About Wet Bars

Wet bars, whether simple or elaborate, offer a means of entertaining guests and bringing the bar experience into your home. They encompass a wide variety of shapes, sizes and themes. Large, expensive and elaborate wet bars are often only within the reach of the wealthy. However, with today's do-it-yourself ethic, anyone can have a small wet bar in their home.

Function

Wet bars serve one very important purpose: to provide a place within a home, hotel or other dwelling place to serve alcoholic beverages. They add an element of entertainment to even the dullest of spaces. Wet bars are recreational features that have become increasingly popular in modern day homes. They serve as a center of attention during parties and social gatherings. Large wet bars can double as gaming tables for cards or dice games while smaller wet bars may be nothing more than a cocktail serving station.

Types

There are as many types of wet bars as there are personalities of those who design and build them. Basement wet bars are very popular since most people prefer to keep the party away from the main living space. There are also detached wet bars installed on patios and in pool houses for summer parties. Kitchen wet bars and wet bars installed in entertainment rooms are also popular.

Features

Wet bars always include a sink with running water, hence the name "wet" bar. The sink is used for cleaning and adding water to drinks. Wet bars also include a storage area for supplies and liquor, counter space for mixing and often a refrigerator for storage. Other optional features include a keg for beer on tap, chairs or bar stools, soda fountains for mixing and electrical appliances.

Size

There are no hard and fast rules governing the size of wet bars. The size of an individual wet bar will often be determined by the amount of space available. Basement wet bars are generally larger than kitchen wet bars, for instance, because there is more space in which to build. In the case of small space wet bars, the builder may choose to add storage on the wall behind the wet bar, which would increase the overall size. Hotel wet bars are often very small, built to accommodate only a few people. Home wet bars are usually meant to serve a gathering and are therefore larger.

Benefits

Wet bars offer an alternative gathering place to the main living space or kitchen. This is beneficial when you don't want your (perhaps intoxicated) party-goers too near that new leather couch. They also offer a safe, comfortable place for entertaining friends when you desire a more intimate setting than a bar filled with strangers.
Installing a wet bar can also increase the value of any home--this is a feature that many home buyers look for.