To build a wine cellar in your home, you'll need to design a dedicated room, ideally in your basement where humidity and temperatures tend to be lower, or convert an existing room. You'll need to plan carefully before you build the cellar, as you risk damaging your walls, the structural foundation of your house and ruining your wine collection if you don't complete the job properly. You'll need to take four basic things into account when you plan your cellar design: the walls, the ceiling, the floor and the vapor barrier.
When you plan your wine cellar, it is absolutely essential to insulate the walls properly, using an insulation with a minimum grade of R-11 for interior cellar walls and R-19 for outside walls. You'll also need to dedicate space for your cooling system. The ceiling, like the exterior walls, needs to be reinforced with grade R-19 insulation or better.
The floors should be constructed out of concrete, and any floor laid above the level of the ground needs, like the exterior walls and ceiling, insulation of at least R-19 grade. Finally, you'll need to ensure that there's a thick vapor barrier on all walls and flooring, typically made from polyethylene plastic sheeting that's a minimum of 6 millimeters in diameter.
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