Spiral Wine Cellars

Spiral Wine Cellars: Notes about the Construction and Building Permissions required

Adding a Spiral Wine Cellar to your home is a considerable investment. Depending on the size and options you decide to take, you are looking at spending in the region of £15000 to £30000. As with all investments (especially when they involve alterations to your home) it's good to know all the specifics of the building process.

Spiral Wine Cellar: The Installation and Construction

Depending on the size of the Spiral Cellar you want installed, the whole process can be completed between 5 and 9 days.

• First a hole is dug 2.2 meters in diameter and sunk into the ground to the pre-arranged depth (can be anything between 2 and 3 meters depending on the amount of storage space you need). The bottom of the hole is covered with a layer of sand which is then covered by felt. Additional felt lining is layered around the walls.
• Next the whole construction is lined with a butyl liner and a second base felt. A reinforced base slab is poured in - without touching the liner - and left to settle.
• The cellar is beginning to take shape. The pre-cast modules (with one step per layer) are placed in position and two coping stones line the entrance. After the modules are secure, the ventilation pipes are fitted into the structure.
• Lastly the trap door is fitted. To allow the cellar to dry out the trap door is left open for about a fortnight.
• Around Six to eight weeks after installation, an inspection of your cellar should be carried out to ensure your satisfaction and to check the integrity of the structure.

Building Permissions: A few things you should be aware of

As in all building additions to your home, there's a certain amount of paper work which needs to be taken care of to ensure that your construction meets the proper guidelines of the building commission and doesn't affect the structural integrity of your home or affect your neighbours adversely.

If you've hired a trustworthy building company, most of the paperwork and submission should be handled for you. Be sure to ask your builder if all the compulsory permissions are being taken care off to give yourself that necessary piece of mind that your installation is both legal and safe.

• Planning permission isn't usually required for a structure such as this, but building regulation approval most certainly is. Most professional builders will sort this paper work out for you and submit the application on your behalf.
• After your application is submitted a representative from the local building control office is required to visit the build site during the installation to ensure everything is proceeding smoothly. Organising a visit from this representative should also be handled by your builder.
• Once the cellar is finished you should receive a certificate of completion for the work. A copy of which you can keep for your own records to prove the validity of the installation.
• You can place your recessed wine cellar in any ground floor room in your home. Although, depending on your property, some rooms may prove to better suited for the cellars placement. Ensure you get the advice of your surveyor for location of your wine cellar as load barring walls, service pipes and floor construction can affect your choice of location.

OBC Builders in Bromley implement a Spiral Wine Cellar

OBC Building is a building and construction company based in Bromley, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. Recently OBC's builders have been asked to install a Spiral Wine Cellar with a capacity for 1600 bottles. The installation features a motorised glass door which will make this cellar a real talking point for the owner.