Advice for New Brew Room Equipment

[BestBrewWife]

Hi, I'm a BrewWife to an amazing all-grain brewer. I label the bottles, he does the rest!

So we moved into a new house this summer, and we actually have a really cool little guest-house out back that we are going to turn into a mancave/brewhouse! Unfortunately we've been swamped with moving, painting, etc. and we haven't gotten started on the necessary renovations yet. So I'm thinking that while dh goes on his annual hunting trip later this month, I would surprise him by painting, putting in new flooring, a commercial sink and prep table. It will be my Christmas gift, but I realize he might not like my choices without his input, afterall it's going to be his room (basically).

So, 2 questions. Is this a crazy idea? Should I bring him in on it?

And describe the ideal commercial sink. I see the bowls come in different sizes. 18x18 sufficient? 2 bowl or 3?

 

[barnbrew]

This might be something that he would want to be in on, definitely the sink anyway. However, I think if you stuck to basic painting and maybe tiling the brew area to get it ready, that would make him very happy I'm sure. Nice idea for a Xmas gift for the hubby!

 

[bemerritt]

I would go with a 2 bowl sink that is large enough to comfortably fit his biggest brew items that would need to be cleaned. Most likely his brew pots.

 

[BestBrewWife]

Thanks for your responses. I had a chance to scroll through some of the pictures shared by brewers and was reminded how much my dh would enjoy designing his own space. We are just so short on time. I will focus on prep work, cleaning, painting, etc., and then I'm thinking about getting him this sink & faucet.

sink:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390691706028?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Faucet:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221307277778?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[HefeHood]

awesome beer wife. Congrats to the lucky brewer.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I might leave this thread open on my wife's computer... Hope she looks closely at it

 

[BestBrewWife]

Ah, thanks. It is true that I want to help hubby brew, but I admit to also being excited about him brewing somewhere besides my kitchen!!

 

[bowman159]

True that! But nice all the same. you will need to post some before & after pictures for us lads to show our better half's what's required! lol

 

[BestBrewWife]

Well, after 3 days of hard work, it might not look like much, but I've done what I can. The brew-room is in a guest-house behind our home which was used primarily for medical research (the previous owner's hobby.) So pros: lots of lighting, drainage, ventilation, 2 separate water hook-ups on each floor plus a full bathroom, storage, AC/Heat, concrete patio for out-door boiling. Cons: the whole place sat vacant for 2 years and was poorly cared-for prior to that and the design of the whole building is weird.

I pulled off the dirty wrong-color vinyl floor trim, which then required taping, mudding, sanding, and priming, then I painted everywhere. Cleaned the wood trim and the light fixtures. Then I put together the sink & table. There's a story behind that, my mother actually hit a jackpot at a casino recently and gave each of her kids some share of her winnings (nice lady, right?) and that's the $ I used on these things. The utility sinks that used to be there were gross.

Yet to be done: remove the vinyl flooring and replace it with something more appropriate (not urgent), hook up the faucet, put up a stainless steel backsplash behind the sink, and unpack the brewing equipment!

 

[Ben58]

By the looks of it, your well on your way to making your husband a very happy man. I tip my cap to you.