Why A Home Bar – An Expense Too Far

Going out to a bar for your favorite drinks with your favorite people has long been a tradition, and I would say this is pretty much the same globally. There is something special about getting dressed up to have a night out with friends to enjoy drinks with music, a quiz or even a live act, we love it.

So then, why a home bar?

Why would we think about having our own bar at home, what could possibly be a good reason to even consider something that could be so expensive.

Modern Times

It is inevitable that the statistics in drinking at home have gone up with the world pandemic and the closure of bars and restaurants. There has also been a trend in recent years for backyard sheds to be converted to or constructed for man caves or she sheds and a lot of these have included bars in them.

The home bar trend is on the up, and even when we get Covid 19 under control and we see things go back to some kind of normality, will those that have invested in home bars, continue to stay home and drink, and will more of us make the decision to go ahead and get in on the act.

Making The Decision

The best way to decide whether a home bar is a good idea, would be to list some advantages (if their are any), and some disadvantages (again if their are any) and see where that takes us, it may turn out to be a no brainer.

Pro’s

• No travel
• Cheaper Drinks
• Friends come to you
• Better sporting events
• The best parties
• Opening hours

Running through these advantages we have no travel, no taxi costs, no bus to catch, and even though it should never ever be an option no driving to a bar.

The drinks are going to be cheaper; at the bar when you settle your tab at the end of the night it is worth thinking about just how much that would buy you in drinks to stock a home bar, it would probably go a long way.

Friends come to you, we all love entertaining and having a bar is going to attract friends to your home, but this could eventually backfire when your friends get their own home bar and you have to go to their homes too.

It is not always a great experience when we go out to watch sports at our local bar, the crowds can sometimes spoil it and we don’t get to see the game, this can make it difficult to get drinks too. At our own home bar, we have control over the screen, the numbers and the drinks, making for a better sporting experience.

That special party will be elevated with a real bar, not to mention how impressed your guests will be.

There are no official opening hours, you open when you want, and you close when you want.

Con’s

• Expensive to install
• Have to serve self and others
• Stock Control
• Takes up space
• Maintenance

There is going to be an initial investment, and that may be an expense too far.

You will have to serve yourself, and you are going to have to serve your guests too, which means you are going to be working and not relaxing.

Again you will have to be the one keeping an eye on the stock you have for your bar, another form of working instead of relaxing.

Home bars come in all shapes and sizes, but the bottom line is that some kind of space is going to be needed in your home to accommodate one.

There will be a certain amount of maintenance involved, which may have a cost attached to it and again smells of working instead of relaxing.

Things to way up

Both the pro’s and con’s lists could be successfully argued, but the pro’s do attached a lot of fun to them, they are all about having a good time. The con’s as you would expect have a negative vibe to them, such as work being involved and the expense of the project, but they can all be turned into positive vibes.

This does depend on the individual and their outlook and what is important to them or not, I for instance would not find serving myself and others to be a chore or a form of work. The investment although an initial outlay which may seem expensive, could over time become a saving.

Every person that has even contemplated a home bar would probably have found different pro’s and con’s, some may be the same, but their will be others I have not thought of.

Even if the disadvantages out weigh the advantages, some may just say (me included), well you know what, I just want one. Which ever way you come to a decision, if a bar is on the cards, then the real work begins once that decision is made.

Where Should I Start

The first thing to do is to decide where your bar is going to go, and how big your project is going to be, without stating the obvious, the bigger the project, the more time, space and budget will be needed.

A Small Bar will be fairly easy to accommodate, taking up less space and commanding less money to achieve. There will be fewer accessories to buy and the level of stock will also be on a lesser scale.

If you plan a bar of titanic proportions, then be prepared for a lengthy project, their will be many things to consider, and you may find that the actual bar structure itself, is the easiest part of your project. When you have a large space to fill, the list of things to get will grow, as will the cost.

Take the time to compile a list of the home bar essentials, that way you will be less likely to forget an important part of your home bar kit.

What Is The Cost Of A Home bar

The cost is different for every type of home bar option their is available, but as you compile a list of all the things you are going to need as well as the things you are going to have to do, it is a good idea to put a cost next to them.

This way you can keep an eye on what is being spent.

There are more things to pay for than just physical items like glasses, refrigerators, or the drinks themselves. You may need to pay for services too, an electrician may be needed to alter electrics to accommodate lighting in your bar area.

If you forget one thing, then it could be detrimental to your project, you may have to go backwards to go forward, and this is more prominent the bigger the bar you are intending to install or build.

Planning is the key to a successful home bar project, check, double check and then check again.

Building A Home Bar

Just like the costs, building a home bar will be more difficult and involved the bigger it is.

It may be just a matter of purchasing a simple bar from a supplier, fitting will be relatively easy, this means most people will be able to fit it. Then it will be a matter of buying the accessories and setting it all up, you could be relaxing at your own bar by the same evening.

If you are dedicating a whole room to your bar, then it could involve a more complicated bar design with cabinets behind and units above, all of which become more difficult to fit and may be beyond a lot of us, which means hiring tradesman and managing those tradesman.

There will also be more furniture to buy and fit, as well as more stock and accessories.

When you make the list of the things you need to do and buy and you put the cost next to them as I suggested earlier, also put who will need to do those things, if you are able, put your name, if not then who can do them.

Really Build A Home Bar

If you are handy with the tools and you want to actually build a home bar, as opposed to buying a ready constructed one, or getting someone else to construct one for you, then you will either need to draw up your own plans, have them drawn up for you, or buy some ready-made plans for you to work from.

Any kind of construction should have plans to work from, they don’t have to be complicated, but they do need to instruct the building process. Without a set of plans, how will you know where to start, what materials will you buy and what quantity, and how will you put them together.

Plans are important if you intend to construct your bar, but the rest of the process beyond that will be the same as already discussed.

Taking The Plunge

If you have decided to take the plunge and your very own home bar is going to proceed, then I hope the information above and on the rest of my site will help you through the process.

It is a big decision and their is a lot to think about, but although it will take an initial investment, it will be a long term benefit to you and your family and in the long term actually save you money. It could even add value to your home, they say a decent kitchen and bathroom can add value and even sell a property, well may be a home bar can do the same.

If you can think of any other advantages or disadvantages, then please put them below in the comments, or if you just have something to share regarding home bars and your experiences, it would be nice to hear your views. I am always pleased to answer any questions you may have too.