My bar
Recently I purchased my first house and fortunately had enough space in the basement (i.e., family room) to build the bar of my choice. I decided that an L-shaped bar fit the space and just 'jumped head in' and started building it. I wish I could say that I had detailed plans of my bar prior to the build because I've had a number of people asking me for specific plans. Problem is, I just kinda built the bar 'off-the-cuff' and made decisions along the way. Although still a work in progress, I'd like to say building it was fairly straightforward but it has taken quite a bit of time/effort to put together (started in Nov '07). I've included a few pictures on the current page and have also included a detailed slideshow of the build below for your viewing pleasure...
Dimensions of the bar
The bar roughly measures 8.5 feet (long side of bar) by 6.5 feet (kegerator side). The structure of the bar was built with a combination of 2x4's and 4x6's (see slideshow below). The kegerator side of the bar raises up on hinges so that I can get beer in and out with ease.
The bar is made from a handful of different types of wood including some pine, oak, and even some maple. A majority of the materials were bought from the local large chain home improvement stores. I decided to go with a dark stain and of course I have poly'd the entire bar.
The back wall incorporates my wife's pez collection (roughly 800)...
Bar top (made of old beer crates)
The bar top area is 3 feet wide and from floor to bar top it is roughly 42 inches (this is important because of the height of the stools). The bar top consists of the panels from old beer crates that have been pieced together like one big puzzle.
Although an expensive bar top, I liked the idea of having something unique and it is definitely a great conversation piece. A majority of the crates were bought at antique fairs, flea markets, and of course through ebay auctions. Some of these beer crates are considered collectors items.
Behind the bar
The back of the bar is divided into three sections. The right side includes an area for stereo equipment (wires built into the bar), the middle area includes a 3 tier wine rack that holds 15 bottles total (I've also included built in wine glass holders), and the left side includes shelving for some of my beer glasses and liquor. Eventually the liquor will be put on the back wall unit (see drawing below).
Retro draft tower
The draft tower was won off of Ebay and needed A LOT of care before it was mounted onto the bar top. The back of the tower reads 'Enjoy Draught Beer' and has a light built into it. It originally had space for only 3 taps, but when I rebuilt it I noticied that it had room for a 4th tap. The entire tower is made out of stainless steel. The kegerator is a 7.0 cubic foot chest freezer that was purchased at Sam's club.
Tap handles
Beer cave (closet off of the bar - houses my stouts/belgians/barleywines)
Not to mention that I have a fully-stocked beer fridge behind the bar where I cold storage all of my IPAs and lighter selections!