Awesome - thanks everyone! Sounds like we will get the wet bar! Our other projects are probably not too exciting to most - inside list include built ins for the office, new furniture and mattress for master bedroom, home theatre also in basement and outside we will build a pool, fireplace, patio, etc. We just built the house 1.5 years ago and didn’t get a lot of the things we wanted through the builder so slowly adding. The bar wasn’t actually planned but there is an awkward space in our basement where we realized a bar would fit perfectly so it’s now been added into the budget (which pains me a little but makes my husband happy!)

Wetbar adds values in the appraisal

A dry bar is no better than a piece of furniture. Perhaps worse, because you can't move it.

A wet bar is incredibly functional.

So, yes, I think it adds a ton of value to a home.

Do it now. We have a dry bar in our recently renovated kitchen. It is fine but I wish we had been able to install one (permit issue with DCRA in DC). Wasn’t an issue of money.

I could live without a small dishwasher.

Anonymous wrote:While we can technically afford it, there are other things I’d rather use the money towards since we have quite a few additional projects we’d like to take on in the house. A few thousand might not seem like much but it seems like each project budget ends up a few thousand more than we planned and with more things in the horizon I’m trying to be more focused with the money we spend on each project! Guess we will have to wait to see what the total estimate is after the designer finishes the detailed estimate.

Curious what other updates you have in mind.

I say do it now. I think the room will be used more frequently if you have a wet bar, vs dry bar. And my bet is that you'll wish you had it later and then it would be more expensive to add after the fact, more costly, and it would mean that you'd have to deal with construction mess again.

Wet bar. And +1 on the small dishwasher

While we can technically afford it, there are other things I’d rather use the money towards since we have quite a few additional projects we’d like to take on in the house. A few thousand might not seem like much but it seems like each project budget ends up a few thousand more than we planned and with more things in the horizon I’m trying to be more focused with the money we spend on each project! Guess we will have to wait to see what the total estimate is after the designer finishes the detailed estimate.

If you can afford it, I say make it a wet bar. Since you have a bathroom nearby, I don't think it would be too much to extend plumbing, but of course I don't really know and you would need to talk to a plumber.

Also add a mini dishwasher. Otherwise, you'd have to handwash barware or schlep it up and down the stairs.

When thinking about practicality and resale value, what are opinions about a wet vs dry bar? We have a finished basement with a pool table and sectional in the main area and are looking to put in a small bar and finish the bathroom. The bar will be against the wall only (no bar counter top with bar stools). We are in the process of pricing everything out but guessing adding a sink and water connection for a fridge/freezer will cost several thousand and I’m not sure it’s worth it. We will have the bathroom sink right next to the bar if we really needed to rinse something out or get water. But if we are spending $30 -$35k I don’t want to skip a feature that people would expect.

Examples of the type of bar we are building.... (the fridge and some additional cabinets would be to the left in a small corner nook)
http://infosid.pw/huge/
https://images.app.goo.gl/YJC5s3sWmbYBjW238