mmb -- how expensive was that thing to make? Sounds like a coldbox is the way to go-- how'd you build yours?
My bar measures 11 feet long, 42" top with 10" overhang and 44" tall to the counter. I used oak plywood with oak dimensional lumber (1x2, 1x4, and 1x6) pieces for trim and step.
The cold box is a structural part of the bar and provides support for the middle of the bar top. Everything was framed out with 2x4 lumber and then the skin of oak plywood was attached. In the cold box area, I have 3" of pink foam for an R15 value then I glued fiberglass pebbled showerboard on every inside surface of the coldbox. On the floor, on top of the foam, I used 1/2" exterior sheathing covered by the showerboard to prevent the foam from being crushed by the weight of the kegs. A1/2bbl is 160+ pounds, all on the keg skirt. The showerboard is caulked with silicone bathroom caulk on the inside edges and waterproof insulating tape on the outside edges to seal.
I also went through three cans of Great Stuff closed cell spray foam to fill in any gaps and voids that I found to prevent air leaks. I probably wasted about a can total from cutting the excess that squeezed out of the spaces.
The cold box is around 40" long x 26" wide x 30" tall and I can shoe horn a 1/2 bbl and 6 cornies fairly easy. I recommend having some sort of fan in the freezer to help circulate cool air and have the temperature probe in one of those freezer gel packs for a bit of thermal mass. Otherwise your freezer fires up every time you open the door. Once you start filling it up, the beer and the kegs help keep the device cold. Freezer works less when there is more mass at temp already.
My budget was the $1500 tax stimulus/rebate/refund/loan check that were sent out this year (2008) and I came out over budget. I didn't keep very good notes and I forgot to take pictures when building for a build thread but in my defense that was because I was pushing to get it done within a two week window for a bachelor party I was throwing.
Looking at invoices, I spend $423 on the two three faucet towers, two sanke taps, and 24" SS drip tray w/ drain. I spent $170 a mini fridge for the bar and $120 for the freezer for the cold box. I think there was somewhere in the range of $600 for all the lumber, foam and showerboard. The stain and poly I had from a previous project (the back bar) as well as all fasteners, tools and other items.
Beverage lines and gas lines, manifold, regulators, ball lock disconnects, Oetiker clamps, Oetiker tool and other kegging misc came out to $242.17. Add to that $109 for my 20 lb CO2 tank and $30 fill and that should ball park the price a bit. Stools didn't count for this budget, but I picked those up at a place called "Bare Wood Furniture" for $49 a piece. I've yet to put the finish one those.
All the draft hardware was new, so if you shopped for used draft equipment you could save a bit of money. I went with furniture grade 1/2" oak ply at $50 a sheet and I used pretty much 5 full sheets along with the oak trim lumber so there is money to be saved there as well.
If I was doing it again, I'd build from the cold box out instead of doing the bar structure and building the cold box in it just to save some headaches along the way. Also, I'd would build a hot wire foam knife from the start instead of starting to cut foam it with a razor knife at the start. Much easier.
Edit: Just re-read that. Lots of rambling = slow day at the office.
