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My Theater Bar - Heynow^'s Version

232K views 560 replies 103 participants last post by  Rich Homie Tom 
#1 ·
I've been posting pictures of my bar that I built in my basement adjacent to my open theater area in a couple of different threads and thought that I may as well begin my own thread. I am not going to give a lot of detailed measurements simply because my area will certainly differ from what others may have in their environment. I'll attempt to explain what I have done and why. I looked at many bar threads and plans and tried to keep mine simple and inexpensive.


I made my bar portable. Why? Simply because I may need to move it to get items in and out of my basement door. Believe me, it's stable and it slides across my carpet with ease. I just unscrew two bolt attached to the base cabinet and I can move it by myself.


As you will see from my pics, there is no blueprinted plan. I actually placed blue painters tape on the floor to see how the bar would impact on mobility in the room. I moved the tape several times.


I'm still adding items and changing décor frequently. I like my environment to be flexible; i.e. Superbowl parties, movie parties, etc.


The beginning;


Here you can see what the area looked like when we bought the house. The base cabinet I could use again, but those head knocker top cabinets had to go. They were narrow and not very utilitarian. They look great in the garage though! 




My research indicated that the bar should be 42 high from floor to top. Figuring that I would have a sheet of ¾ inch plywood for the top base plus and estimated ¾ inch of whatever I decided for the finished top of the bar. I had them cut both plywood sheets to 40.5 inches. This gave me four 40.5 by 48 inch sheets out of the two eight foot long sheets to make up my base.


This shows the long dimension. My base is 7 feet long by 4 feet wide with a 2 foot return.




This shot shows the 4 foot section of the base and the ¾ plywood top.




This shows the return and you can see the back of the bar that I used 2x4s to bridge the plywood sections.




How the unit will relate to the half of the basement room.





The beginning of the application of the bar railing. I love this stuff. It drove me crazy, but it looks good and is very comfortable. The chair is there to check the height, but it was several inches shorter than our final chairs. So why did I bother? Because I was thirsty!




Long side with railing application




Return side

 
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#78 ·
Looks great. Time to fire up that fireplace too it looks like, it was 38 degrees this morning when I walked out the door.


I may be moving to your neck of the woods. Looking at a lot in that development off of Tusckarora Pike, right before you get to Poor House Rd.
 
#80 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mntneer /forum/post/0


Looks great. Time to fire up that fireplace too it looks like, it was 38 degrees this morning when I walked out the door.


I may be moving to your neck of the woods. Looking at a lot in that development off of Tusckarora Pike, right before you get to Poor House Rd.


Thanks Mntneer,


It was brrrr kitty out here this morning.
We saw 32 degrees! You will love the mountain views from that location! We will have to hook up sometime and swap some HT lies...
 
#86 ·
The booth nook is really cool. Never would have thought of it.


I'm getting ready to put on the base for my top. How sturdy is yours on the return end?


Mine is of double stud construction and very solid now that I have the finish paneling installed, but I still have concern that it's too narrow for the top. I would like for it to over hang about 12-15" on the exterior and 4-5" on the interior. What do you think?
 
#87 ·
Neuner,


Thanks, we had a party last week and there was always a full booth playing the jukebox. What fun that was.


My return end is so sturdy that I can stand on it, bounce and it won't flex. Very rigid.

Take a look at my crosss section pics.


I think it has to be a minimum of 10 inches on the outside over hang. Twelve inches would be great. The inside is dependant on how your bar area is configured. Mine is different than say, Buds. I had space issues. I like Bud's layout and his granite is sick.
 
#88 ·
Thanks for the inspiration you provided on the bar. Your booth looks terrific too, but it was the bar that really got me off the dime when I was trying to plan my room out and didn't really have a clue where to start. Sort of like eating an elephant, sometimes looking at the big picture is a little overwhelming. Once I saw your photos I knew the direction I was headed with that end of the room, and just kept planning out from there.


That darn bar rail/chin rest is expensive, but once the boss saw the picture she realized it was the only way to go.


We're still a ways out, but we are getting there.
 
#90 ·
I am building a bar right now in my house and the only thing i have left to do is the top. I have to get the railing made before i can do the top. Did you make that rail yourself or did you buy it somewhere? Please give me as much info as possible.


Your bar came out very nice by the way.


DUCE
 
#94 ·
Craig,


That group in CT wanted $2k for the complete outfit. It's nice but not that nice.


Central Restaurant online is where I got mine. Great price and Daryl Lambert handled my account. The guy must have called me a dozen times to update me on the status of my account. He followed the tracking of my orders and would call me to make sure I was updated. He can be reached at (800) 222-5107 ext 285.


Good luck!
 
#96 ·
Hi Heynow! The fact that you built such a classy bar is great in itself, but you taking the time to post all these step by step and extremely detailed photos makes me want to get up & get started, and so I have.


Actually, I 'started' when I began the job of enclosing my back patio July 2004 (I have no basement). It had a leaky roof but no sides. To make a long story short it's now enclosed with 10 windows, a storm door & steel door to the yard and french doors to the family room. The sheetrock ceiling & walls are taped & painted. I've wired for a ceiling fan and there are two doubled up electric outlets and one single. I also brought cable TV access in. The floor is still cement.


My bar will be a dry one (meaning no tap, of course). Since there will be a window in back, I can't install a back bar like yours; it'll have to be a 'side bar' if you will. OK, I realize it HAS been 2 1/2 years, but I'm not retired and only have weekends and nights (in summer). Since my daugter is graduating from college in May I know I HAVE to get in high gear before the party or I'll N-E-V-E-R hear the end of it. The job got easier after I got the good ideas from you. Thanks a lot! Tom H.
 
#97 ·
So Randy, where did you get your helmets... Now that the Bears have put together a winning season, I can safely admit I've been a fan since the SuperBowl Shuffle. In fact, all the football B&Ws I have in the bar are old players .. Sayers, Butkus, etc. Was looking at some of the helmets on eBay and was curious where you got yours.


Bud
 
#98 ·
Tom,


Thanks buddy, but the good ideas are things that I borrowed from the many folks on this forum. One of the requirements of this forum is that you have to provide us all with your progress photos! It sounds like you are well on your way to an outstanding bar/entertainment area. I can't wait until you start posting your results! Speak up if you need help from many of the bar builders around here!


Like I have said before, Chinadog, Buffbaker, BigMouthinDC are excellent examples of outstanding bars. Take a look at their work!


Best wishes.
 
#99 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chinadog /forum/post/0


So Randy, where did you get your helmets... Now that the Bears have put together a winning season, I can safely admit I've been a fan since the SuperBowl Shuffle. In fact, all the football B&Ws I have in the bar are old players .. Sayers, Butkus, etc. Was looking at some of the helmets on eBay and was curious where you got yours.


Bud

Lots of birthday, Father's day, Christmas (insert any other holiday reason to get a helmet) day presents. Here is where most of them came from, including all of my Superbowl Footballs and acrylic cases. Great, quick service. Never bought any from ebay, I'm sure you can find some great deals there also.


Wishing you and the family a happy holidays!
 
#101 ·
Duce,


We have done both. I wasn't satisfied with what I saw online and in person. My advice is not to settle for what is available immediately. If we had done that, we would have many regrets. Fortunately, we kept looking and one day at Sam's Club, we found what we really liked. Excellent construction, comfortable stools. Of course, they no longer sell what we found, so only getting four stools did raise some concerns with acquiring more stools in the same style later.


Again, look at every available outlet you can find, be it online or local B&M. Good luck, Duce!
 
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