Los Angeles Residential Wine Cellars – The Niche Transformation When someone said, “Los Angeles is the city of dreams,” they were probably referring to Culver City! This is the city where respected entertainment conglomerates were born and bred, and it was also gaining reputation recently as a viable hub for the higher arts. So, it should only follow that many of its residents were also sophisticated people. Indeed, the proof we have of this is the Los Angeles wine cellar project that the Whole Cellar designing team had just completed.

So, what do you need to know about this certain project, then? Well, for one, the clients who contracted us for this job, Rob and Erin, meant to carve a wine cellar area from a niche that was located between their dining room and kitchen. The challenge there, as with most of the projects the Whole Cellar team had dealt with in the past, was the question of how they could utilize the limited space in the niche to create a wine cellar space that was truly functional.

Sure, the project was difficult, but it could be done. Below is how the team pulled it off.

A Matter of Spacing

Since the area that the Whole Cellar team would be working on has been a “common area” of sorts in the household for some time (as evidenced by the picture here), the first step was to perform an extensive demo of the existing wall coverings. That means they had to strip off the wall coverings, reroute electrical outlets and switches in the area to make sure that nothing ever gets “covered” by accident. This was code and observed strictly, since the walls of the area would have also needed preparation for refrigeration.

With the clients having a pretty extensive 632 wine bottle collection, the team made sure that the wine rack they would create for this purpose should be deep enough to hold that massive wine set. So, they set out on making a rack with an enclosure that measured 7’ wide and 2’ deep. In effect, this allowed wine bottles of all sizes–including champagne and pinot–to be slotted snugly into their respective openings that measured 3 ¾” by 3 ¾” .

Of course, since one of the purposes of a wine cellar is to display an owner’s prized wine bottle collection, the team included horizontal display rows that were meant to evoke a “label forward” philosophy. The lower half of the rack was meant for storing double deep square bins, so the design also accounted for bulk storage of the client’s other wine bottles.

Many hours of collaboration between the Whole Cellar team and the client eventually led to the creation of a blueprint for the wine rack that the clients found satisfactory. But as any wine enthusiast would know, that is only half of the design process. Up next: cooling.

Refrigeration is the Key

It might be easy to crack open a wine bottle straight from an ordinary pantry shelf, hoping the decant might help the flavor. However, one could only enjoy the full taste of it when said wine is stored in a highly temperature-regulated area. Passionate wine geeks would know that and, of course, so did our clients.

The problem the Whole Cellar team had to solve for this aspect was to suggest a cooling unit that is not just reliable, but also portable and easy to install since the space it would be occupying is only minimal in the first place.

They eventually decided on using the CellarPro 1800, a self-contained cooling unit that could be installed in any area of the room. For this project, the system was mounted thru the wall with its back facing the pantry and its exhaust going through a designated hole in the cellar created for this purpose.  Fresh air was pulled in from the pantry and the hot air exhausted to the crawl space above the cellar.

The Finished Project

The residential Los Angeles wine cellar project in Culver City was officially completed in August 2015, three months after the clients contracted Whole Cellar for the job. If anything, this only proved that any area in the household can be made to serve another purpose, and we are not just talking in reference to wine spaces.

If you believe we could help you in any way, then do visit our official Houzz page so you could check out our past projects. We also offer free 3D design consultation for anyone interested in our expertise, and you could start by calling us at +1 (949) 355-4376.

There are projects that the Whole Cellar team is particularly proud of, not just because of how they were able to implement it, but because of the difficulty they experienced in achieving that perfect job. The Playa Vista wine cellar under stairs project is one of those jobs.

Why was it singled out among the many projects the team completed, you might ask? Well, it has to do with the “unusual” wine cellar area proposed by this client to be turned into a wine cellar: underneath the stairs of his house. Yes, the picture you are seeing above really was the area where he was asking the team to set up a wine storage area in his home. As you can imagine, there were a lot of structural hindrances that the team had to consider before drawing up a plan for the project in the first place.

But hey, Whole Cellar did not win the Best of Houzz 2015 awards for nothing; the team is well-accustomed to accepting challenging jobs that require a high quality of craftsmanship, and the Playa Vista project proved no different. Read on to discover how they took up  the challenge; the process is documented below!

Is it ‘Cool’ Enough?

Even though this was the first time the client had requested that contractor provide him with a wine cellar, he had an impressive knowledge of wine storage principles that he was already portraying. For one, he already owned a standalone refrigerated cabinet by Le Cache, and he knew that a standing temperature of 57-degree Fahrenheit was needed to ensure that his fine wine collection matured properly. Of course, it just so happened that the space underneath the stairway was the only place available for this purpose.

Los Angeles Home Wine Cellars – Playa Vista Project Wine refrigeration systems can be notoriously bulky. The original idea of making a glass wall enclosure–on which the front of it was supposed to be refrigerated–in the area underneath the stairs was quite improbable for this project. And, not to mention, very costly too.

However, since the client already owns a single refrigeration system, the team suggested he move 200 of his fine wine bottle collection to the Le Cache refrigerator and leave the rest of his collection to be stored “passively”–that is, to be put inside the wine cellar for the sole means of displaying it to visitors.

The client agreed to the idea, and then the team set about designing the wine racks that would be used for the cellar.

A Mix-and-Match of Racks

As you can see from the picture above, the Whole Cellar team had to account for the slope of the stairway above the area, in order to design the wine rack accordingly. They also decided to include some “elements” from popular wine rack designs like diamond bins and rectangular storage bins to create a custom wine rack that is truly one of a kind.

Since one of the main purposes of this wine cellar project was to display the client’s wine bottle collection, having a high-reveal display row was of the utmost importance for the rack. Pitched at a fifteen-degree angle, this angle afforded the wine rack a sleek and thoroughly modern look.

All openings in this wine rack were also made to be “universal”; in other words, it has been designed to be wide enough for just about any large wine bottles like champagnes or burgundies to be stored inside it.  A modified countertop was also included in the design of the wine rack so as to allow people a simple “table” where they can set wine bottles or glasses, in case they would like to have an impromptu wine tasting session.

Finally, the wine rack came in an Alder wood design, and it was finished off with a rustic stain look that perfectly matched the flooring in the rest of the house.

A Unique Addition to the Whole Cellar Portfolio

The client was very pleased with how the Playa Vista wine cellar under stairs project turned out after three months of hard work. If you have a similar idea in mind, but do not know how you can go about it, then you can always call Whole Cellar’s toll-free number at +1 (888) 735-8889 and get a FREE 3D wine cellar design!

Closet conversion is becoming popular in the design and construction industry.  Many home owners are considering having a vacant small or large space in their home converted into something useful.

One residential owner in Newport Beach contacted a California wine cellar builder to request help in converting his closet into a custom wine cellar.  The client wanted a wine storage and display space that was both functional, and elegant.

Vintage Wine Cellars, the California wine cellar builder that the client contacted, came up with a gorgeous custom wine cellar design.  It featured a stunning wine rack design to store and display wine bottles, a wine cellar cooling system to cool the wines, a glass wine cellar door, and matching wine cellar flooring.

Wine Rack Design Features

The wine storage and display racks are a combination of several different wine rack designs, including:

• Single bottle storage wine racks
• Horizontal display wine racks
• High reveal display rows
• Arched tabletop
• Diamond bin cases
• Rectangular bins

 

The single bottle storage wooden wine racks store 750 ml wine bottles individually, in cubicles with 3 ¾ inche openings, which are perfect for easy bottle access.  The bottle holders on each cubicle are hand sanded, to protect wine labels from scratches.

The horizontal display storage with a high reveal display row runs on the entire length of the walls.  This feature angles the wine bottles at 15 degrees, keeping the corks moist and the bottle tightly sealed.  An LED lighting fixture was also added, to illuminate the angled wine bottles on the display row.

At the center of the wine closet is a tabletop with an archway, where wine pouring or decanting can be done.  It features a lovely art piece, which is highlighted by a puck lighting.

At the bottom of the tabletop are solid diamond bins, which store wine bottles one on top of the other.  Diamond bins are ideal for bulk wine storage.

At the side of the wine closet are rectangular bins, which maximize the small storage space.  This wine racking style gives the wine collector an option to store wines by group (by variety, origin, size, age, etc.). This wine rack design is a wise option for storing 1.5L and 3L bottles.

The wooden wine racks are made of Premium Redwood, one of the best wood types used in the wine racking industry.  A dark walnut stain was applied to the wooden wine racks.  The natural aesthetic appeal of the stained redwood adds beauty to the wine cellar.

The total storage capacity of this wine closet is 840 wine bottles.

 Efficient Cooling using a Fully-Ducted Wine Cellar Cooling Unit

This Newport Beach California wine closet is highly functional, as it is equipped with a wine cellar cooling system.  This maintains the right balance of temperature and humidity inside the wine closet.

Vintage Wine Cellars installed a fully ducted wine cellar cooling unit from Wine Guardian.  It is a self-contained wine cellar cooling system, and it can be installed either indoors or outdoors.

For this Newport Beach California wine closet, the cooling unit was installed indoors, in the attic located just above the wine cellar.  The wine cellar cooling system is assembled in a platform with a drain pan.

The duct system of this wine cellar cooling unit supplies cool air into the wine cellar and exhausts hot air outside. A louvered grill that matches the wooden wine racks covers the cooling unit.

Wine Cellar Entryway and Flooring that Attractively Matches with the Wine Racks

The cellar door used is a Barolo style dual-paned glass wine cellar door.

This entryway has two door openings, and it has certain features that ensure a tight seal to the room, and these include weather stripping and a concealed door bottom.

The wine cellar door was coated with a Chestnut wood stain, creating a beautiful contrast against the Premium Redwood wine racks.

To enhance the look of the wine cellar, the owner chose a unique tile flooring. The color scheme of the flooring matches charmingly with the wooden wine racks.

Get Started with your Own Wine Cellar Design!

Vintage Wine Cellars did a great job completing this Newport Beach California wine closet renovation project, considering the limited space their team had to work on. Vintage Wine Cellars specializes in wine cellar design, installation, renovation, and even maintenance, for both residential and commercial locations.

If you have a custom wine cellar project in mind, whether in Southern or Northern California, just contact Vintage Wine Cellars California Wine Cellar Builder for a free design consultation. Visit their page at http://www.vintagewinecellars.com/.

Meeting the Client and Starting the Project

The Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club is among the finest private clubhouses in Orange County, California.  The 36-hole country club features a 44,000 square foot clubhouse thatis an ideal setting for weddings, business meetings, and private parties.  The club recently remodeled Preserve, their upscale dining room, to include a 1,380-bottle capacity wine enclave, where members can store and display their private collections.

In November 2013, Coastal Custom Wine Cellars was contacted by an architectural firm in San Diego, California.  They wanted to add a glass covered custom wine enclave to the newly remodeled Preserve Dining Room.  The room measures 11’ wide, 2’ deep and about 9’ tall.  After several consultations, and a couple of site visits, Coastal prepared a three dimensional design.

A 3D wine celalar design work from Coastal provides a three dimensional illustration of the proposed wine cellar design.  The wine cellar design package includes plan views (elevations and 3D views), total bottle capacities, construction guidelines, and an audio/video tour of the design.

The Wine Cellar Design Features

Stunning Metal Wine Rack Displays

Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, SoCal’s leading expert in wine cellar design and construction, created a climate-controlled commercial display wine room, encased in glass, that features VintageView metal wine rack displays.

Three sets of seamless 1/2″ glass doors provide access to the wine enclave.  To stabilize the climate conditions inside the wine storage space, the Coastal team recommended a Model D088 from Wine Guardian.

Unlike wood-based wine racks, metal wine rack displays provide a contemporary look that will go well with any modern interior.  VintageView metal wine rack displays are designed to hold bottles in a label forward orientation, allowing for ease of product recognition.

The horizontal placement of the bottles also helps maintain the continuous contact of the cork with the wine, thereby ensuring its sealing quality.

To increase the total bottle capacity of the custom wine enclave Coto de Caza CA, the Coastal team installed metal wine displays in single and triple deep configurations.

Triple depth wine racks can hold three bottles in a single row; two wine bottles are stored behind the visible bottle.

The metal wine racks are mostly label forward horizontal displays.  A presentation row running the width of the racking system was also installed, for showcasing the finest wine bottles in the collection.

The metal wine rack displays come in a black satin finish, to give them a stainless steel effect.  A three deep configuration wine display rack is located right in front of the series of glass doors that lead to the wine enclosure.

Single deep display racking is installed on the rear, fixed glass panel.  The wine rack design is set up in such a way that the bottles appear as if they are floating when viewed from the outside.

Tempered Glass Walls and Doors

The Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club contemporary wine cellar display is encased in seamless 1/2″ tempered glass walls and doors.

The glass covered custom wine enclave is an aesthetically pleasing addition to the clubhouse’s Preserve Dining Room.  The heavy duty glass doors are hinged on self-closing, commercial grade pivot sets.

Installating the Wine Cellar Cooling Unit

To maintain the ideal wine storage temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity between 50 to 60 percent, the Coastal team recommended a self-contained air duct handler, by Wine Guardian.

After conducting a heat load calculation, it was determined that the Model D088 wine cellar cooling unit would most efficiently cool the glass encased wine cellar.

Wine Guardian is a world-renowned manufacturer and provider of wine cellar cooling solutions.  Their wine cellar cooling products provide whisper-quiet operation and superior cooling performance.  They offer different types of cooling systems, including through the wall units, split cooling systems, ducted units, and humidifiers.

The Model D088 is a self-contained, fully ducted wine cellar cooling unit, that is ideal for medium to large residential and commercial wine cellars.  This cooling unit not only provides optimum temperature and humidity control, but also adds to the aesthetic quality of the wine storage space.

Since this wine cellar cooling unit can be ducted up to 25 feet away from the wine enclosure, it eliminates the presence of mechanical equipment in the room, thus promoting a quiet storage environment.

For this particular project, the cooling unit was placed in the ceiling.  Installing the climate control unit out of sight eliminates any presence of mechanical equipment in the custom wine enclave Coto de Caza CA, and allows the wine cellar builder to maximize available space.  Ceiling mounted units also provide better air distribution and circulation.

About the Wine Cellar Builder

Coastal Custom Wine Cellar Builder has over ten years of experience in designing and building commercial and residential wine cellars in California, and throughout the country.  They provide all aspects of wine storage needs, including wine cellar cooling systems, wood and metal based wine racking, wine cellar doors, and wine cellar flooring.

If you have a wine cellar project in mind, just contact Coastal Custom Wine Cellars. Click here.

US Cellar Systems, a California based wine cellar manufacturer that we work closely with recently announced an important new innovation in one of their commonly used components. The LRC Expansion Valve is now externally equalized. Learn how this is to be installed and some of it’s performance advantages.

New Expansion Valve

The LRC Expansion Valve looks almost like a pressure regulator, mounted inside one of the US Cellar Systems refrigeration system for wine cellars. It is a common component in all of the series offered by US Cellar Systems, except for the CC series.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration Technical Update – New LRC Expansion Valve Saves Time and Effort This valve is now externally equalized. This gives the system better performance on all of the systems and makes it more convenient to adjust.

Installation of the New System by LRC

When installing, add a T with an access shrader. This has a key advantage. You will be able to measure your evaporator coil pressure at the evaporator, instead of having to go all the way out to the condensing unit to look at your gauges. This makes adjustments to your system much more convenient.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration System Adjustment

Use a 3/8” nut driver or a ratchet and a 3/8” socket.

You can adjust the valve by turning the head on the top of the regulator. To increase pressure you turn clockwise. To decrease pressure you will turn counter-clockwise.

Caution! Remember to make small adjustments. Never go all the way in with the adjustment. If you go too far in you can damage the diaphragm and then the expansion valve will no longer adjust. This damage will not be covered under warranty, so be very cautious when making adjustments to prevent such harm to the system.

Contact US Cellar Systems for Support and Advice

If you’re in need of technical support for your wine cellar refrigeration system, contact US Cellar System here: +1(562) 728-5774.

If you’re interested in purchasing one of their systems, feel free to contact sales and customer support: +1(562) 513-3017.

This new expansion valve has important advantages; they can give you more information about it if you’re interested in learning more.

Wine Cellars by Coastal & Arctic Metalworks Yorba Linda California Project – A Processed Video Transcription

 

 Custom Wine Cellar Yorba Lina CA by Coastal with Wine Cellar Refrigeration by Arctic .

Hello!

I’d like to take you on a short video tour of a custom wine cellar Yorba Linda CA project recently completed by Coastal Custom Wine Cellars.

The project is located in Orange County, Yorba Linda, California, actually.

We partnered with Arctic Metalworks who provided the wine cellar refrigeration components for the enclosure; and, we also partnered with David Lincoln Construction who provided all the general contractor services.

So, as you can see we had a small niche to work within this home.  This is about roughly eight-foot wide, I believe eight-foot tall and 30 inches deep.

I’ll take you to a series of photographs that will show you the progress as we move forward towards completion and I’ll also take you on a tour of our three-dimensional design package that’s offered to everyone who visits Coastal.

As you can see, we had a niche here; we took this particular niche, we demoed it, we sealed the area to protect the home from dust.

Before this beautiful brick veneer was placed on the walls, behind the walls we have our vapor barrier, our insulation, all the electrical was roughed in as well as the mechanical line set, the refrigeration lines and the condensate drain line.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration Yorba Linda CA Installation

Now, this particular enclosure called for a split wine cellar refrigeration system.

So, outside the wine enclosure is a remote condenser; inside the wine enclosure is your fan coil, cold air supply and the cold air return.

This also has a remote LED controller or thermostat, that one can monitor the temperature inside the wine cellar.

The Wine Cellar Design 

Let’s take a look at the actual wine cellar design.

Once we have a consultation with the customer to determine how many bottles they want to display, some of the features that they want to include in the display, we created a three-dimensional wine cellar design package.

This is an overhead view of the small area.  Actually, it’s just under 6 feet wide, 28 inches deep and the height is just under 8-foot and 94 inches.

The total bottle capacity for the enclosure: 392 bottles.

So, let’s take a look at the elevation itself.

As you can see, from the side view here on the right of the bottom half is double-deep, which means you can place the bottle into an opening, push it to the back of the component and place another bottle in front of that; and, we used, on the top portion above the countertop level, a single-deep storage and display area.

So, at the left is the tabletop area while they set things down while managing the wines or opening the bottles of wine.

The Wine Racks 

So, we’ll start from the bottom.  All of the wine racks rest on an inch and a half toe-kick which elevates the components off the floor, of course.

Now, we’ll use a beautiful base trim as well as a crown molding at the top.

To the far left and to the far right we’ve got bin storage or bulk storage for case locks, ordered or flanked to either side of this beautiful diamond bin, we’ve got a single column, single vertical column, or single bottle storage.

Above that, more single bottle storage with a high reveal display row and to the far left and to the far right the folks wanted a cabinet for some liquors, glasses, even small drawers for accoutrements such as cork screws and napkins.

This area just above the arch area is a lattice grill box with an operable grill cover.  This is what’s concealing the mechanical appearance of the fan coil that we looked at a few moments ago.

With that said, we’ll look into some of these different features here that we spoke of.

These are the small cabinets to the left and to the right and the drawer here, and the high reveal display row.

This is the square bins on the left and the single bottle, or single vertical column, I spoke of as well as the diamond bins and the beautiful front view of the area.

This wine cellar’s entire front was a seamless glass entry door, which turned out quite beautiful.

Thank you for visiting Coastal Custom Wine Cellars.

If I could be of any assistance, please reach out to us at www.winecellarsbycoastal.com.

Wine cellar refrigeration systems are an essential part of wine storage. Wine cellar cooling units provide the ideal temperature and humidity inside a cellar for wines to be able to age tastefully. A good wine cellar cooling system can provide a temperature of 55 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of approximately 70%. Here are the things that you need to look for when choosing a wine cellar cooling system:

1. Check How the Cooling Unit Works

Most wine cellars are configured with a self-contained cooling system, known as forced air cooling. In this system, two fans are utilized. One fan functions to circulate the cool air inside the wine storage room while the other fan forces air through the condenser coils on the outside and exhausts warm air that has risen to the top of the storage room. This configuration is very efficient, especially if your wine storage room is in an area where the temperature outside varies 30 degrees Fahrenheit above or below the appropriate wine storage temperature range.

2. Check for Temperature Control Mechanism and Digital Display Apparatus

Wine cellar refrigeration systems that are made by quality manufacturers usually have electronic temperature controls, as well as digital displays. These features are very helpful, because they allow you to have precise control over the temperature and humidity inside the commercial or residential wine cellar in California. Not only do electronic temperature controls make sure that temperature readings are accurate, they also prevent fluctuations in the levels. Digital displays are a great addition, because you can read and gauge the condition inside the storage room any time.

3. Check the Cooling Unit’s Noise Level

The noise level of a unit is one of the major factors to consider when choosing a wine cellar cooling system in California. There are many manufacturers today that are dedicated to creating a wine cellar refrigeration system that is quiet and vibration-free. There are wine cellar cooling units today that utilize an absorption technology wherein compressors are not needed and vibrations are not generated. Choose the refrigeration units for your cellar wisely, because vibrations can damage your wine collections.

4. Choose Cooling Systems that are Easily Repaired or Replaced

Wine cellar refrigeration units in Vancouver are as much as an investment as your wine collection. You want to make sure that your beloved wines are aging efficiently by investing in a quality cooling unit. In case your refrigeration system breaks or wears down, you want it to be easily repaired or replaced, so that your wines won’t suffer being stored out of the ideal temperature and humidity while waiting for the unit to be repaired or replaced.

A custom wine cellar in Los Angeles, California is the safest place to store your wine collection. Have a residential wine cellar built by the best wine cellar builders in California. Wine Cellars by Coastal are not only functional and durable, but also elegant and classy.

If you plan to have a residential wine cellar built in your home in California, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind:

Customize the Home Wine Cellar Walls

You can make your residential wine cellar in California look even better by customizing it. One way you can customize it is by choosing unique wall treatments. There are various kinds of wall treatments, and these include paint, tile, slate, stone, wood panel and travertine. Whatever treatment you choose, make sure that the material is able to do well in a slightly damp environment.

Custom Wine Cellar Flooring

The wine cellar’s flooring plays a very important role in making sure that the wine storage room functions properly. Make sure that the surface of your wine cellar floor is durable and solid. It should be able to withstand harsh flooring conditions, such as constant moisture and frequent wine spills. Wine cellar flooring should also be beautiful. The flooring you choose should complement the overall design of your home wine cellar in Los Angeles. There are many choices for wine cellar flooring, and these include hardwood, sealed concrete, tile and stone.

Wooden Paneling to Cover Wine Cellar Walls

If you do use wood-paneled walls for your custom wine cellar, you need to allow expansion and contraction of the wood. The wood will eventually expand and contract due to the humidity inside the wine cellar. If there is now allowance for expansion and contraction, the wood will eventually crack and buckle.

Other Considerations When Building a Custom Wine Cellar in CA

There are a lot of things to consider when designing and building your residential wine cellar in LA, California. For example, you still need to decide on what lighting and other accessories you want installed in your wine storage room. You also need to consider how to avoid vibrations and odors. You need to figure out what wine cellar refrigeration system will you have installed in the cellar as well.

Designing and building a custom wine cellar in LA, California must be planned carefully. Of course, the wisest way to start is to seek the advice of a wine cellar design professional.