A cigar lounge should feel like a private club and leave no trace in the rest of the house. We engineer the air first, then build the room around a humidor, a bourbon wall and finishes that hold up to smoke.
Many Main Line homes were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when railroad officers and industrialists put up large stone houses in what is now Lower Merion. Those houses have character worth protecting. They also have old ductwork, open stairways and plaster walls that let air and smoke travel. A lounge in a house like that needs a plan for where every bit of air goes, or the whole house smells like last night.
The usual spots for a lounge here are a lower level, a library or study, or an outbuilding. In Radnor and Lower Merion, older basements often have stone walls and limited paths for new ducts, so we plan exhaust routes early. In Tredyffrin and Easttown, newer homes and additions can make it easier to give the lounge its own system. Either way, the room has to be sealed and on its own HVAC zone.
We design lounges that suit the house they sit in. Dark hardwood, leather seating, stone and good lighting fit naturally in an older Main Line home. A walk-in or cabinet humidor in Spanish cedar keeps cigars ready. A bourbon wall turns the room into a place to sit with a few friends after a round or a long week, with the door closed and the air moving.
We size the exhaust to the room volume and how many people smoke at once. It vents outside on its own path. The lounge runs at slight negative pressure, so air flows in under the door and smoke does not drift out into the house.
Pulling air out of a house means it has to come back in somewhere. Without make-up air, a strong exhaust can depressurize the home and back-draft a furnace, boiler or water heater. We design make-up air to keep the house balanced and safe.
The lounge gets its own HVAC zone so smoke never rides the house ductwork. We seal walls and penetrations, hang a gasketed solid-core door and add filtration and air cleaning. In older homes this matters even more, because old ducts leak.
A cabinet or walk-in humidor in Spanish cedar with active humidity control keeps cigars around 65 to 70 percent. We choose finishes that resist odor, like leather, hardwood and stone, and skip carpet and fabric drapes that hold smoke.
Price depends on the size of the room, how the air system has to be routed through your house and the humidor and finishes you choose.
$40,000–$80,000
An existing room sealed and fitted with dedicated smoke exhaust, make-up air, filtration and a humidor cabinet.
$80,000–$175,000
Its own HVAC zone, a walk-in or built-in humidor, a bourbon wall or bar, and odor-resistant millwork and finishes.
$175,000–$300,000+
A larger lounge with a full bar, fireplace or media wall, coffered ceilings and custom paneling throughout.
These are typical industry ranges for finished projects in Pennsylvania, shown for planning only. They are not a quote. Your price depends on the size and condition of the space, the structural, electrical, plumbing and HVAC work it needs, the cabinetry and finish level you choose, and permit requirements. Ventilation and humidor choices drive much of the cost, along with paneling and millwork. Leather seating, furniture, décor and your cigar and spirits collection are not included unless they're listed in your quote. Every project gets a fixed, itemized quote after design.
We design and build cigar lounges across the Main Line, including Gladwyne, Bryn Mawr and Ardmore in Lower Merion, Villanova and Wayne in Radnor, Berwyn and Paoli in Tredyffrin, and Devon in Easttown. We pull the permits and schedule inspections with Lower Merion, Radnor, Tredyffrin or Easttown for most projects.
Yes, if the air is engineered properly. Older Main Line homes tend to leak air through ducts, stairwells and plaster gaps. We seal the lounge, give it its own HVAC zone and run it at slight negative pressure with dedicated exhaust and make-up air. That keeps smoke in the lounge and moving outside instead of drifting upstairs.
Lower levels, libraries, studies and outbuildings are common choices on the Main Line. The best spot is often the one with the cleanest route outside for exhaust and fresh air. At the consult we look at walls, windows, existing ducts and the location of your furnace or boiler before recommending a room.
A lounge exhaust fan pulls a lot of air out of the house. If nothing replaces it, the house goes negative and can pull combustion gases back down the flue of a furnace, boiler or water heater. Make-up air brings in fresh air to balance it. We design it into every lounge we build as a safety step, not an extra.
It depends on how many cigars you keep and how much space the room has. A cabinet humidor fits easily into a wall of millwork. A walk-in gives you more storage and a bit of theater. Both use Spanish cedar and active humidity control. We help you size it at the design stage.
Yes. A lounge can include a bourbon wall or a small bar with display lighting, and it can include a sink and ice maker. If you want plumbing, we plan the supply and drain lines with the rest of the room. The goal is a place to pour, light up and sit without leaving the room.
A design consult takes about an hour at your home. You'll leave with a clear answer on what fits, what it involves, and what it costs.
Consults by appointment, weekdays and Saturday mornings
