Hello Houzz. I recently hired a company to do our basement remodel, which will include a small temp/humidity controlled wine cellar. Of course, during the pitch, they said they know how to do wine cellars but I'm now finding that they're more or less clueless. Unfortunately, they don't even know what they don't know and I, with no design or build experience myself, am trying to help them figure it out. Unfortunately, it's too late to turn back with them....

I was hoping for some advice from the community:

- INSULATION: We live in the mid-Atlantic. Ceilings are insulated to R-30. The builders plan foam insulation of the walls, which back up against an unfinished part of the basement. Does foam insulation come in different R values and is there an R value I need? If foam insulation is used, do I still need a vapor barrier? Does the ceiling need a vapor barrier?

There is a large cut out in one of the walls into which a built-in base cabinet will be installed. Does the back of the base cabinet (again, back of cabinet is in an unfinished part of the basement) need to be insulated and vapor barriered? I assume yes because a cellar is essentially a walk-in refrigerator.

- COOLING UNIT: The cellar is basically a triangle, about 7.25 feet tall by 6 feet deep on one wall and 7.5 feet wide on the other wall. The door will be glass, about 7 feet tall by 6 feet wide. I asked a cooler company to calculate the BTUH and selected (but haven't yet purchased) a ~1900 BTUH unit, the CellarPro 2000VSi. I plan to front duct the unit and have the cold air and return air vents in the ceiling or high on one of the walls. Do these vents need to be a certain distance from each other so the return air intake isn't simply taking in the cold air that's exhausted? Would it be optimal to have these vents as far from each other as possible or does it not matter?

- DESIGN: I'm aiming for a modern look to the cellar and decided against traditional racking. I'm thinking about Stact paneling on one wall and Buoyant wall-mounted cable racks on the other. Any other suggestions from the community?

Thanks for the help!