry about in a new house.

I'd keep it for now and make the best of it until the more important stuff in the house is done. (Blasphemy?)

This advice is assuming you have a significant other...