Grassroots Home Improvement: Building a bar

Title pretty much sums it up.

I'm not satisfied with CL's offerings, and not having instant access to a truck anymore puts a dampener on moving one anyway. Anybody built one?

I've seen lots of homemade ones.

some good some bad

I built one last year... on a very very slim budget.

Basically.... I got 2 sheets of plywood (forget how much I spent on those... wasn't much though), then I bought 8 cheap mirrors from wal mart at $3 a piece.. some fancy wood pieces for a couple of bucks, some shelf brackets that I cut down to size from home depot for a couple bucks... some wood stain... then barstools for $10 a piece. I got the lighting for free, and my father had a bunch of... bar signs and junk laying around from the 70s that I also picked up for free. I think I might have spent a little over a hundred bucks on the whole thing.

As for the booze... I had some laying around, took donations from friends, and then made a rule that if you wanted to drink at my bar - you had to donate a bottle of something and you could drink as much as you want. Unless you've got some serious alcoholics for friends - you'll probably make out ahead.

This is the end result:

-Yavuz

Holy hell! That's way crazier than I was planning!

Tell me more about the table, that's more what I'm looking for (though smaller).

A friend down the street bought a all mahogany bar top from a antique auction for $60.00. That thing is way cool. I see them in shops off and on, but not for that cheap.

Osterizer wrote: Holy hell! That's way crazier than I was planning! Tell me more about the table, that's more what I'm looking for (though smaller).

My best adivce would be to find a place near you that sells pre built bars, and just head over there with a notepad, pen, and measuring tape. I ended up jotting down all the dimensions of a fancy $1500 bar - and then built mine to the same dimensions. If you don't have the means to cut all the wood yourself, they'll do it for you at Home Depot for next to nothing. Its up to you how you want to build the shelves behind it... I left enough space for a kegerator in case I ever decide to buy one.

I made this one on-the-cheap (pic is during construction, obviously). I used to take it to Indy 500 parties in the Coke Lot. It is now in my basement, in the man-room section, which is near my woodworking shop. I guess most of the basement is the man-room.

Ours is made of a salvaged shallow base cabinet from a friend's kitchen remodel. Tim put plywood beadboard around the back and sides that we stained and poly'd, we painted the front and doors/drawer fronts to match the room's walls, and Tim made a top out of plywood with 1x2 edging stained and poly'd. Only thing I'd do over: we did the photos stuck down/pour resin all over the top thing. Some of the photos faded, and it looks dated; granite tile would've been gorgeous and easy.

Margie

$50 bar with stools:

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/fuo/1025882906.html

Rent a truck from HD for 20 bucks. Leaves a lot of room in the budget for booze. Plus, you don't have to build it, which is nice.

Had called about that one before posting this thread. Was sold.

poop.

I wish I had a basement...

Around here we use a 1x12 board about 6' long, several concrete blocks and some plastic milk crates to use as stools. Usually the bar is not even in the house, but in the back yard under a shade tree. You'll also want a fairly large cooler and plenty of ice, depending on how many neighbors are coming over. Some styrofoam cups, a roll of paper towels, and a salt shaker often come in handy. Also ashtrays made from various engine parts. If there is a charcoal grill nearby it helps, too.

It's probably a southern redneck thing, but it appears to work.

Hello, I built one last year... on a very very slim budget.

Basically.... I got 2 sheets of plywood (forget how much I spent on those... wasn't much though), then I bought 8 cheap mirrors from wal mart at $3 a piece.. some fancy wood pieces for a couple of bucks, some shelf brackets that I cut down to size from home depot for a couple bucks... some wood stain... then barstools for $10 a piece. I got the lighting for free, and my father had a bunch of... bar signs and junk laying around from the 70s that I also picked up for free. I think I might have spent a little over a hundred bucks on the whole thing.

As for the booze... I had some laying around, took donations from friends, and then made a rule that if you wanted to drink at my bar - you had to donate a bottle of something and you could drink as much as you want. Unless you've got some serious alcoholics for friends - you'll probably make out ahead.

Has anyone ever built a bar in a canoe?

i've got pics... on my boned up computer.

the last one i built was for a guy who wanted his basement to be a pub. 8' long, all maple with a custom cabinet behind it that included a bar sink. had the big top rail and a well for spills just like a real bar. took a week to build it, i pretty much had to go set up my shop in his basement. i'm not affordable if you are GR though, i charge $1,000 per running foot to build a pretty ornate custom bar so his 8 footer was 8 grand. unfinished of course. my handyman got me the job so he did the stain and about 800 coats of gloss poly, the top came out just right looking like it was a foot deep. wish i could post the pics.

Remember: Your basement bar isn't complete until you've added a urinal to your laundry room.

Fleming4 wrote: Hello, Thanks for sharing you views on Grassroots Home Improvement: Building a bar Its really interesting and helpful to all and interesting also . Thanks _________ wallpaper, paint

Canoes and bars. A strange combination.

Woody just gave me an idea. Now off to find a urinal. Im tired of freezing my hootus when I need to pee in the winter time.

What's the consensus on sinks in the bar.

Damn, necro-thread!

I am ashamed to say life has gotten in the way of building my bar...I do have a solid collection of booze, though.

porksboy wrote: Woody just gave me an idea. Now off to find a urinal. Im tired of freezing my hootus when I need to pee in the winter time. What's the consensus on sinks in the bar.

I like them, but not for peeing in. Anyways everyone looks at you funny when you are relieving yourself.

concrete countertops - easy to DIY for cheap, really fancy looking if you do it right, and damn near indestructible. Im going to make one for my father in laws tiki bar (poolside) that we are going to build this summer. I will post pics when we get going...

My grandfather built a bar in his basement out of parts salvaged from a relative's river-side cabin (shack) they were dismantling. Single handedly - hell, single-leggedly. That's a man-type activity right there.

And he had it all gussied up every Christmas, including the rotating polished aluminum Xmas tree with projected lights that changed color. Style, man...

I'll probably build one soon in tribute. Wish I could have pulled his out of my grandma's house before she sold it.

Of course, my basement's about 6'3" tall, not counting the odd low-hanging duct or plumbing, and I'm 6'2". My grandfather wouldn't have had a problem with that, seeing as he came in about a foot shorter than me...

I think it would be cool to have, but I've never seen one get much use other than the cheap homemade ones in college apartment living rooms. Otherwise it seems that it would just make more sense to have an easily accessible liquor cabinet with a kegerator.