New Cellar - Oh That Texas Heat!

[hotwine]

AMW, you addressed your question to OOS, but I'll jump in.<P>If you're planning a DIY project, you can do it pretty cheaply, except for the cooler. You would need extra insulation (how much is debatable) and racks. Since it would be a closet inside your house (an air-conditioned space), you would only need about 20 degrees of protection below the house temp of 75F or so. You could get that with a single layer of 1/2" foamcore, in my opinion. Add racks (I got mine from Sam's Wholesale at $59 for a single 168 bottle rack (check price in the archives, could have been a bit less), low-wattage lighting (5 or 10 watt, comes on when the door is open), and a Whisperkool unit to match your cubic footage. Not too expensive at all. But if you want to have a contractor do it for you, double the price. At least. You also would need a dedicated electrical circuit (with its own breaker).