Basement Bar Build Thread!

[Jaybird]

I may have to hire you to come do mine!

Very nice work! I think your sink is too small and would drive me crazy. I only say that because its the same size I have and....... IT DRIVES ME CRAZY! LOL

Cheers
Jay

 

[max384]

Oh man nice dart board spot! I love playing darts. Its coming along beautifully. Well done. Did you work from a plan or did you design the whole thing? I know you'd like to save money and you don't figure yourself an audio file but consider reconsidering about the stereo. PM me if I can give you any help. If you would like some advice here let me know. For example instead of surround sound spend that entire Budget on just two good speakers. You will not regret it. The main problem is when you get a bunch of people in the room for a party. Cheap speakers sound blaring and it will always seem like they are too loud when they're not. I know, I know, I hate to beat a dead horse just giving one last shot out to really finish off that space right. I just got a pair of 1998 Bowers & Wilkins CDM 1 speakers for my bedroom on Craigslist. They were only 350. They're amazing it's like the artist is in the room with you. And they're beautiful. (See Pic).As a final thought a little research could get you some gems. For example, the elac b6 speakers are HIGHLY rated by everyone and cnets steve guttenberg felt they compared very well to bw 685s. They are only 270 a pair so maybe that might be what you need. They also make a center. Anyways best wishes, happy holidays and cant wait to see the final results. This is the last time I will offer anything sonic and apologies in advance if I bother you or anyone. I really am trying to be helpful.

Thanks! My wife and I played our inaugural game of darts last night. I handily beat her at four games of cricket in a row! Lol

I haven't used any plans. I've just been making it up as I've gone along.

Please feel free to post advice here on an audio system. I'm not saying I'll definitely be buying high end speakers, but I'll at least consider any suggestions!

 

[max384]

I may have to hire you to come do mine!

Very nice work! I think your sink is too small and would drive me crazy. I only say that because its the same size I have and....... IT DRIVES ME CRAZY! LOL

Cheers
Jay

I was just thinking about that last night. With the size of the rest of the bar, it does seem rather small... But I'm stuck with it now. I'd have to change too many things to fit a bigger sink in.

But, when I was originally contemplating a bar build, it was going to be a dry bar. The only reason I went wet was so I could have a drain for the drip tray! Now I'm immensely happy I went with a wet bar.

 

[dsniegocki]

great job, looks fantastic! I also went with pendants, and love them. You can always build an overhead later if you choose, looks like you obviously know what you're doing with regards to carpentry and electric. One thing you might want at some point is an icemaker, as long as you already have water lines there. I solved this by using an over/under drawer fridge/freezer with the icemaker in the bottom freezer compartment.

 

[Jaybird]

Thanks! My wife and I played our inaugural game of darts last night. I handily beat her at four games of cricket in a row! Lol

I haven't used any plans. I've just been making it up as I've gone along.

Please feel free to post advice here on an audio system. I'm not saying I'll definitely be buying high end speakers, but I'll at least consider any suggestions!

I have not personally heard the speakers he is talking about myself but MAN do they look nice! I think for the money Paradigm is hands down a total bargain and worth every penny! My entire sound system is Paradigm and it truly is the best sounding home theater system I have ever heard. It is crisp, full, very deep, room consuming and can be incredibly loud as well!

Good luck!

Cheers
Jay

 

[applescrap]

Thanks! My wife and I played our inaugural game of darts last night. I handily beat her at four games of cricket in a row! Lol

I haven't used any plans. I've just been making it up as I've gone along.

Please feel free to post advice here on an audio system. I'm not saying I'll definitely be buying high end speakers, but I'll at least consider any suggestions!

Cool man thanks, I fear I come off wrong through the medium of writing. Man do I miss a good game of cricket. And some Homebrew that is an awesome spot. You are talented. Before too long I will, I'll post some ideas for you. My wife would seriously listen to the TV through its speakers. She was so mad and wanted to hate the speakers, but she loves them as do the kids. Cool thing is that they perform night in and night out on a task or tasks that we use in our household daily. It's not like you're getting something you'll never use.

 

[dstockwell]

Very nice work!

 

[ITV]

Please feel free to post advice here on an audio system. I'm not saying I'll definitely be buying high end speakers, but I'll at least consider any suggestions!

I prefer my music at concert volume levels. For my home theater system I have Klipsch RF-7 series with a SVS subwoofer, and for my basement 2 channel system I have some vintage Klipsch Forte's driven with a tube amp. Klipsch speakers utilize horn drivers for the high end which don't need a lot of power to fill the room with sound. I purchased both sets used, compared to the new prices they were a fraction of the cost.

 

[max384]

I got a bit more work done. I got a coat of polyurethane on the bar top and cabinets. I also started putting together the shelves in the back of the bar and mounted the mirror. I also stained some trim pieces. I'm at drills this weekend, so I won't get a chance to get much more done over the weekend... I'm really hoping to have it done by Christmas Eve party, but it'll be close!

 

[czmkid]

Nice build. I can highly recommend the Gold series of Monitor Audio. I have a 5.2 system set up with the fix surrounds and it rocks. The front gold 300's sound wonderful in 2 ch music listening.

http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/gold/gold-300

Congrats again on the awesome bar build!

 

[ITV]

I admire your craftsmanship. Your bar build fills the area very well.

 

[crusader1612]

Looking good.
Here's mine for an update. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1482044757.847928.jpg

 

[max384]

Last night I got the third coat of polyurethane on the bar and countertops, and I got the back of the bar built (minus the top right shelf pins that I was four short on).

The bottles are there just to see how it will look once I'm done. I still need to polyurethane all of the shelves.

 

[max384]

great job, looks fantastic! I also went with pendants, and love them. You can always build an overhead later if you choose, looks like you obviously know what you're doing with regards to carpentry and electric. One thing you might want at some point is an icemaker, as long as you already have water lines there. I solved this by using an over/under drawer fridge/freezer with the icemaker in the bottom freezer compartment.

Thanks. I had considered an icemaker, but my wife drinks wine and I drink beer, so the only time we use ice is when we are entertaining, so keeping a bag of ice in the freezer works for us.

 

[max384]

I have not personally heard the speakers he is talking about myself but MAN do they look nice! I think for the money Paradigm is hands down a total bargain and worth every penny! My entire sound system is Paradigm and it truly is the best sounding home theater system I have ever heard. It is crisp, full, very deep, room consuming and can be incredibly loud as well!

Good luck!

Cheers
Jay

Thanks. I'll check out these speakers. Any suggestions on specific models?

I prefer my music at concert volume levels. For my home theater system I have Klipsch RF-7 series with a SVS subwoofer, and for my basement 2 channel system I have some vintage Klipsch Forte's driven with a tube amp. Klipsch speakers utilize horn drivers for the high end which don't need a lot of power to fill the room with sound. I purchased both sets used, compared to the new prices they were a fraction of the cost.

Thanks. I'll check out Klipsch.

Nice build. I can highly recommend the Gold series of Monitor Audio. I have a 5.2 system set up with the fix surrounds and it rocks. The front gold 300's sound wonderful in 2 ch music listening.

http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/gold/gold-300

Congrats again on the awesome bar build!

Thanks for the link!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Wow. That looks incredible. Great work!

 

[max384]

Looking good.
Here's mine for an update. View attachment 380960

Looking good!

 

[Jaybird]

Where is the cooler going for the keg taps? I am assuming the other side of the wall but what are you using there? Picts?

The build looks AMAZING!

Cheers
Jay

 

[applescrap]

Love the polyurethane coats. Just looks better every day. You are cool haven't forgotten about you. Will probably post some more thoughts tonight.

 

[max384]

Got the fourth coat of polyurethane on the bar and counter, and got the first coat on the back of the bar.

I also drilled the holes for the tap system.

 

[max384]

Where is the cooler going for the keg taps? I am assuming the other side of the wall but what are you using there? Picts?

The build looks AMAZING!

Cheers
Jay

You're correct. It is on the other side of the wall. The plan is to put a collar on, and run two 4" PVC pipes to a box I'll create around the back of the tap system. I plan to air cool the lines with a computer fan. If that doesn't work, I'll liquid cool it with a small pond pump.

Here are some pictures

And some goodies for the tap system

 

[Jaybird]

You're correct. It is on the other side of the wall. The plan is to put a collar on, and run two 4" PVC pipes to a box I'll create around the back of the tap system. I plan to air cool the lines with a computer fan. If that doesn't work, I'll liquid cool it with a small pond pump.

Here are some pictures

And some goodies for the tap system

I am officially super FKN jealous! Dude, this build is TOP NOTCH! What a KILLER use of the space! What killer work! The only question is...........................When are we invited for cocktail hour..Or weekend?

Well done!

Cheers
Jay

 

[max384]

I am officially super FKN jealous! Dude, this build is TOP NOTCH! What a KILLER use of the space! What killer work! The only question is...........................When are we invited for cocktail hour..Or weekend?

Well done!

Cheers
Jay

Thanks! I'm glad it's coming together after all the hard work that had gone into it. I'll check with the scheduling department (the wife, of course) on when we have open cocktail hours. Lol

 

[applescrap]

I have really been racking my brain thinking about how to help you best. There are some key questions though that we would all need to know to help you with an audio solution. One of which is are you opposed to buying used? Another is what is your budget? Another question is what do you have currently that you're planning to use? If you want to remain in a low budget but also get some really good sounding speakers you will need to buy used . That being said there are some really awesome value speakers that are affordable new.

I guess I have to preface this post by saying that I like Bowers & Wilkins speakers. I don't know if they are the best or the best value but I have been drawn to them for a few reasons. First I research almost everything I buy and I just didn't want to research high-end speakers so they seemed like a company that was trustworthy as high quality. This has been backed up in enough reviews and opinions. Since they make so many speakers they are easily and readily available on the used Market, which made them ideal for me. That way they are easy to sell and easy to find. What really sealed the deal for me was when I found out they make every part for every speaker pretty much they have ever made going back to the seventies. This is confirmed on their website. Note they are now making their new stuff in China. The word on the street is quality has remained High. I have now owned six different types of them. Every single pair of them has been good and super high quality. Every pair has been used and not one pair has had a problem. I'm not saying you should buy them I'm just saying that I like this company for the above reasons. Just recently I took a pair of my v202 which were the lowest models in their day in the nineties and put them in my kids room with a cheap $12 amp from Goodwill. This system would surprise you and it's quality of sound and would certainly probably be enough for you. Best Buy sales B&W speakers and you should start by going to a Best Buy and listening to high-end B&W speakers compared to the rest of what they have. That will at least give you a framework to go by. The bottom line is the balance between what you need, what you can afford, and how long you're willing to wait. I think it's good to see this as a long-term process and not a final destination. Start with a good set of speakers. Then you get an amp. Then some better components. And over time you build a system. Note that the speakers are also very attractive. My wife who was the maddest person in the entire world as I started to compile systems has quickly fallen in love with our speakers. It's become a hobby of ours to hang out and listen to music.*

It's really cool though that there are some really nice affordable options. Some have already been mentioned. I have heard that Paradigm speakers sound good for the money. Andrew Jones the famous designer of the pioneer SP 22, which I just saw a pair of on eBay for $50 went to a German company named elac and made the debut B6. It was compared to the $700 a pair B&W 685 by CNETs Steve Guttenberg. Mostly though if you don't want to spend a lot of money you need to buy used. And if you're someone who doesn't like to buy used and don't want to spend a lot of money then you need to research these more affordable value options. Anyways I hope I have helped at least a little bit and look forward to helping you find a good fit.

 

[max384]

Merry Christmas everyone!

The bar is visually finished now... But it still needs some work. Plumbing is still not done (I f'ing hate plumbing), and I need to refinish the bar top. I put the last polyurethane coat on too thick, and it is tacky and wrinkling. Oh well. I need to sand it down and refinish it...

Tonight I had about twenty people over for a Christmas Eve party. The bar was a major hit!

 

[max384]

I have really been racking my brain thinking about how to help you best. There are some key questions though that we would all need to know to help you with an audio solution. One of which is are you opposed to buying used? Another is what is your budget? Another question is what do you have currently that you're planning to use? If you want to remain in a low budget but also get some really good sounding speakers you will need to buy used . That being said there are some really awesome value speakers that are affordable new.

I guess I have to preface this post by saying that I like Bowers & Wilkins speakers. I don't know if they are the best or the best value but I have been drawn to them for a few reasons. First I research almost everything I buy and I just didn't want to research high-end speakers so they seemed like a company that was trustworthy as high quality. This has been backed up in enough reviews and opinions. Since they make so many speakers they are easily and readily available on the used Market, which made them ideal for me. That way they are easy to sell and easy to find. What really sealed the deal for me was when I found out they make every part for every speaker pretty much they have ever made going back to the seventies. This is confirmed on their website. Note they are now making their new stuff in China. The word on the street is quality has remained High. I have now owned six different types of them. Every single pair of them has been good and super high quality. Every pair has been used and not one pair has had a problem. I'm not saying you should buy them I'm just saying that I like this company for the above reasons. Just recently I took a pair of my v202 which were the lowest models in their day in the nineties and put them in my kids room with a cheap $12 amp from Goodwill. This system would surprise you and it's quality of sound and would certainly probably be enough for you. Best Buy sales B&W speakers and you should start by going to a Best Buy and listening to high-end B&W speakers compared to the rest of what they have. That will at least give you a framework to go by. The bottom line is the balance between what you need, what you can afford, and how long you're willing to wait. I think it's good to see this as a long-term process and not a final destination. Start with a good set of speakers. Then you get an amp. Then some better components. And over time you build a system. Note that the speakers are also very attractive. My wife who was the maddest person in the entire world as I started to compile systems has quickly fallen in love with our speakers. It's become a hobby of ours to hang out and listen to music.*

It's really cool though that there are some really nice affordable options. Some have already been mentioned. I have heard that Paradigm speakers sound good for the money. Andrew Jones the famous designer of the pioneer SP 22, which I just saw a pair of on eBay for $50 went to a German company named elac and made the debut B6. It was compared to the $700 a pair B&W 685 by CNETs Steve Guttenberg. Mostly though if you don't want to spend a lot of money you need to buy used. And if you're someone who doesn't like to buy used and don't want to spend a lot of money then you need to research these more affordable value options. Anyways I hope I have helped at least a little bit and look forward to helping you find a good fit.

Thanks for this detailed post. My wife was just making noise about getting some speakers. I'm definitely not opposed to getting better quality by buying used. I'll have to look into some of these brands you mentioned.

 

[max384]

I have really been racking my brain thinking about how to help you best. There are some key questions though that we would all need to know to help you with an audio solution. One of which is are you opposed to buying used? Another is what is your budget? Another question is what do you have currently that you're planning to use? If you want to remain in a low budget but also get some really good sounding speakers you will need to buy used . That being said there are some really awesome value speakers that are affordable new.

I guess I have to preface this post by saying that I like Bowers & Wilkins speakers. I don't know if they are the best or the best value but I have been drawn to them for a few reasons. First I research almost everything I buy and I just didn't want to research high-end speakers so they seemed like a company that was trustworthy as high quality. This has been backed up in enough reviews and opinions. Since they make so many speakers they are easily and readily available on the used Market, which made them ideal for me. That way they are easy to sell and easy to find. What really sealed the deal for me was when I found out they make every part for every speaker pretty much they have ever made going back to the seventies. This is confirmed on their website. Note they are now making their new stuff in China. The word on the street is quality has remained High. I have now owned six different types of them. Every single pair of them has been good and super high quality. Every pair has been used and not one pair has had a problem. I'm not saying you should buy them I'm just saying that I like this company for the above reasons. Just recently I took a pair of my v202 which were the lowest models in their day in the nineties and put them in my kids room with a cheap $12 amp from Goodwill. This system would surprise you and it's quality of sound and would certainly probably be enough for you. Best Buy sales B&W speakers and you should start by going to a Best Buy and listening to high-end B&W speakers compared to the rest of what they have. That will at least give you a framework to go by. The bottom line is the balance between what you need, what you can afford, and how long you're willing to wait. I think it's good to see this as a long-term process and not a final destination. Start with a good set of speakers. Then you get an amp. Then some better components. And over time you build a system. Note that the speakers are also very attractive. My wife who was the maddest person in the entire world as I started to compile systems has quickly fallen in love with our speakers. It's become a hobby of ours to hang out and listen to music.*

It's really cool though that there are some really nice affordable options. Some have already been mentioned. I have heard that Paradigm speakers sound good for the money. Andrew Jones the famous designer of the pioneer SP 22, which I just saw a pair of on eBay for $50 went to a German company named elac and made the debut B6. It was compared to the $700 a pair B&W 685 by CNETs Steve Guttenberg. Mostly though if you don't want to spend a lot of money you need to buy used. And if you're someone who doesn't like to buy used and don't want to spend a lot of money then you need to research these more affordable value options. Anyways I hope I have helped at least a little bit and look forward to helping you find a good fit.

All right, I got a chance to look into this a bit more. With the holidays, work, and the bar build, I haven't had a bunch of free time. My budget for speakers is fairly low; probably around $200-$300 tops... at least at this point. Now, I know very little about speakers and such. What I want are some speakers for the TV, which is connected to Chromecast, which is where I play all of my music from. I want to be able to control it with Google Home. I'm assuming that any speaker can be made to do this, so long as it is connected to the TV, which then controls the speakers, correct?

As I said, I'm not opposed to buying used... But I also like buying new.

And what do I need? Just an amp and speakers? What wattage should I be looking at? In both the amp and the speakers? As you can tell, I don't know much about this.

Thanks!

 

[applescrap]

I do not know how Google home works so I cannot speak for it. I'm assuming with technology it will control your Google amplifier and Google speakers.

consider this. By the time you spend two or $300 on an amplifier and receivers that can run Google home and connect to the internet and all this other stuff, what do you think was left for the actual sound reproduction and/or sound quality. Too much of a good thing might be a bad thing. Yeah I am sure for 2 or $300 you might be able to find something similar but what kind of quality could you really expect. Also me personally I find hitting the volume on the remote or turning a knob, much easier than farting around with my phone to control everything. An old receiver can be made Bluetooth simply by a cheap $25 Belkin dongle. So as people are dumping amazing quality receivers to get Bluetooth, I am waiting in the wings like a bad magician.

Your TV unless it has an amplifier built in will not control volume or speakers. It's sends audio out signal but without power to run speakers. If your TV does send power that's pretty cool. My old Pioneer big screen had a kick a.. amp in the bottom. You can however run something like that with speakers that have built-in power like computer speakers. And they are a decent option. I actually kind of thought this might be a good option for you. It will require no amp. The speakers have the power built in. And for two or $300 you can get a decent sounding pair. I don't think you would sound any better than my $60 B&W, Goodwill amp, set up but it has some nice benefits. You don't need an amp and there's less chords. The downfall is you can't hook a lot of things up to it. But if you're only going to use the stereo to watch TV and or listen to music through Chromecast and put it in the TV you can use computer speakers or a soundbar.

That quality is going to be far less than the worst of worst systems. You will be able to find something new for 2 or $300 that has speakers and all the things you want but honestly how could all that be packed into one with any kind of quality.

For the other route you simply need an amp and some speakers. Don't worry about wattage or any of that for now because you will be looking at spending $250 on some used speakers which is a decent budget and $50 for a used amp, which can be had easily through Craigslist or Goodwill. You will need my help and I will gladly help you setting up a simple amp with some speakers. Some of it depends on what output your TV has. I actually had a TV that only has optical digital out. I had to buy an optical to RCA adapter for the amp I had at the time. But if your TV has RCA audio out than any little amp will do for now and you'll spend the budget on the best speakers you can find. Tell me where you live and I'll check your Craigslist ads and help advise you if you want to get a nice pair used. As for the sound bar option or computer speaker option you just buy a computer speaker and hook it up to your TV and you're good to go. I'm just kind of scratching the surface along here feel free to ask any questions I don't mind helping. Trying to keep this simple. Either an amp and speakers or powered speakers basically are the main options. Here's a pic of some powered speakers . I've heard some of these sound good.


Last a gentleman did tell me he bought some Bluetooth speakers that he said has his whole house wired with and they're all connected to the internet and Bluetooth. They were called sonos and i think they're what you were talking about. He said they sounded good and they were like $250.

View attachment 1482892475820.jpg

View attachment 1482892484630.jpg

View attachment 1482892492885.jpg

 

[max384]

I do not know how Google home works so I cannot speak for it. I'm assuming with technology it will control your Google amplifier and Google speakers.

consider this. By the time you spend two or $300 on an amplifier and receivers that can run Google home and connect to the internet and all this other stuff, what do you think was left for the actual sound reproduction and/or sound quality. Too much of a good thing might be a bad thing. Yeah I am sure for 2 or $300 you might be able to find something similar but what kind of quality could you really expect. Also me personally I find hitting the volume on the remote or turning a knob, much easier than farting around with my phone to control everything. An old receiver can be made Bluetooth simply by a cheap $25 Belkin dongle. So as people are dumping amazing quality receivers to get Bluetooth, I am waiting in the wings like a bad magician.

Your TV unless it has an amplifier built in will not control volume or speakers. It's sends audio out signal but without power to run speakers. If your TV does send power that's pretty cool. My old Pioneer big screen had a kick a.. amp in the bottom. You can however run something like that with speakers that have built-in power like computer speakers. And they are a decent option. I actually kind of thought this might be a good option for you. It will require no amp. The speakers have the power built in. And for two or $300 you can get a decent sounding pair. I don't think you would sound any better than my $60 B&W, Goodwill amp, set up but it has some nice benefits. You don't need an amp and there's less chords. The downfall is you can't hook a lot of things up to it. But if you're only going to use the stereo to watch TV and or listen to music through Chromecast and put it in the TV you can use computer speakers or a soundbar.

That quality is going to be far less than the worst of worst systems. You will be able to find something new for 2 or $300 that has speakers and all the things you want but honestly how could all that be packed into one with any kind of quality.

For the other route you simply need an amp and some speakers. Don't worry about wattage or any of that for now because you will be looking at spending $250 on some used speakers which is a decent budget and $50 for a used amp, which can be had easily through Craigslist or Goodwill. You will need my help and I will gladly help you setting up a simple amp with some speakers. Some of it depends on what output your TV has. I actually had a TV that only has optical digital out. I had to buy an optical to RCA adapter for the amp I had at the time. But if your TV has RCA audio out than any little amp will do for now and you'll spend the budget on the best speakers you can find. Tell me where you live and I'll check your Craigslist ads and help advise you if you want to get a nice pair used. As for the sound bar option or computer speaker option you just buy a computer speaker and hook it up to your TV and you're good to go. I'm just kind of scratching the surface along here feel free to ask any questions I don't mind helping. Trying to keep this simple. Either an amp and speakers or powered speakers basically are the main options. Here's a pic of some powered speakers . I've heard some of these sound good.


Last a gentleman did tell me he bought some Bluetooth speakers that he said has his whole house wired with and they're all connected to the internet and Bluetooth. They were called sonos and i think they're what you were talking about. He said they sounded good and they were like $250.

The Google Home is similar to Amazon Echo. It is basically just voice control. So, when I'm on the couch (or behind the bar), I just tell it to raise or lower volume. On my big TV in my living room upstairs, I have a 5.1 surround sound for it. I control this with my TV remote or with the Google Home. But, the TV is Vizio, and so is the surround sound, so it was designed that way.

To be honest, having the capability to control the volume with my tv remote (rather than have a bunch of remotes for different things) or my voice might be more important than sound quality to me... Assuming we're not talking only the crappy built-in TV speakers. But, I'm not 100% set on this.

So with an amp and speakers, would I be able to control with the TV? Or would that require a separate knob/remote? Same question goes with powered speakers as well.

I have been looking on Craigslist recently for some speakers, and didn't stumble across too much. I look in the Scranton section of CL.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[max384]

I haven't been spending much time on the computer (other than work!) lately, so I haven't posted an update. The sink is in and plumbed. I used an undersink drain pump since my house drain pipe sits about 8 feet above the sink drain. It works beautifully.

The bar is done, except for refinishing the bar and counter surfaces, which isn't a necessity, but something that I will be doing for aesthetics.

Next step will be to get the tap system and kegerator put together and in working order. I'm embarassed to say this, but I don't have a single beer in primary or secondary at the moment. I've really got to get some brewing done so I can have something to serve once the tap system is up and running.