Finally Built a Cigar Lounge!

[massphatness]

After years and years of squirreling away money as well as hemming and hawing about getting the project started, I finally pulled the trigger on converting a chunk of our basement into a cigar lounge.

Concurrent with the decision to build the lounge was a decision to replace and upgrade the existing HVAC system in the house. We went from two furnaces down to one, and the space savings allowed for a lounge that is just about 400 sq ft.

First issue, however, was taking care of a support pole right in the middle of the space. While a built in stripper pole anchored to both the floor and ceiling beam would allow me to incorporate a high intensity core workout into a routine that currently includes no exercise whatsoever, I ultimately decided on having it removed. This necessitated an upgraded support beam being installed, and they literally had a portion of the house on jacks when they did that.

BEFORE
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AFTER
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In order to appease my better half, I opted to have a completely separate HVAC system handle the lounge. Went with a mini split that uses ductwork separate from the main house plus an air exchange unit to filter and provide fresh air.

MINI-SPLIT FOR HEAT & COOLING
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AIR EXCHANGE UNIT IS THE BOX ON THE CINDER BLOCKS
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As the framing took shape, we made the decision to seal up the two windows in the space to give the lounge a darker feel and reduce any potential glare on the TV.


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[massphatness]

One of the big decisions centered around insulation. I promised Grace I’d do everything possible to mitigate any cigar smoke seeping into the main part of the house. So while weather tight doors were a no brainer, I also decided on spray foam insulation. Lots of research went into the decision, and I know more about things like vapor barriers and R values and permeance than I care to. In the end, I went with the “closed cell” spray foam option which insulates the hell out of the space (R value of 6-6.5 per sq inch), but more importantly, has a permeance of 0.8 perm. In layman’s terms, the lounge holds its temp extremely well and has a better than code vapor barrier throughout. The spray foam went everywhere except beneath the floor: all walls and ceilings were foamed with the stuff. The down side: forget about ever snaking anything through the walls. The closed-cell foam is basically concrete.

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After the spray foam went in, the dry wall went up. Phase II of the project is going to include a walk-in humidor which I had the contractor rough out. In addition to the spray foam that went in the walls and ceilings of the walk-in, he used green board for the dry wall in there. He used regular dry wall in the lounge itself.

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[massphatness]

Grace picked out a killer ceramic tile flooring that has a faux bleached wood grain look to it.

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Went with a mold-resistant wainscoting product around the perimeter of the room. We don’t have any water issues in the basement, but better safe.

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Originally, I wanted a traditional bar in the back of the room. Something I could stand behind to make drinks that also provided a few extra seats for guests. Space considerations negated that plan, but I did end up with a nice service bar with a granite counter top, a sink and plenty of storage beneath. (The contractor still owes me cabinet doors.) I’m also looking into having him build me some display shelving. The vision is to have a couple wood columns extending from the ceiling to counter that would support two thick glass shelves. The columns would be positioned to the left and right of the sink inside of each of the electrical outlets. That’s a photo for another time – for now, I’m waiting on pricing.

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I mentioned earlier that the walk-in is really going to be Phase II of the project. It was supposed to be a whole lot bigger, but I ran into a code issue with clearance space between the humidor wall and furnace. That chopped about 14” of width from the humi, and while I’ll still be able to store a ton of boxes, I had originally envisioned the space to be more grandiose than it ultimately will. C’est la vie!

There’s a funky jag in the walk-in because the contractor had to frame around the mini-split in order to capture as much space as possible. I am thinking of working with Bob Staebell and have him pre-fab the walls in something like a mahogany and add Spanish cedar storage shelving along the left and back walls with maybe a four or five drawer singles cabinet. Because I can’t get full shelves on all walls due to the space limitations, I’m hoping I might be able to do some angled display shelving on the right-hand wall.

Plan is not install any temperature control since it’s very cool in the basement (even in the dead heat of summer), and I don’t mind cooler storage conditions. Will talk to Bob about a recommended humidifier, and I’ll probably go with one of the larger refillable units he sells.

I did install a 72 bottle corner wine rack in the walk-in since the temp stays at a solid 60* throughout. Bought the rack pre-laquered as a kit and used a brad nailer to bang it together. Was a lot easier than I imagined – thankfully, as I suck at building things. Really like the look of it, and I needed the wine storage. It’s currently bolted to the wall and will be easy to remove once the mahogany walls are installed. Then I’ll just re-bolt it into place.

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I really have to give Grace big props because she really put together a nice color palette for the room. I have no feel for this kind of thing, and while I did pick out the furniture, she really pulled everything together with the color scheme.

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[massphatness]

As with the bar, I thought I was going to be able to fit more seating in the space. Spatial recognition is not my strong suit. In the end, I dropped the idea that a love seat would fit in the lounge on top of the chairs of sofa already in there. The furniture line did not have a recliner as part of their offering, and I very much see an ottoman in my future.

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The accoutrements around the room are a smattering of things I’ve collected over the years thinking “someday this will look great in a cigar lounge” to auction lots I’ve won here and on other boards to gifts from some amazing friends.

This is what you see walking down the basement stairs. We had the painter extend the red from the room partially into the unfinished space. A heavy curtain closes off the unfinished space at the bottom of the stairs to the left. The door to the cigar lounge is on the right.
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Picked this up in Cuba last November
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Many of you will fondly remember this guy …
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The one thing for which I will absolutely take credit is this ceiling mural of a 1600’s map of Cuba. It is my pièce de résistance!

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When the contractor was building out the space, he created soffits around the perimeter of the TV area of the lounge in order to better incorporate the center support beam that needed to be boxed in. This created a faux recessed ceiling effect, and he lined it with crown molding, but I was left staring at big blank ceiling space. Was looking around online for ideas and ran across a site that produces murals on artist canvas that get hung much in the same way one hangs wallpaper. Originally, I was going to do some kind of Cuban flag motif until I found an image of this map. I loved the aged look of the thing like where it’s faded on one end but not the other owing to how it must have been folded. I was able to find a hi-res image of the file on a photography website, and mural company did a nice job of printing it on to the canvas. They also worked with my wallpaper hanger to make sure he had all the info necessary to put it up because while it’s similar to hanging wallpaper, there are some differences. In the end, I love it as it adds a dramatic touch that really pulls the whole room together and screams cigar lounge.

Lots of little punch list items I need to work through, but I wanted to share this with you all. I will say, and as some can attest, the room does get quite smoky with 6-7 guys in it puffing away on cigars for two or three hours. One of the many things that need to be adjusted, but overall, I’m pretty happy with the room. Need to take a bit of breather before I have the walk-in finished, but I see many hours of enjoyment to come.

[stearns]

yup, that's super ****ing cool. Thanks for the step by step, it's great seeing it come together :tu

[CigarNut]

Thanks for sharing the pics -- your lounge looks awesome!

[bonjing]

Amazing, Vin!

[Doctorossi]

Awesome, Vin! That looks phenomenal! :banger

You must be such a proud papa. :noon

[4WheelVFR]

That is fantastic. Very well done sir.

[Steve]

Awesome Vin!

[Black Coral]

Looks great Vin

[croatan]

Absolutely beautiful, Vin! And I love the Cuban ceiling map!

[icehog3]

Lucky enough to say that it looks even cooler when you're sitting and smoking in it. The room is comfortable, beautiful....spectacular!

[cort]

F'in BAD ASS, Vinny!!!!!!!

[Buckeye Jack]

Looks great brother!

[elderboy02]

That is freaking sweet! I am jelly!

[pnoon]

Spectacular, Vin.

It is what many of us only dream of having.

[AdamJoshua]

Congrats, Vin that is absolutely gorgeous and one of those the nicest spaces I've seen, I'd never bolt from that room.

[Porch Dweller]

Wow, that is just great!!!

[Da Klugs]

Friggin Awsome!

Feeling Inspired.

[hudd]

Looks awesome. The map is the crowning touch.

[bobarian]

Looks amazing Vin! Well done!:banger:banger:banger

[afranco]

Amazing just amazing

[Skywalker]

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First of all... Nice Rack!!!

Second, WOW!!! This looks fantastic!!!

Thanks for sharing so many of the details and nuances!!! :tu

I can't wait to visit!

[massphatness]

I can't wait to visit!

Any time, D! (As long as your wife sends you with cookies ...)

[longknocker]

Looks Awesome, Vin!:D Great Job!:tu

[GTS21]

Looks incredible Vin!!

[AdamJoshua]

I will just say this, I think you should have kept the flower, kits and balloons motif, but than that's just me :)

[ksknnr]

that's awesome, so where in MA are you? I will be house hunting soon, and this may sway my decision on how close you live! haha

[yourchoice]

Spectacular, Vin! Thanks for sharing!!!

[BigAsh]

Looks good...nice to see a "clear" picture (**cough cough**) of what it looks like! :rolleyes:
Hahaha....I can attest to the awesomeness of the lounge :tu...Vin done good!

[Ogre]

Thats Awesome

[aaron72]

It turned out fantastic. Really enjoyed reading through the progress and your process for deciding what to do.

[G G]

That’s great Vin!!!

[massphatness]

that's awesome, so where in MA are you? I will be house hunting soon, and this may sway my decision on how close you live! haha

I'm in Littleton (near 2 & 495) -- PM me if you want to swing by for a smoke or two sometime

[Greentud]

Excellent

[Tio Gato]

Looks awesome. The map is the crowning touch.

It really is spectacular in person. It's truly an awesome room.:tu

[EricF]

Beautiful job Vin!

[Brlesq]

You did an awesome job! That looks great!

[Theo Cincy]

Awesome Vin!

[Havanaaddict]

That is BAD ASS now the bigger question is there a place that I can sleep when I come to visit. :D

[jonumberone]

Vin's lounge is the the bee's knees!

I've never viewed Independence Day: Resurgence in such comfort!

[YankeeMan]

As we say in English class, "Ya dun good!" Fantastic job!

[Don Fernando]

Oké, I think I have a nice man cave/lounge, walk in included, but damn Vin, you made me jealous just now.

[icehog3]

I've never viewed Independence Day: Resurgence in such comfort!

:D :wo

[ArgusP2]

*start slow clap*

Awesome, simply awesome...

[Dux]

I can see my photo ;) I feel honored!!

The room looks amazing!!

[hotreds]

I hope that some day I can have a smoke with you therein, fratello!

[Thaplumbr]

Top notch, very nice!!!!

[MarkinAZ]

Can I live with you and Grace Vin? I promise to swab and clean the cigar lounge floors daily;)

Wow! Talk about Cigar Lounge envy:D

Nice set-up Vin:tu

[DBall]

Incredible set up, man!!!

[Dave128]

Very nice!

[gorob23]

Lucky enough to say that it looks even cooler when you're sitting and smoking in it. The room is comfortable, beautiful....spectacular!

MMMM but do they serve Waffles :sl

Rob ;s

LOVE the baseball wine holder :tu

[BigAsh]

MMMM but do they serve Waffles :sl

Rob ;s

LOVE the baseball wine holder :tu

Nice...that is sweeeet! :D

[jrw]

My cigar lounge is much larger, and has natural lighting and cross-flow ventilation. My cigar lounge is a patio table and folding chair in the back yard; the umbrella somehow disappeared years ago.

Congrats, Vin, you're the envy of us all.

[cricky101]

Wow. That is epic. Congrats and happy smoking!

[massphatness]

Bought a refurbbed Super Automatic Espresso Machine for the lounge. Short money vs. the stupid prices they go for new. I see lots of caffeine in my future.

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[CigarNut]

Awesome! I may have to come visit you! :D

[mosesbotbol]

Bought a refurbbed Super Automatic Espresso Machine for the lounge. Short money vs. the stupid prices they go for new. I see lots of caffeine in my future.

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My cousin is into fixing them. Crazy how much these machines are new.

[icehog3]

Let's get all hopped up on caffeine and Nicaraguan cigars! :D

[massphatness]

Ghurkas for everyone!

[stearns]

Ghurkas for everyone!

:wo

[AdamJoshua]

Ghurkas for everyone!

When I want someone to sh!t in my mouth, I'll pay for it like everyone else.

[jjirons69]

Green with envy!! Looks superb!

[longknocker]

Bought a refurbbed Super Automatic Espresso Machine for the lounge. Short money vs. the stupid prices they go for new. I see lots of caffeine in my future.

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:dr:tu

[OLS]

Vin that is a piece of resistance fo sho. Love the baseball player wine bottle holder, haha.
I love everything about it. It must have taken a LOT of squirrels to do that. Good on ya!

[Tio Gato]

Mmmm. Coffee drinks! Nice addition.:tu

[configur3d]

Looks amazing. Job well done.

[massphatness]

Added an authentic bourbon barrel as a corner display piece. The barrel was in use for a few years at the Smuggler's Notch distillery in VT. Truth be told, I wanted something from Kentucky, but this barrel had the best look -- including a decent and readable logo.

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I might think of adding some sort of corner shelf above the barrel as it looks a little barren. Maybe something that would display a bottle or two of nice bourbon along with some glasses.

[markem]

Very nice, Vin.

[Dave128]

Nice addition, Vin.

[Havanaaddict]

:tu Is there still room for my cot:)

[afranco]

Very nice !!!

[big pete]

Killer room Vin!

[racerX]

Sweet work champion

[Old Sailor]

:banger:banger:banger

[massphatness]

After taking a bit of a break, I've had one of my friends who's a woodworking hobbyist start building out the walk-in for me.

Went with tongue & groove Mahogany bead board for the walls and ceiling.

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I seasoned the Mahogany with distilled water and after a few days, the humidity & temp settled into the low 60's and hasn't moved in nearly a month. I have a five gallon humidifier, but I haven't had the need to so much as unpack it yet.

I put a 72-bottle wine rack corner unit in that fit perfectly to the left of the door. My friend built a 24" deep bookcase style shelving unit as the primary storage area for the cigars. The shelves are 100% Spanish Cedar and he drilled out ventilation holes throughout.

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Because the walk-in is somewhat narrow, I'm only really able to utilize one of the side walls for storage which is why I went 24" on the depth. However, at 24" I can easily go three boxes deep. While two of the shelves are adjustable, I have everything at the same height for the moment. To get a sense for space, there's enough between shelves to stack boxes of PCs nine high.

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Here's what it looks so far ...

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I was able to fit 4 marine coolers full of cigars, another half-sized cooler plus the contents of an end table humidor on the shelves. I need to do a lot of re-organizing to spread things out a bit, but I'd guess there's still 30%+ free space.

Next steps is for my friend to install a Spanish Cedar display shelf along the back wall that will line-up with the middle shelf of the bookcase unit. Beneath the display shelf will be additional shelving to the left and five or six singles drawers to the right.

Above the display shelf will be a narrow 7" shelf for jars.

Shilala made me a super nice Partagas sign a few years back, and that's going on the angled piece of the ceiling.

Need to watch the humidity, but so far, it hasn't budged. Might look into a couple small corner fans to move the air around a bit.

Will post some additional pics once it's complete, but I'm beyond ecstatic about the progress to date.

[Black Coral]

Nicely done

[markem]

Beautiful.

[Porch Dweller]

Wow!!!

[GTS21]

Looks incredible!

[Dave128]

Sweet!

[Havanaaddict]

Looking good Vin. :dr

[Da Klugs]

Perfect. Must feel good.

[CigarNut]

Looks awesome, Vin!

[icehog3]

So cool, Vin! :tu

Is this inside the smoking lounge or adjacent to it?

[mk05]

Perfect, just did inventory.

[massphatness]

Is this inside the smoking lounge or adjacent to it?

It's off the bar area in the back of the room

[massphatness]

Perfect, just did inventory.

The jar shelf will be the perfect place for the new addition you're bringing :noon

[mk05]

All boxes must to be in alphabetical and chronological order, or it's going to be a long day for me.

[AdamJoshua]

Looks awesome, Vin!

[icehog3]

It's off the bar area in the back of the room

Awesome! Looking forward to sneaking some peeks in a couple of weeks.

Poet, I am.

All boxes must to be in alphabetical and chronological order, or it's going to be a long day for me.

O

C

D

:lr

[dijit]

Definitely more WOW!

[HK3-]

That looks amazing! :tu:tu

[RevSmoke]

Looks nice! Great selection of smokes.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[RevSmoke]

Looks nice! Great selection of smokes.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[The Poet]

Bought a refurbbed Super Automatic Espresso Machine for the lounge. Short money vs. the stupid prices they go for new. I see lots of caffeine in my future.

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Vin, are you sure that's not a Dalek? Exterminate! Exterminate! :r

Your lounge looks awesome. Were I a jealous man I would be a jealous man.

[357]

C

D

O

:lr

Fixed that for you. Alphabetical! CDO is OCD to the next level.

Vin, great lounge and walkin. Beautiful enough to make any cigar smoker jealous. Not to mention the selection within. :ss

[DPD6030]

Awesome lounge Vin!

[longknocker]

Sweet!!!:D:banger:tu

[Edeustace]

That map mural is beautiful as is the rest! That is a goal of mine, thanks for some great inspiration!

[massphatness]

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Finally got the walk-in finished!

Due to some code issues with clearance for the furnace - which is on the other side of the right-hand wall - it's narrower than I had originally envisioned.

I'm still very happy with it even though I had go with deeper shelving units on the left which created a difficult to access corner space in the back. Silver lining is the boxes in that corner are going to be forgotten about for years since it's so inaccessible.

The walls are tongue and groove mahogany. All of the shelving and drawers are Spanish cedar as are the counter top and display shelf that run along the back wall.

I have a humidification unit but haven't had to even unpack it yet as the space stays rock solid at 66/66. I wouldn't mind the humidity dropping to the low 60s, but I'm not going to screw with it.

As you walk in, there's a 72 bottle corner wine rack on the left. The temp is perhaps a touch high for wine but not so much that I'm going to notice a difference.

And the Partagas sign looks like it was meant for the space. Shilala made that a bunch of years ago, and I got it in a trade. It's beautiful and really makes the whole thing pop.

Hard to tell from the way the cigars are arranged, but I have plenty of room for additional boxes. My guess is I'm only using about 60% of the shelf space (not including the counter). But seeing all the boxes out of the coolers has actually tamped back my buying a bit.

Overall, very happy with how it all came out.

[CigarNut]

It looks awesome, Vin!

[icehog3]

Beautiful, Vin, can't wait to grace it again. :D

[markem]

Wow! That's an amazing space. I agree about the Partagas sign. Scott did a great job.

[Havanaaddict]

I am sure I can fit a cot in there:D

[Porch Dweller]

Looks great!

[BigBruce]

Nice job on your walk in! One day when I’m done moving I hope I can have something similar.

[Edeustace]

That is a beautiful walk-in and the Partagas sign is a great piece!

[RevSmoke]

Very nice! Might have to get out to Mass. again sometime, just to visit.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[dijit]

Ok its official I am jealous as hell! Very nice Vin. Who's up for a road trip to see it IRL?