Basement Renovations
Custom Wine Cellars in Toronto and the GTA
A wine cellar is a small room with strict rules. Get the envelope right and the bottles look after themselves.
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Wine wants a steady, cool temperature and moderate humidity. A finished basement in Ontario swings with the seasons, and the furnace room next door does not help. So a proper cellar is built as its own sealed box: insulated walls and ceiling, a vapour barrier on the warm side, an exterior-grade door and a cooling unit sized to the room.
Inside that box, the design is up to you. Glass-walled cellars that show the collection from the bar or the stairs are the most common request we get. Others prefer a closed room with floor-to-ceiling racking. We design the room in 3D with your bottle count, racking style and lighting before anything is built.
What is included
Wine cellars by Lintel
Insulated envelope
Walls and ceiling built and sealed for a cooled room, with the vapour barrier on the correct side.
Cooling
A cooling unit sized for the room and glass, ducted or self-contained depending on where heat can be exhausted.
Glass walls and doors
Insulated glass panels and a sealed door so the collection is visible without losing temperature.
Racking
Wood, metal or mixed racking for individual bottles, cases and display, planned for your collection size.
Lighting
Low-heat LED lighting on a separate switch, so bottles are not warmed by fixtures.
Flooring
Stone or porcelain floors that handle cool temperatures and the odd spill.
Before you build
What to plan for
Where the heat goes
Cooling units move heat out of the cellar, and it has to go somewhere. We plan the exhaust location early, since it affects which unit you can use and where it sits.
Glass changes the cooling load
Large glass walls look great but let in more heat than an insulated wall. We size the cooling for the glass you choose, not just the floor area.
Plan for growth
Most collections grow. We usually recommend racking for more bottles than you have today, or space to add racking later.
FAQ
Wine cellars: common questions
What temperature should a wine cellar be?
Most collectors aim for a steady temperature somewhere around the low to mid teens Celsius with moderate humidity. Consistency matters more than the exact number, which is why the room is insulated and cooled.
Can I build a wine cellar in an existing finished basement?
Usually, yes. We can convert a storage room or part of a finished space by rebuilding the walls and ceiling as an insulated, sealed envelope and adding cooling.
Do I need a cooling unit, or is a basement cool enough?
In most GTA homes, a basement is not cool or stable enough year round, especially near the furnace. A cooling unit keeps the temperature steady through summer and winter.
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Where we build
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Start your wine cellars project
Tell us a little about your project. We will call within one business day to arrange a site visit, then show you a design in 3D and a fixed price before anything is built.
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