Basement Bar Built In — Dry Bar Cabinets, Counter and Open Shelves
A wall of the basement becomes the bar: cabinets below, a counter, shelves and a fridge, built and trimmed to the room. Add a sink and we bring the plumber.
A basement bar built in is a dry bar: base cabinets, a counter, open shelves or uppers on the wall behind, an opening for a beverage fridge, and trim that ties it into the room. JMB Builders builds it on site across the Twin Cities metro from stock or site-built cabinets, with a bar top, back panel and crown. Priced per project, quoted from photos. A sink makes it a wet bar; the plumbing goes to a licensed plumber.
- Priced per project
- Base cabinets, counter, shelves, fridge opening, trim
- Sink and drain by a licensed plumber
- Fridge outlet by a licensed electrician
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most basement bars are dry bars, and a dry bar is cabinet carpentry. A run of base cabinets along a wall, a counter on top, a beverage fridge in the opening at one end, shelves or upper cabinets on the wall behind, and a back panel so the wall looks finished. No plumbing, no gas. The counter is stone, butcher block or laminate; the shelves are floating or on brackets; the trim matches the rest of the basement.
We build it on site, which matters in a basement. The floor is out of level, the wall behind has a beam or a duct in it somewhere, and the ceiling is lower than upstairs. Cabinets get shimmed and scribed, the back wall gets a panel that hides the wavy drywall, and the uppers stop under the soffit instead of fighting it. A beverage fridge needs its own outlet and room to breathe, so we frame the opening to the fridge's spec and a licensed electrician adds the outlet.
If you want a sink, it is a wet bar. The cabinet run is the same; the water line and drain go to a licensed plumber, and we build around what the plumber roughs in. Say so up front so we frame the sink base and leave the wall open where it needs to be.
What you supply
- Photos of the wall straight on and from the room, with its width, the ceiling height and any soffit, beam, duct or outlet on it
- Stock cabinets from a big-box store or a cabinet line if you want to pick them, or we build painted boxes on site
- The counter if you want stone or butcher block, or we install a laminate or wood top
- The beverage fridge model so the opening is framed to its spec
- Whether it is a dry bar or gets a sink (a licensed plumber runs the water and drain)
- Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A layout drawn to the wall: cabinet run, fridge opening, sink base if any, shelves and uppers
- Base cabinets set level and scribed to the wall, on a toe kick, joined and screwed to studs
- A framed opening for the beverage fridge with clearance for its vents and a filler panel each side
- Open shelves on hidden brackets, or upper cabinets, on the back wall with a panel behind them
- A laminate or wood bar top installed, or the template and install of a stone or butcher block top
- Back panel, end panels, base and crown so the bar reads as part of the room
- Blocking and cutouts for a fridge outlet and under-shelf lights, wired by a licensed electrician
- A sink base built to the plumber's rough-in when it is a wet bar
- Photos of the finished bar in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Length of the cabinet run and how many base cabinets
- Stock cabinets you supply vs. painted boxes we build on site
- Open shelves vs. upper cabinets on the back wall
- A laminate or wood top vs. stone or butcher block you supply
- A beverage fridge opening and its outlet by a licensed electrician
- A dry bar vs. a sink, with the plumbing by a licensed plumber
- A soffit, beam or duct on the wall that the uppers have to work around
- A raised bar-height ledge on the room side for stools, on a knee wall we frame and panel
Send a photo of the wall with a tape across it and the fridge model number if you have picked one. If a sink is going in, say where the nearest drain is.
How long it takes
A dry bar with base cabinets, a top and open shelves: two to three days on site. Add a day for uppers and trim, and a plumber's visit before the top goes on if it is a wet bar.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Dry bar along one wall
Base cabinets, a fridge opening, a counter and open shelves on a back panel. The version most basements get. No plumbing.
Wet bar with a sink
The same run with a sink base. A licensed plumber runs the supply and drain, we build the base to the rough-in and cut the top for the sink.
Bar tucked under the stairs
A short run of cabinets set under the stair slope with shelves stepped up the stringer. Uses a corner that is otherwise dead.
Seating bar with a raised ledge
A counter on the cabinets plus a raised bar-height ledge on the room side with an overhang for stools, on a knee wall we frame and panel.
Basement Bar Built In — Dry Bar Cabinets, Counter and Open Shelves: questions, answered
What is the difference between a dry bar and a wet bar?
A dry bar has no sink: cabinets, a counter, shelves and usually a beverage fridge. A wet bar adds a sink, which means a water supply and a drain in the wall. The carpentry is the same either way. The sink adds a licensed plumber's work and, in a basement, sometimes a pump if the drain is below the sewer line.
Do I need a plumber for a basement bar?
Only for a sink. A dry bar with a beverage fridge needs no plumbing at all. If you want a sink, a licensed plumber runs the supply and drain and sets the faucet; we build the sink base to the rough-in and cut the top. Tell us up front so the wall is left open where the plumber needs it.
Can you use stock cabinets from Menards or Home Depot for the bar?
Yes, and for most basement bars that is the sensible way to do it. You pick the cabinet line and door style, we set them level, join them, scribe them to the wall and add the fillers, end panels, back panel and crown that make stock boxes look built in. If you want a size or a door the stock lines do not have, we build painted boxes on site.
What about the beverage fridge?
Pick the model before we build. Each fridge has a required opening and needs air space at the back or a front vent to run right, so we frame the opening to the spec sheet and add a filler on each side. It needs its own outlet inside the opening, which a licensed electrician adds. Undercounter fridges are the usual choice because they sit under the same counter as the cabinets.
What counter top works in a basement bar?
Laminate, butcher block and stone all work. Laminate is the cheapest and we install it. Butcher block is warm and takes a bar edge well, and we install that too. Stone is templated after the cabinets are set and installed by the fabricator or by us, depending on the piece. Any of them gets a bar-height overhang if you want stools.
How do you handle the soffit and ductwork on the wall?
Basements have them, and they decide where the uppers stop. We measure to the bottom of the soffit and build the upper cabinets or shelves to end under it with a filler, or we run the back panel up to the soffit and hang open shelves on it. A duct or a beam that lands where the bar goes is usually boxed in and paneled to match. Moving a duct goes to the HVAC trade first.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All built-ins pages
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