It seems that the UK has become a nation of wine lovers and with this has emerged a growing trend for homes that incorporate their very own wine cellar. However, new homes in the UK are rarely built with cellars – so what's the answer?

The answer is to install a Spiral Cellar and professional tradesmen may well benefit financially from becoming familiar with the savvy (and unsurprisingly, French) invention.
A Spiral Cellar is a watertight, pre-cast cylindrical system sunk into the ground. The modular system can be installed under almost any home in just under a week – as part of a new build or refurbishment project. Approval from Building Regulations is required if the cellar is being installed in a habitable space – but not if it's going into single detached garages or outbuildings. It's the quickest, cheapest and easiest way of incorporating a wine cellar and installation is completed in a series of stages.

In an existing property, the floor is removed. In the event of a floor covering being a glued vinyl, ceramic tiles or concrete screed then the process begins with a heavy duty breaker to the marked circumference of the hole. The use of the breaker will continue until the sub soil is reached.

Next is the excavation of the sub soil. A spit section is dug by hand to a depth of one metre. A form of shoring then needs to be constructed, with sectional corrugated steel sheets forming a ring at 750mm height. The extraction of sub soil can continue for two to three days.

The next stage is when the cellar itself begins to take shape. A geotextile disk is installed at the base of the excavation and a thick, sharp sand blinding poured into it. This is followed by a butyl liner and a base slab of concrete.

The solid concrete modules that create the cellar are then lowered into the hole and the cellar begins to take shape. The top ring is fitted just below finished floor level and one half of the ring is covered by soffit boards. The ring outside the bag is then backfilled with wet concrete and strux fibre reinforcement.

The team then installs a ventilation system to maintain a constant temperature in the cellar and a power supply for lighting and if a motorised door is required. Access down into the cellar is via a trapdoor, which is fitted onto the open half side of the cellar and the floor area around the cellar is reconstructed. The door has to be left open for two weeks in order for the cellar to dry out, ready for the wine to be installed.

Spiral Cellars can work alongside a tradesman or undertake a complete installation. However, it is advisable that the company itself completes the fitting of the cellar to ensure that the five-year guarantee is not affected in any way.

Customers can select from two types of installation. An Original Spiral Cellar stores a maximum of 1,600 bottles of wine and offers a rustic, concrete appearance. A White Spiral Cellar is the more luxurious option, with wider steps and deeper bins to store the wine. The cellar feels more spacious and stores a maximum of 1,870 bottles. With a smooth, white limestone effect the interior of the White Cellar can incorporate an LED lighting system and a choice of step tread inlays including leather, sisal matting, rubber and a Karndean slate effect.

Without a doubt, a Spiral Cellar is a luxury item for most homes – but with over 3,000 cellars installed in the UK, popularity is definitely rising providing professional tradesmen an additional means of generating business by selling in the concept, excavating the hole and allowing Spiral Cellars to fit the final cellar. Customers have the chance to have their very own wine cellar and to create an interesting and luxurious feature to their home that they can enjoy for years to come and tradesmen get to enjoy the profits – cheers to that idea!