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Adding a wine or coffee bar to an indoor or outdoor living space is a great way to enhance your ability to entertain. While you can purchase a prefab bar or even hire someone else to build one, a more affordable and rewarding option can be to build your own bar.
By spending a little money on a good set of plans, you can learn how to build a bar to suit virtually any space. Ahead, find some of the best DIY home bar ideas for backyards, pools, basement dens, and living rooms.
1. Backyard Pool Bar
What better addition to a backyard pool than a bar designed for making margaritas, mojitos, and daiquiris? The slat-style construction makes these DIY outdoor bar plans easy to follow, with only a circular saw or miter saw required for most cuts.
It’s wide enough to support up to four people, and caster wheels make it easy to roll out for poolside parties. While cedarwood adds to its cost, it ensures the bar will endure the elements and wet patrons.
Get the Happy Little Bear Pool Bar Plan on Etsy for $5.95.
2. Large Pub-Style Bar
This large bar can seat up to seven people and includes plenty of storage for liquor and barware. Decorative accents, including molding around the bar top and paneling along the sides coupled with a dark stain, give this bar its classic pub look. Just make sure you have ample space in your man cave or basement den, as this project takes up a fair amount of real estate with its 8-foot by 5-foot size.
Get the Rock Solid Rustic DIY Bar Plan on Etsy for $15.95.
3. Sophisticated Bar With Mirror
The refined, classy look of this home bar makes it worthy of a spot in a formal living room. It features gorgeous paneling with decorative molding that surrounds the bar top and a brass foot rail that adds authenticity.
These simple bar plans also include space for a mirror to mount behind the bar, where barware and bottles can be stored. A cabinet, shelves, and two drawers also provide ample storage space under the bar. At 6 feet long and 24 inches deep, this bar can accommodate four people.
Get the Rockler Home Bar Plan on Rockler for $15.99.
4. Bar with Wine Cooler Cabinet
This wine bar marries function with rustic form. Sliding barn-style cabinet doors open to reveal shelves for glassware on one side and a wine rack on the other, while the center opening is large enough to support a wine fridge.
At 5 feet long by nearly 2 feet deep, the bar top offers ample space for prepping drinks. Easy-to-follow instructions that require only basic tools most DIYers have in their garage make this a doable project even for those who are newbies to furniture building.
Get the Designs By DK Workshop Wine Bar with Wine Cooler Cabinet Plans on Etsy for $15.
5. Bar on Wheels
This two-tiered bar includes both a space for prepping drinks as well as an area for serving. Plus, its ceramic tile surface offers a variation over traditional wood top bars. The back side includes plenty of storage space for spirits and barware.
With its large casters, this bar is ideal for those who want to roll the bar out for parties and then roll it back into a corner nook after the last call.
Get the Woodworking With Rick Roll Around Bar Plans on Etsy for $16.50.
6. Foldable Bar
No space for a bar? No problem. This foldable table collapses against the wall when not in use, taking on the appearance of a shallow cabinet. When it’s time for the bar to open, the full 46-inch by 22-inch table and legs extend out of the wall, creating ample space for preparing and serving drinks.
There’s enough storage inside the cabinet for bar glasses and bottles of wine or liquor. This affordable DIY project can be completed with a few basic power tools at a supply cost of around $100, making it one of the most affordable home bar plans available.
Get the Do It Yourself Planner Wall Mounted Folding Table plans on Etsy for $8.
7. Beverage Bar
If lemonade and hot chocolate are more your speed than tiki drinks and brewskis, these plans for a family-friendly beverage bar might be up your alley. Perfect for backyard barbecues and summertime lemonade stands alike, we love that this stand is collapsible and can be transported wherever the festivities may be.
The materials for this project are readily available at any home-improvement store; Etsy seller DIY Fireplace Plans estimates the materials cost at about $170. This stand is 4 feet wide, 82 inches tall, and 32 inches deep, and includes a lower shelf for storing bottles and barware.
Get the DIY Fireplace Plans Construction Plan for Lemonade Stand at Etsy for $24.99.
8. Coffee Bar
Not all bars are for booze. Reviewers love the easy-to-follow set of coffee bar plans for this design created for caffeine lovers. With its barn-door style and shiplap sides, this coffee bar has a charming rustic look suitable for modern farmhouse kitchens.
Its 36-inch-long and 22-inch-deep dimensions give it ample room for storing coffee and mugs as well as plenty of space on top for the coffee maker and espresso machine.
Get the AC Gardner Designs GA Coffee Bar Plans on Etsy for $6.99.
9. Rolling Rustic Cooler
Add rustic charm to a backyard barbecue with this barn-inspired rolling cooler. Its weather-resistant cedar construction is ideal for a piece of furniture that’s designed to hold ice.
DIYers who have built this cooler loved the detailed bar plans and easy-to-follow instructions that make this cooler simple to build. This smart design uses a traditional cooler as a liner to hold the ice and keep soda and beer cold. Even when full, heavy-duty casters make it easy to position the cooler on a patio or deck.
Get the JS Woodworking Plans Cooler Box Building Plans on Etsy for $8.09.
10. Pallet Bar
Those looking to build a bar on the cheap would be hard-pressed to find a more affordable project than this set of outdoor bar plans. With construction that consists mainly of pallets, which are often available for free at local hardware stores, garden shops, and grocery stores, this bar can be built for next to nothing. The slatted pallets give it a rustic look while also making the bar easy to construct.
Get the Horizon Design Studios Pallet Bar Plan on Etsy for $7.25.
The prices listed here are accurate as of December 1, 2022.