Landchark

Finally got some more done on the k2 lounge.

Part 1: Neon

Added 4 neon tubes going down the stairs to give more of a Vegas feel to the entrance.

I had the opportunity to make these myself, and it was quite a neat experience. I have a friend in the local university’s art glass program, and he gave me a demo on how to make the them and then I proceeded to make 3 more. The tubes themselves are pre-made, and you have to melt the glass ends to attach the ‘nodes’ or whatever they are called that you attach the electricity to, then pump them full of neon gas. Hook them up to a transformer and there you have it, instant Vegas.

Now I just have to practice the bending of the tubes to make a giant flamingo or something.

Part 2: Kegerator with Wall Beer Tap

The next big addition was the adding of a beer tap behind the bar.

When my grandmother passed this summer, I claimed her old Philco refrigerator that was down in her basement. It amazes me how well things were made back in the day. This thing has about 3 inches of insulation on every side and is the quietest refrigerator compressor I have ever heard. It maintaining a steady 34 degrees (Fahrenheit) on the mid setting, which I couldn’t believe.

Worried that it would be a huge electricity drain, we hooked up a watt meter to it and it only takes the same amount of electricity as my mini-fridge under the bar. So no worries there.

I got the shank, faucet and coupler from the bar I used to work at, and ordered the drip tray from Perfect Brewing Supply. Picked up a 20 pound CO2 tank and regulator from a local gas supply company. Some hose, hose clamps, and a couple hole saw bits and I was all set to start.

Drilled the hole in the side of the fridge and put the 2 hoses through. I wrapped them in duct tape first to prevent them from being cut by the sharp metal edges on the hole. I drilled a pilot hole then did one side at a time to so I could look inside the wall of the fridge and make sure that I wasn’t going to hit a coolant line.

After shoving the hoses through the hole, I filled in the hole with Great Stuff expanding foam. That stuff really is Great. sealed the hole and hardened to hold the tubes in place.

Drilled a hole in the wall and mounted the faucet & shank with the drip tray hanging off it.

Drilled another hole below that and pushed the drain tube through and ran that down to the floor drain. Someday, when I get around to finishing the bath/laundry room, I’ll hard pipe that drain, but for now, this will work.

Hooked up all the rest of the tubing and then tapped my first beer.

Let me tell you, nothing tastes better than a beer out of your own wall.

Tags: , bar, basement bar, beer, kegerator, neon, philco, tap by chadd
3 Comments »

I have discovered the ultimate addition to the basement bar : an icemaker.

got myself one of these baby’s for Christmas and never again will I have to make that mid-party trip to the gas station to get an overpriced, underfilled bag of ice that I drop and rip open on the way out of the trunk and spill half the ice in the driveway.

Magic Chef - Counter Top Ice Maker . the thing makes no more noise than a compact fridge and fits neatly under my blackjack table . yet it can spit out a tray of ice every 7-8 minutes from the moment you turn it on.
the beast kept up with my new years party of 10 people with no problem. never had to wait for a cube.

there’s a lot of moving parts in there, and i’m sure it will die approx. 15 seconds after the 1 year warranty runs out, but i’m going to use the heck out of it until then (sorry for the coarse language there, i’m just THAT excited).

next on the list: running water.
dare to dream.

Tags: , bar, basement bar, ice by chadd
1 Comment »

So i finally got it (mostly) done. (Is a project like this ever really “done”?)

The basement casino is open for business.

Breif history:

When we moved into the house, there was nothing down there. Just a big open box with the concrete foundation walls on all sides. Staircase coming down in the middle, furnace & water heater on one side, laundry washer & dryer on the other.

This last spring, I, with the help of my dear ol’ pop, put up drywall walls to create some rooms. Walled off a furnace room, and also a laundry room.

These photos were taken Sept 25, 2006.

I posted those, so you can see what has happened in a very short time span, considering it’s only been one mere mortal working on it.

So, without any further ado, chadd’s new basement casino:

Welcome to the k2 Lounge!

Bar

New Bottle shelves (added Nov 22 2006)

Beer Tap (added july 2007)

Blackjack table

Craps

Poker

Entertainment center

Home Theater PC (added march 2008)

Jukebox (added april 2008)

Random shots

There’s still a lot to do. Need more art on the walls, need to add kegerator behind the bar [update: wall beer tap added], add a sink behind the bar, add a couple bookshelves, trim out the drywall, start/finish the downstairs bathroom in the laundry room. Should keep me occupied for a while.

In the meantime, it’s done enough to be usable, my own little piece of Vegas in my basement. And, after the first party we had down there last week, I think it will work out well. But, i think i might have to initiate taking a rake from the poker table, or else i’m going to have to send back that volcano for the front yard and the flamingos for the back.

Tags: , basement bar, blackjack, craps, home casino, home theater, htpc, jukebox, k2 lounge, pinball, poker by chadd
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You can build all the poker tables you want, but to make your basement a real man cave, there is just one thing that you need.

A bar.

Building a bar in your basement can be as simple or as complex as you want. I have gone with fairly simple. Basically building a freestanding counter top.

The plan is to attach it to the blackjack table on one end to create the “L”-shape. I had to add the “cut out” on one end of the bar to allow plenty of room to stand behind the blackjack table and deal without having to reach over the bar counter. It cuts out some countertop workspace, but I can live with it.

Here are the plans I drew up:

Dimensions:
42″ tall (not including padded rail)
3″ padded rail
6′ long
24″ deep counter
24″ deep bar top centered on edge of counter
12″ overhang on bar top for legroom underneath
36″ tall countertop

phase 1: build the base frame

add the countertop

added a shelf and the first layer of the bar top:

The bar top:

It is stained with a blue tinted stain, Island Waters I think is the official Minwax name of the tint.

Just to ensure that it is fitting right, I laid the bar top on the base. Also added a few more shelves, and set in the new mini fridge I got from Sears to see how it fit. It fits nice.

Since the top was on the bar, I thought I would push it together with the blackjack table and get an idea of how the whole thing fit together.

Next step was to take the entire thing apart. Fun, Fun. It was a good practice run for when I have to take the bartop off to carry the thing downstairs to the basement anyways. Got it all taken apart and painted the inside black. Then I reassembled and put the bar top back on.

I padded a 3 inch rail (pictured above) with 1″ green foam from joann fabrics and whisper vinyl. Again, that process is documented in my poker table building post, and if you need even more help, read the padded rail maker’s bible

After I got it all put together, i layed it on it’s side and upholstered the front identical to the blackjack table.

After the bar was all put together and upholstered, I made myself a Brandy Manhattan, straight up, hold the water, and toss the cherry. Tasted even better from behind my own bar.

The only thing left is a few strips of trim to be nailed on around the edge of the bar top. After that, it’s down to the basement.

[update: check out how the bar and blackjack table look now that they are moved down into the basement k2 lounge]

Tags: , bar, bar plans, basement bar, blackjack table, casino fun by chadd
6 Comments »