Wine Cellar Design/Build in Corona California

There is no place like California. Oceans, mountains and year-round warm temperatures encourage the good life. High-end homes are tucked away in canyons, along beaches and on dense wooded hills. Some of these homes are built with wine cellars, while many homeowners choose to do a wine cellar design/build after they move in. Wine cellars just seem to belong here.

So do forest fires. For a recent client of Arctic Metalworks, one of those fires was responsible for forging a life-long friendship between himself and David Gype.

A Business Agreement That Went Above and Beyond

The idea was simple enough. Todd H. hired Arctic Metalworks to turn an existing pantry into a wine cellar. He had researched a few design/build companies in Corona and decided to go with David based on two things; Arctic’s competitive prices, and their proven attention to detail. He also knew that his dozens of phone calls during the building process would be handled with respect.

The building process started off just fine. But about half-way through the build, something happened that neither David or Todd was expecting.

The Design/Build Process

When the project first started, David was working with a 100 square foot kitchen pantry with shelving. This space was in no way built to be a wine cellar! It had to be rehabbed to house the technical specifications needed in order for it to hold and maintain a 55 temperature.


To start, the room had to be stripped of shelving and drywall.


This was followed by a rough-in of all electric and the installation of a drain.
After these steps were taken, spray-foam insulation was blown in to keep the room temperatures even.


This was followed by new drywall, and a coat of paint. A top of the line refrigeration system was put in place, and, to finish the cellar off, custom wine racking, lighting and a double-pane cellar door were added. This one of a kind wine cellar was now the new focal point of the home.

When is a Design Build Project more than a Design Build Project?

When nature throws a curve ball.

Homeowners in California know that fires can happen. If you are one of the thousands of families living the dream up in the canyons, the reality of lightning strikes or the occasional campfire burning out of control are possibilities you live with.
In the case of the Canyon fire, it was started by a road flare that got knocked off the freeway into dry grass by a passing vehicle. When the Canyon Fire roared into the hills above Corona, Todd’s home was not in a good place. In fact, firefighters fought the fire from his backyard.

The Response of Arctic Metalworks

David was about half way through the pantry-to-wine cellar conversion when the Canyon fire broke out.

He could have just waited it out and hoped that Todd’s house and his partially finished wine cellar would still be standing at the end of the day, but that’s not what he did.

Instead, he called Todd and said he was on his way over to load as many personal items into his work van as Todd could fit – and then drive them to safety.

At that point Todd and his family had just evacuated and it was no longer safe for David to drive over. But David’s’ offer made a lasting impression.

That’s What You Get

Arctic Metalworks understands that their clients are real people with real lives. Things happen – priorities change in an instant. The ability to roll with the changes and respond to needs outside of a contracted agreement is a rare quality.

If you hire David Gype and Arctic Metalworks, that’s what you get.

Along with meticulous craftsmanship and decades of experience in wine cellar design and builds, you really can count on Arctic to have your back.

Why would you use anyone else? Call David at (714) 936-6875 today!