There are lots of houses that have their own bar. Many have their own cellar or wine rooms. But there aren't many that have their own pub.
British expat Daniel Smith was so enamoured with old British boozers that he built one in his home in South Australia.
“If you didn’t know, you’d think you were genuinely in a British pub, ” Mr Smith said.
“It’s perfect down to the last detail.”
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He and his wife Mandy built the home they are now selling 18 years ago and Mr Smith said creating the authentic pub atmosphere took two years and a lot of money.
“We made a lot of it ourselves and basically we picked stuff from here, there and everywhere,” he said. “The carpet is a proper pub carpet.
“I wouldn’t want to put a price on it but you’d buy a small house for it.”
Mr Smith said the couple hosted friends at their place instead of going out and that the room was a hit with visitors.
“We’ll stay here instead of going out to the pub because we can play whatever music we want and play pool and that’s basically what we built it for, and so we could go up there without having to worry about how to get home,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s very addictive — it’s one of those rooms you can go up to at 6pm on a Friday night and still be there at two in the morning.”
“A lot of people can’t believe it.”
Toop&Toop Real Estate agent Lew Toop said bars were still an attractive feature in older and new homes.
“Bars are still popular, probably not as much as they were in the ’70s, but there’s still a place for them,” he said.
Mr Toop said cellars and wine rooms had overtaken bars in popularity, not simply as storage spaces but as visually exciting spaces to showcase a collection.
“Wine is embedded in South Australian’s culture because we have such good wine regions here, so it’s a natural part of our lives,” Mr Toop said.
“A lot of people have a decent wine collection and love a place where they can share a wine with someone, and you’ll often see bars set up in a cellar with stools where you can taste wines.”
