“There can’t be good living where there is not good drinking” – Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

Building your first home bar is one of life’s greatest pleasures and accomplishments. It is a source of pride and shows that you are ready to embrace the full capacity of your home.

It is important to kick your hosting game up a notch while still on a budget. One way to do that is to create the perfect home bar; this will create a fun interactive area for you, your friends and still be there when the party has come to an end.

This week we share with you steps to follow when creating the perfect home bar:

Location! Location!

The advantage of a home bar is that you can do built it anywhere in your home however when creating the perfect home bar it is important to keep crowd-control in mind, so be sure that there is easy access to the bar as well as an easy way to keep people moving. You could use spacious corner in the entertainment area or on a spacious sheltered balcony.

Bar Set Up

1. The standard bar height is 42 inches; it is easier to find bar stools if you maintain this height.
2. The overhang should be at least 8 inches however when it comes to knee room, more is better.
3. The bar top should be 16 to 20 inches wide, including the molding. Bar molding is important because: It keeps spilled drinks from dribbling off the bar and it provides a comfortable armrest.
4. The drink rail is a nice feature to add, but not a necessity for a home bar.
5. A drip lip which isa thin strip of protruding wood keeps spills from running off the bar top.
6. The minimum stool spacing is 2 feet however this could cause crowding, feel free to increase the space to 30 inches.
7. The foot rail should be 7 to 9 in. off the floor. A simple ledge will be sufficient.

The Booze

One can’t have a bar without a wide range of liquor. The booze should not necessarily be expensive brands. Affordable classics like gin, scotch, whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and a few red and/or white wines are enough to get the party started.

And in those few steps you have your perfect home bar.