So I'm in the (3-year long...that's another story) process of remodeling my basement. Stripped it down to the studs and rebuilt EVERYTHING. The intent has always been to have a bar of some sort in the finished product, and for the longest time, my plan was a freestanding cabinet; glassware stored in the bottom, countertop made of beer bottle caps under a clear epoxy; possibly with a small dry sink, and top-lit shelves above for the liquor bottles, with a dorm fridge in the corner next to it for beers.
Part of my reasoning for this was the drain. For some reason I had it in my head that to put a drain in, I'd have to use a catch basin and pump, pump back up to the ceiling, ACROSS the basement to the main drain stack on the other side of the house, and I've already hung, mudded, & taped the sheetrock on the ceiling. Last evening, something I should have realized a long time ago hit me square in the face: The closet that is 4' from where I envisioned this cabinet sitting is there to hide the drain stack for up upstairs bathroom! There's full plumbing - both water and drain - less than 6' from where I'm putting the bar!!!
So needless to say, last night was spent with a tape measure and notepad in hand, pulling dimensions and formulating a plan. I'm planning on calling the plumber in the morning to see what it will cost to cut out the old cast iron drain stack and replace it with PVC (something I had been thinking about doing anyway), and getting a drain line set up for the bar.
Here's my rough constraints so far: The area in question is about 12' 8" wide, 4' 9 3/4" deep, with a 7' ceiling. The basement is split down the middle by a center support beam, with columns spaced about every 7'. This beam runs parallel with what will be the front of the bar, and is approximately 6' 3" from the front of the bar area. The other half of the room will host a home theater system, which will unfortunately be slightly obscured from a viewing position behind the bar. I envision a sheetrocked stub wall supporting the bar counter, and the top built out of a hardwood faced plywood, with solid wood banding around the outside edge - or possibly a ceramic tile top
Preliminary layout in my head is an 'L' shaped bar, up against the 4'9" wall on the left side and then extending 6', leaving a 'serving' area behind it. Cabinets above the bar on the short side for glassware, and a sink in the back corner. Debating shelves behind the bar (6' side), but space might be a concern. Future endeavors in kegging could lead to a keezer in the closet next to the bar.
Design questions I have at this point:
1) How high should the top of the bar be? In a little looking around today, I saw 42" suggested, which would make sense. Last night I may have been thinking a little higher than that yet; maybe as high as 48".
2) How wide should the top of the bar be? I was initially thinking 18", but again, saw recommendations of 24". I don't want to chew up too much space -- want to have room to move behind the bar, but also would like the counter to be 'usable' space, say if friends want to play a board game or something.
3) How far back from the front edge of the bar should the support wall be? Is 6" enough overhang? 8"? 10"?
I'm going to try and measure out the rest of the basement tonight, and then draw everything up in AutoCAD tomorrow over my lunch break. The way this project has been progressing, I'm looking at 2-3 months minimum for the completion of everything anyway, and the bar will be a "nights & weekends" project for me when I have time to work on it. Any considerations I'm missing, or advice as I move forward on this?
Part of my reasoning for this was the drain. For some reason I had it in my head that to put a drain in, I'd have to use a catch basin and pump, pump back up to the ceiling, ACROSS the basement to the main drain stack on the other side of the house, and I've already hung, mudded, & taped the sheetrock on the ceiling. Last evening, something I should have realized a long time ago hit me square in the face: The closet that is 4' from where I envisioned this cabinet sitting is there to hide the drain stack for up upstairs bathroom! There's full plumbing - both water and drain - less than 6' from where I'm putting the bar!!!
So needless to say, last night was spent with a tape measure and notepad in hand, pulling dimensions and formulating a plan. I'm planning on calling the plumber in the morning to see what it will cost to cut out the old cast iron drain stack and replace it with PVC (something I had been thinking about doing anyway), and getting a drain line set up for the bar.
Here's my rough constraints so far: The area in question is about 12' 8" wide, 4' 9 3/4" deep, with a 7' ceiling. The basement is split down the middle by a center support beam, with columns spaced about every 7'. This beam runs parallel with what will be the front of the bar, and is approximately 6' 3" from the front of the bar area. The other half of the room will host a home theater system, which will unfortunately be slightly obscured from a viewing position behind the bar. I envision a sheetrocked stub wall supporting the bar counter, and the top built out of a hardwood faced plywood, with solid wood banding around the outside edge - or possibly a ceramic tile top
Preliminary layout in my head is an 'L' shaped bar, up against the 4'9" wall on the left side and then extending 6', leaving a 'serving' area behind it. Cabinets above the bar on the short side for glassware, and a sink in the back corner. Debating shelves behind the bar (6' side), but space might be a concern. Future endeavors in kegging could lead to a keezer in the closet next to the bar.
Design questions I have at this point:
1) How high should the top of the bar be? In a little looking around today, I saw 42" suggested, which would make sense. Last night I may have been thinking a little higher than that yet; maybe as high as 48".
2) How wide should the top of the bar be? I was initially thinking 18", but again, saw recommendations of 24". I don't want to chew up too much space -- want to have room to move behind the bar, but also would like the counter to be 'usable' space, say if friends want to play a board game or something.
3) How far back from the front edge of the bar should the support wall be? Is 6" enough overhang? 8"? 10"?
I'm going to try and measure out the rest of the basement tonight, and then draw everything up in AutoCAD tomorrow over my lunch break. The way this project has been progressing, I'm looking at 2-3 months minimum for the completion of everything anyway, and the bar will be a "nights & weekends" project for me when I have time to work on it. Any considerations I'm missing, or advice as I move forward on this?