Introduction
In this article we will take you through our top home bar ideas on a budget. Despite what you might think, you don’t need a ton of money to build an awesome home bar, we’ll show you everything you need to consider to help you plan, create and stock your budget home bar.
How to plan a home bar on a budget?
So how do you plan a home bar on a budget? Well first things first, here’s our top 5 considerations on the process of planning a budget friendly home bar.
- Step one – Sit down with a pen and paper and plan out your bar, consider exactly how you want it to look when it is complete.
- Step two – Think about everything you might need to create your bar, what machinery, tools, glassware, lighting, alcohol will you need? If your unsure on this, click here to check out our article on the Top 20 home bar essentials.
- Step three – Shop around and put the prices next to each item on your list and total it all up. We’ve listed some budget friendly bar products below to help.
- Step four – Assess your list, can you swap out some of the items for cheaper items/materials? Are there some items that you can buy second hand or even live without that aren’t as important initially?
- Step five – Hopefully you can create an affordable home bar without breaking the bank but if not then its time to either save more money for a while or look at alternatives to get you started.
How much does a home bar cost?
A home bar can cost as little or as much as you want it to, there are plenty of ways to splash out on a home bar but there are also plenty of ways you can save money too.
In most cases the cost of the bar will be in direct correlation to the size of the bar you are building, the bigger the bar build, the bigger your budget will need to be of course.
If you want a contractor to custom create your bar for you this option will cost the most, you can expect to pay around $4000+. A pre-made nominal sized bar will be more affordable you can expect to pay around $2000 – $4000. If your looking to really save money though however creating your own DIY home bar may be best, you can make a cheap DIY home bar for less than $2000.
Cheaper Alternatives
If you don’t have the space or the budget for a full sized bar in your home, you can confine your bar area to just a simple cabinet. These kinds of bar cabinets are also inexpensive, and could offer a good temporary solution while you save up the money for a full sized bar build. There are some affordable bar cabinet examples listed below.
Our article on small home bar ideas also offers some great inexpensive options. You can check it out here.
DIY home bar ideas on a budget
Self build bar projects are great fun and can save you a fortune altogether. You have the freedom and flexibility to design it yourself exactly how you want it to be.
Sourcing and assembling the materials yourself may take longer but it can be worth it. With a bit of thought and creativity you can recycle some used materials like pallets and even upcycle old furniture and turn it into an amazing home bar. Do you have an old side table or bookcase you can transform?
What about searching for a cheap home bar for sale? Buying second hand may be a good option, there are plenty of people selling unused things on second hand websites these days that you can put to use.
Choosing some of these options will mean that you can avoiding buying everything new as buying new can often cost more! Check the images below for cheap homemade bar ideas..
What do you need for a basic home bar?
As we’ve discussed not all bars need to cost a fortune, if were trying to save money we need to avoid over spending on unnecessary things. You can keep it simple at first, start with the small equipment and grow from there. We’ve done some leg work for you and listed some amazing value for money home bar equipment below.
Stocking a home bar on a budget
No home bar would be complete without the all important alcohol to serve. Below is a list of our 5 tips to save money when stocking your home bar.
- Buy in bulk. Buying cases of beer, wine, and liquor instead of individual bottles will be cheaper. If you have the space to store it, buying your alcohol in bulk will save you a lot of money.
- Start with the basics, the first step in stocking your home bar is to buy only what you need. This will help you stay under budget and give you room to grow as you go along.
- Make smaller drinks to start off with, this will this will mean you don’t have to re-stock as often.
- Only expand to buying the more expensive alcohols when you can afford to. You can upgrade to premium alcohols on the pricier side later.
- Make cocktails on the cheaper side. There are some cocktails that use cheaper ingredients and are some of the most popular in a bar, such as like a rum & coke or a daiquiri.
Conclusion
In conclusion there are many different financial considerations to make when creating a home bar, by following the tips in this article, you should have a good idea about what your budget is and how to stick to it. We hope you have enjoyed looking through our budget friendly home bar ideas and that this article has given you the confidence to plan your own cheap bar build. Cheers!
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