Are you considering building your own home bar? The cost to build a bar yourself will save you a lot of money and you will feel proud of what you achieved after it is finished!
Building an 8 foot home bar yourself will cost about $500 in lumber, but you can make a few adjustments to decrease the cost. To decrease the cost to build a bar, you can modify the style of the bar top and avoid using Chicago bar rail.
Cost to Pay a Professional to Build a Bar
Keep in mind you are significantly saving by building a home bar yourself. Purchasing a decent prebuilt home bar typically costs $1500 or more, not to mention the price to ship it.
Paying someone to build a custom dry bar can cost well over $2000, depending on the size and details of your project. This doesn’t include adding plumbing, a large tv, bar stools, bar lighting, and other bar decor.
So, we highly recommend you consider building a bar yourself, to save money for a large tv and of course money to fully stock the bar.
Tips to Build a Bar for Less
- Chicago bar rail looks great on a bar, but it requires a 2 layer bar top and the cost of bar rail can get pricey. So, ditch the Chicago bar rail and opt for a single layer of quality wood for the bar top instead to take the price of the bar down.
- Decrease the length of the bar or slightly alter the shape of the bar to decrease the amount of lumber required to build it.
- Alter the design of the exterior to use a single sheet of faux brick or paneling instead of several pieces of wood molding. This saves you a ton of time with making intricate cuts and dramatically decreases the final price of the bar.
Tips to Buying Wood to Build a Bar
- Another way to decrease the amount of your home bar are to avoid scrap wood waste by using a set of bar plans with a cut list. The cut list is a thought out set of measurements that make it easier to purchase the wood and cut it precisely to prevent waste.
- Purchasing wood from a lumber yard is typically cheaper than purchasing it from a home improvement store.
- Make a few trips back and forth to purchase lumber to break up the costs. This also, helps you avoid returns and stocking fees for unused product.
- Building the bar in sections can prevent the project from becoming overwhelming. Once you build a bar frame, it adds a whole new level of motivation to keep going with the project.
Additional Tips Before Building a Bar
Painters Tape: Before starting your project, place painters tape on the floor where your bar will be located. The tape is a good guideline to visualize the size and determine the best place for the opening of the bar.
Level Floor: Test if your floor is level before building your bar frame. If your floor does not feel level, it is strongly advised to anchor the bar for safety purposes.
Shelving: Figure out where you would like the shelving to be located and how much storage is needed.
Bar Stools: How many bar stools would you like to fit around the bar? This can help determine the length of the bar.
Exterior Design: The exterior and bar top can be decided toward the end of the project, if you aren’t quite sure of the final details of the design. To save money, opt for a simpler design that requires less materials.
Budget: Set a budget for the project before you start. The trips to the home improvement store can add up quickly. So, make sure to determine the budget then adjust the size of the bar to fit your needs.
Tools: To save money on tools, you can borrow tools from friends or family and rent tools from most home improvement stores.
Conclusion
Another bonus to building a bar yourself is that amazing feeling of satisfaction that you built it with your own hands. You will learn a ton about woodworking and power tools throughout the project. After building a bar you will be able to take on other projects that you never thought possible!