Pau o'le Pa'ina Lounge... 8/2...more photos

Hello all fellow handy TC'ers!

Like so many before us, my wife and I are planning on building a bar in our house. As we are most likely moving in a few years, the bar is going to be of the free-standing type, and not built-in. I am hoping to make it in an 'L' shape to accommodate an ice bin and a mini fridge.

The "suggestions" part of this post is that after searching around Google and eBay for 'drop in ice bin', I can not find anything for less than $220! I was hoping to find a small stainless steel bin like you would see at a regular bar, but so far everything seems excessively priced. So, has anyone put one of these into their own bar, have any suggestions, etc?

Mahalo! :drink:

• editing this thread to be a progress report on bar construction...

http://www.tikihappy.net

[ Edited by: Jawa on 2005-06-14 10:13 ]

[ Edited by: Jawa 2005-09-02 08:56 ]

Why not just a simple ice bucket?

But if you absolutely have to have an ice bin, my suggestion is: get a bus tub. Bus tubs are those high-sided trays that busboys use to bus tables. A tray with 8"-high sides. At a restaurant supply store, they are like $5.

So -- build your L shaped bar. Bars are the easiest of home construction jobs. Make a space in your bartop to drop in the bus tub, then fill with ice.

A good starting point for a home bar is the plan in this book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811826538/qid=1118157909/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-7395927-5465720

It is not for an L shaped bar, but the plans will show you that you are basically just using ready-made shelving brackets from Home Depot and pine planks to make the bar, so extending it to an L shape shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Here''s mine, complete with ice bucket:

Hi sin, thanks for the suggestion! Have to figure out some way to insulate that area still if I went that way.

The main reason for the ice bin instead of a bucket is usability and aesthetics. Since I will be making most of the drinks, I would like to have a setup I can get behind and have every thing within easy reach. The bin holds more ice, so less trips to the freezer to fill it. Also, I think it would just look cool...lol!

Mahalo! :drink:

What about using a rubbermaid tub, they come in all different sizes and shapes. You could cut a hole in the bar top for the tub to sit in and use pvc plumbing parts to put a small valve on the bottum to drain it. If you wanted to insulate you could cover it with spray foam.
I seen this done on a buddys race car trailor. Sorry I dont have any pics.

Thanks rodeo, that's a good suggestion too!

With a rubbermaid container, you have a lid as well...

WHay not just use a small cooler like this? Already insulated and has a lid.

All you'd need to do is improvise some kind of brackets on the side hold it in place in the bar.

Tiki-bot, I think your idea is what I will end up going with in the end. It seems like the best compromise between cost and what I wanted, lol!
Thanks! :drink:

The latest addition to my living room:

This was based on plans outlined in the pad book, but modified to be taller and narrower to fit in the space I had. I am building another one to go on the other side of the french doors that this one is beside. This one still needs trim around the shelves...and the top is still not quite right to me. What do you think?

I am also dropping my plans for the L bar and going with the suggestion from Satan's Sin, :lol: I could not get an L bar to fit into my wacky shaped living room correctly. Plus, the pad bar is way easier on the old wallet than what I had planned, which means more money for the important stuff...booze!

Thanks for looking :drink:

Also your local Resturant supply shop should have various sized stainless steel boxes, pots, coolers, trays and you name it.

Some recent photos...lol. The bar already looks different, but I didn't want to pull the camera out in the middle of the night. I will most likely edit this post once everything is put together...

Bar from the front, featuring Heidi:

Bar front, sans Heidi:

Mug display/back bar. I have another one of these in progress to go on the other side of the doorway to the right:

Behind the bar, notice the stack of magazines for weight. I am working on a sliding shelf to counter-balance everything when having parties, etc:

Just some photos from a recent party in honor of my wife's 26th birthday!

http://www.tikihappy.net/gallery/view_album.asp?Album_ID=57