HanoiBoi's Basement Bar

[HanoiBoi]

My first post with photos! Of course, I had a bunch written up here about 15 minutes ago, but somehow ended up losing it. :mad:

Well anyway, here's my setup, with some basic floor plans (in excel. 1 square = ~1ft).

We wanted a bar, theater area, an exercise room and a powder room. As can be seen in the floor plan, I eventually plan to add a 12' shuffleboard table and I'm currently looking to build a 42"h poker table that will be either on folding legs, or sit atop 2 42" h pub tables.

I've got some before, during and after photos to share. Hope you like 'em....and I hope you can see them! Let's see how this works....

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/PokerTopA-1.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/PokerTopB.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/02ABEFORE.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/02BDURING.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/02CAFTER.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/04BDURING.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/04BDURING-1-1.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/04CAFTER.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/05ABEFORE.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/05BBDURING.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/05CAFTER.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/01ABEFORE.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/01BDURING.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/Basement%20-%20Before%20During%20and%20After/01CAFTER.jpg

[IslandHopper]

Well, shit. Pretty sure dude's basement is bigger than my whole freaking place.

Unreal set-up, Hanoi.

[Kidd32]

blew my mind... ca n ' t sp e aa kk :D

[JCinPA]

That's an award winner, right there. Awesome!

[Jeffzee]

Neat-oh! Although it looks like you made the mistake of moving into your basement before you started finishing it. :)

[monkey_booger]

Wow! Very impressive

[j p frog]

very nice...you have any more pix of the bar itself?

[JbaIV]

wow simply amazing!

[HanoiBoi]

Thanks for the compliments guys. As you might imagine, it gets a lot of use. Besides the obvious, we even eat dinner at the bar maybe once a week. ;)

We really had a truly excellent contractor for the framing, electricity, plumbing, etc. We're in Eastern PA and will be more than happy to recommend him!

I designed the bartop and had that piece contracted out locally as well, through our contractor. The bartop came bare, in two pieces. I did all the staining//poly'ing. I also did all painting, laid the flooring, ran wires (coax and HDMI) and installed all A/V items (speakers, TVs, projector, screen, etc.). What isn't necessarily noticeable is the ceiling speakers throughout. I'm a big music fan, so that was a must. I've got 6 speakers in the main area (3 rights, 3 lefts) and I have 1 stereo speaker in the powder room and another in the exercise room. I also ran speaker wire to the backyard for future use. I have them connected to a 6-pair speaker selector which will allow me to cut out sound to certain areas as needed. Works well when someone wants to watch a movie on the screen, I can cut the speakers closest to that area and still be able to hear tunes in the rest of the basement....and bathroom too!

The best part is, I think we really did a great job keeping costs down. Some examples; Receivers, (1 refurb directly from Onkyo, 1 from Crutchfield Outlet), Flooring at 'membership' prices (2.99 sq ft), TVs on sale (Vizio.com, Wal-Mart). All speaker wire, HDMI wire, HDMI switcher, HDMI and coax plates, etc. were picked up at Monoprice. Klipsch in ceiling speakers were found at Woot.com. Projector was bought a couple years back with a $200 rebate (and $200 won from a Superbowl Block pool). Speaker selector was ebayed for about $170 as was the Foosball table ($175 and a long drive). The MAME machine was put together for roughly $300...so far. Paint was purchased when rebates were offered (at Home Depot on certain holidays). I also just put together a decent touch screen jukebox for about 100 (not including existing PC)


JP, here are a few more pics of the bar. Hope this is what you're looking for...

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5535.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5273.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5293.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5284.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5285.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5286.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5288.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5290.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_5291.jpg

[j p frog]

fantastic! thanks for the pix

[gator20]

Pretty amazing!!!

[Quads]

Watch and learn bitches! This is how it's done!

[pie taster]

Unreal. That is awesome.

What kind of arcade game you got in the corner there?

[HanoiBoi]

Unreal. That is awesome.

What kind of arcade game you got in the corner there?

The cabinet and marquee are from an old 'Space Duel', which was essentially a 2 player Asteroids game.

I've got it set up as a MAME machine (PC driven), so you can play all kinds of classic arcade games such as Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Berzerk, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Frogger, Burger Time, Kangaroo, Popeye, Jungle King, Joust, Robotron, Elevator Action, Tempest, Arkanoid, Crazy Climber, Bump N Jump, Time Pilot, Q*Bert, Sinistar, Track And Field and so on...

For those not familiar with the concept, google (or Yahoo! as I still do) MAME or M.A.M.E.. Also look for the BYOAC (Build Your Own Arcade Controls) forums. There are people there with mad cabinet building skills. You could go crazy with your build and costs, or keep it simple and keep costs down.

Controls (joysticks, buttons, spinners, trackballs and keyboard encoder cards) can be bought from a couple reputable sites (groovygamegear, ultimarc). I don't have a trackball, but may add it down the line...

Pretty neat hobby for sure....especially if you're into the classic games.

[pauld22]

Wow dude, love it. And, honestly, what set up is complete without Capri Suns?

[Seven©]

wow

:speachless:

I don't even have enough friends to fill up a bar like that. :(

[aceinthehole4212]

Wow, that is AWESOME, very well done

Tell me more about the flooring, where did you get that for $2.99 at? What is it?

Again, great looking space. I really like it.

[HanoiBoi]

Wow, that is AWESOME, very well done

Tell me more about the flooring, where did you get that for $2.99 at? What is it?

Again, great looking space. I really like it.

Thanks Ace,

The flooring is Armstrong Grand Illusions. It's a 'locking laminate' floor with a 30 year warranty.

When shopping, I discovered that it has a couple names. I guess the floor companies try to keep shoppers from comparative shopping. :confused:

We discovered it at Lowe's where I believe it was called 'Santos Mahogany' (but I could be wrong). It was labeled as 'exclusive to Lowe's'. I even mentioned this to Home Depot at one point and they said with a smirk, "What's it called - we can get it in for you and beat their price'. That same day, Home Depot called me and said 'Uh..we can't get it. Armstrong only sells that floor to Lowe's."

So, I found what appeared to be the same floor on Armstrong's website. This time it was called 'Armstrong Grand Illusions Cabrueva (http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/laminate/cabreuva-wood-plank-L3025/floor-104121.asp)' I contacted Armstrong and confirmed that it was in fact the same flooring.

After getting the lowest quote I was gonna get from Lowe's (trust me on that), I used Armstrong's website to locate local retailers. I called them all and received quotes. I can't locate those, and probably tossed them, but some were downright laughable. They were also the one's who called me daily to see if I was ready to buy. But, one place I called, Prosource, was very attractive. Turns out that they deal with members only; carpenters, contractors, etc. with appropriate licensing and such. I went with my contractor and treated him to a $50 membership (good for a year) and we picked this flooring up for $2.99 per square. We added padding (Sof-Loc supreme) for another $500. The total, plus tax and freight was under $3500 for the entire floor.

Oh, we also used DRICore (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgy/R-100053599/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)for the subfloor. We went through Home Depot's 'Bid Room' for that. If you aren't familiar with the Bid Room, go in and ask them about it! I consider it a 'best kept secret'. Normally priced, DRIcore is about $6 per 2'x2' panel. Through the Bid Room, we got them for $4.73 per panel. We also received via DRICore promo a $75 Home Depot gift card.

Hope this helps!

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_2707.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_2709.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_2710.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab263/HanoiBoi/IMG_2705.jpg

[aceinthehole4212]

Definately helps, thanks for the info. Im surprised that is a laminate. It looks great.

My basement project was put on hold recently, but I am going with the Delta FL and OSB subfloor instead of the Dricore. same concept, different excecution. I've been thinking of doing an area with an engineered wood floor, but will have to look into the laminate, it looks great.

[pikeman56]

Awesome basement!!!

When can I move in???

[Dersey31]

Very nice man cave! I hope mine will turn out that nice

[mdub60]

That is one helluva good looking cave. i would love to have a place to put a gym like that

[airskeeter]

Great job. Looks great!

[Beantown Rounders]

That cave is mawney!!! There would be no reason to go upstairs....other than taking care of business! :D

[GuyanaBoy]

I am AWESTRUCK! ! ! What an amazing Man Cave!

I will never be able to do something like that! But I am in Awe of what you have done!

My hat is off to you sir!

[CedarBar]

That bar is very close to what I plan to do, minus the back bar, sink and TV. I really like how the kegerator fits in so snuggly there. Fantastic Job.
Can you give us a cost break down on the bar?

[kfordham281]

Holy crap.....that is one awesome man cave. Well done!!!!!!

[ToddsCave]

That mancave F**king rocks!!!

[Eklipsis]

wow it turned out AWESOME!...you've got everything a man cave needs nice job

[HanoiBoi]

That bar is very close to what I plan to do, minus the back bar, sink and TV. I really like how the kegerator fits in so snuggly there. Fantastic Job.
Can you give us a cost break down on the bar?

Thanks CedarBar!

The bar was the priciest part of the basement. Well, the flooring was a little bit more. Here's a quick and dirty..

The bartop was contracted to a local shop. I gave them the measurements I wanted with the handrail, glass rail, etc. and they built it. It came in two pieces. I stained it and used Envirotex on top (read up on this stuff thoroughly if you plan to use it).

The contracted piece ended up costing me about $1500 for the bare maple.

Other notables for cost...

The wood on the front (base) I used Cherry ply for the bulk. It was costly, about $350, and could definitely be done for cheaper. For the 'shaker style' I used Select Pine, adding another $150.

The foot rail pieces cost about $550.

Stools are crazy expensive. I found overstock to have decent prices. Still 10 stools cost about $800. (backless were cheaper)

Laminate cost about $200

As for the kegerator fitting snugly, I measured many, many, many times on everything behind the bar. I went with a 'slightly' lower back bar (not the cabinets, but the piece next to the kegerator and fridge) so that I could fit pint glasses underneath. Otherwise, it'd be a lot of wasted space. I even measured space to make sure I could sneak a trash can in there too. :)

Bartop: 1500
Bar Base: 500
Foot Rail: 550
Laminate: 200
Envirotex: 200

Stools: 800

Kegerator: 225 (from a buddy)
Double Tap: 140
Fridge: 170

[pminor]

Very nice! and great use of lighting.

[HanoiBoi]

Added a few things since the last photos...

Sitting area, some 'artwork', a couple pinball machines and a glass door merchandiser stocked with 30+ different beverages. :)

The pinball machines will eventually be replaced with a virtual pinball machine that I'm in the process of building.


Sitting Area:
http://i54.tinypic.com/xmlbpk.jpg

'Artwork'
http://i51.tinypic.com/k9w7bk.jpg

Pinball Machines:
http://i54.tinypic.com/2nimjdi.jpg

Virtual Pinball in progress:
http://i55.tinypic.com/e9fajm.jpg

Glass Door Merchandiser:
http://i55.tinypic.com/2432dj5.jpg

Stocked Merchandiser:
http://i51.tinypic.com/wu3sy1.jpg

[Rounder Wannabe]

Stocked Merchandiser:
http://i51.tinypic.com/wu3sy1.jpg

omfg.

*fap*

[kfordham281]

Ditto what Rounder Wannabe said....that's a well stocked beer fridge. Stone, Terrapin, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head....some of my favs. The whole place is amazing. Seriously jealous. I wish I had the space!

[Quads]

Very very nice Hanoi.
Classy looking place, and great inspiration for others.

Thanks for posting and keeping us updated.

[Karpro]

Would love to see a build thread on the pinball machine.

[Shaggs]

I love this cave... ;) tears of joy!

[Banzai]

you are my god!!!

this is absolutely amazing!

[Beatts]

I just wanted to say, this project was the inspiration for me while reno'ing my basement last summer.

Excellent job and thanks for the great ideas.

[Seahawx]

Some great ideas! Place looks awesome! Nicely done!