You'd love to build a wine cellar in your house to accommodate your growing collection in style. But the only place it could possibly go is a small closet. Can this tiny space be converted to a wine cellar?

If done properly, many small spaces, even closets, can be converted into wine cellars. Check out this wine cellar for proof -- it started out as a closet smaller than 4x4 feet! Wine closets can be a great way to add a space for wine storage seamlessly into a house, without the need for ripping out a wall or adding on to the existing structure.

However, converting a closet to a wine cellar isn't easy. This is because a closet and a wine cellar are built for entirely different purposes. While a closet merely has to provide storage, a wine cellar must also provide a completely climate-controlled environment separate from the rest of the house. The inner walls of a wine closet must be sealed and insulated. A wine cellar cooling system must be installed to keep your bottles at the correct temperature and humidity. The door and any windows must be perfectly sealed to keep those conditions stable. And all of the wood and other materials used must not degrade with the high humidity.

Creating a wine closet can present other problems, too. Oftentimes, the closet in question is in the center of the house. This can mean that certain types of cooling systems will not work correctly, and those that do will have to be specifically installed. And closets near the center of the house are usually also not located close to an outside door, garage or exterior wall. Removing the drywall is a must, but it's virtually impossible to do without creating dust and debris. Construction dust can be hazardous to human health, potentially causing reactions to people with asthma or other lung conditions who are living in the house during construction.

Do all these potential problems mean you should give up on your dream of turning that hall closet into the perfect cellar? Not at all! Instead, they mean that if you're converting a closet to a wine cellar, it's imperative that you choose a construction company that's highly experienced in the process. Vintage Cellars has the experience necessary to advise customers about whether a specific space can be successfully converted, and what type of cooling system and materials will be needed in order to create a cellar that will protect the customer's wine investment.

Vintage Cellars also goes to great lengths to control construction dust by tenting the area with a construction dust barrier, protecting the floors and pulling dust through a filtered exhaust fan. We do this to protect the health of the homeowner, children and pets. We also do this to protect the customer's furniture, floors and surrounding area from layers of construction dust. Though there is no way to remove 100 percent of construction dust, a conscientious company like Vintage Cellars can come pretty close.

Do you have questions about transforming your closet into a wine cellar? Get in touch with an expert at Vintage Cellars here.