Tigard Wine Cellars builds wine cellars into the space under staircases in Tigard. The sloping void becomes insulated, refrigerated storage, closed off by a glass front or a solid insulated door. Every face of it, from the underside of the treads to the side walls and the floor, is treated as cellar envelope.
Homes in Tualatin, Durham, Metzger, King City and Bull Mountain are served too. Where a staircase rises from the entry or a great room, a lit glass front makes the cellar a feature.
Exhaust is the sticking point. Through-wall units need a neighboring room with no less volume than the cellar, and WhisperKOOL’s guide puts 85°F as the most that room can reach if the cellar is to hold 55°F. Breezaire rules out closets, garages and unventilated laundry rooms. Beneath a stair the answer may be ducting or a remote unit; Vigilant’s under-stair case study, for example, placed a ducted system down in the basement.
Oregon’s Building Codes Division lists adding, moving or removing walls among work that needs a building permit, while exempting nonbearing interior walls except when they create habitable rooms, so whether an enclosure under the stair needs one is worth confirming with the permitting office. Installing new permanent wiring for cooling or lighting needs an electrical permit either way. Inside city limits the City of Tigard Building Division issues these permits; Tigard Maps shows whether an address is inside the city.
About 29% of Tigard’s housing was built in 2000 or later (Census ACS 2020–2024), and a staircase rising from an entry or great room is a visible spot for a glass cellar. Floating treads and glass rails look good above one, but they need the most sealing beneath, because the cellar envelope cannot rely on the stair itself.
Somewhere with enough air: a ventilated neighboring room of equal or greater volume, ductwork to an attic or utility space, or a split system’s outdoor condenser. Closets and closed-up laundry rooms do not qualify.
For wine you plan to age, yes. Without cooling the space follows house temperature, and Purdue Extension notes that temperature swings test corks and can let air into the wine.
Glass works well here. A sealed glass door and insulated panels make the stair cellar a display, and the cooling is chosen with that glass counted.
Is the staircase open or closed underneath, and what lies behind it? Add the number of bottles you have in mind and the address. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.