A Bar is Born
Building a Bar
My wife and I followed a plan that is well known amongst newlyweds. Purchase an older home, fix it up, build equity, then sell. By doing this we were able to build up enough funds to purchase a better home in a better neighborhood. The home came with an unfinished basement and with the help of my brother-in-law we finished two-thirds of it adding substantially to our living space. In this space, I set aside a nook that would ultimately be the location of my future bar.
I am no carpenter. My total knowledge of carpentry consisted of one semester of Wood 101 in Junior High School. So that nook spent years hosting a workout bench or an outdoor steel patio bar until my epiphany. Ammo crates!
Years earlier I had purchased two ammo crates that were now being used for DVD storage in my basement. One day while brainstorming about building my bar I happened to glance at these and a thought struck me. If I turned them on end how tall would they be? The recommended height for a bar is 42". Guess what else is 42" tall? An ammo crate for a 152mm HEAT-T-MP round for the "GUN M81". BOOM!
Now all I needed were a bunch of ammo crates. Using the Internet I was able to locate an army surplus store in Pennsylvania that was selling these exact crates for less than $10 each including shipping! I ordered 30. Two pallets were shipped to me that week and with the help of my son and his friend we moved them to the basement. It was like building with lego blocks. And in no time I had a bar roughed out in my nook.
The main bar would consist of 15 ammo crates as a base. To make the bar surface I removed the doors from these and attached them to plywood using roofing nails then sealed this using clearcoat and then attached it to the base. To conserve crates I used 2"X4"s to frame out the back bar where I used a total of 7 crates leaving space for a Kegerator and plumbing for a sink. Above the back bar, I used 4 crates as open cabinets for barware and displaying miliaria. I kept the doors on four of the crates to use as cabinets to store barware and the CO2 canister for the Kegerator. In between the wall cabinets, I mounted a flatscreen tv. The extra wood from disassembled crates was used for trim and an accent wall. Total cost minus barstools were less than $600!
What Else Should Your Bar Have?
Spirits
Spirits
Spirits
At a minimum, a bar should have the following spirits: Vodka, White Rum, Dark Rum, Tequilla, Gin, and Whiskey. There are many types of these but you should always have at least one variety of the above in your bar at all times. Use less expensive spirits for mixed drinks.
Music
Spirits
Spirits
The Internet and Bluetooth have made access to a variety of music easy. But controlling who has access to the selection of music can become annoying. My solution was to get a CD Jukebox. Whatever you choose to do make sure that the device playing the music has quality sound.
Games
Spirits
Bar Stuff
Pool Tables, Dartboards, Shuffleboard, Arcade Games, Pinball, etc. all add an element of entertainment to your bar but with these comes a level of maintenance that you will need to be aware of.
Bar Stuff
Bar Stuff
Bar Stuff
Glass or Plastic? Bottle openers, bar mats, shot glasses, towels, trash cans... the list goes on and on.
Lighting
Bar Stuff
Lighting
From the mundane (dimmable incandescent bulbs) to the exciting (sound activated DJ lighting and neon lights) your lighting selections will help establish a mood in your bar.
Novelty
Bar Stuff
Lighting
It is the Cock and Cannon so novelty items should be a given! Be able to talk about your Cock or Cannon with authority as well as any other conversation piece you may have laying about.
A Telephone
A Telephone
A Telephone
You should always have a way to call for a cab to get home safely...