VaultCrafters · Nashville

Our Process

✦

Five phases, from an idea to a room that opens.

You will receive an investment range before you receive a quote. That is deliberate, and it is worth explaining, because it is the part of this process most likely to differ from what you have been offered elsewhere.

A concealed room carries unknowns an ordinary renovation does not. Structure has to be opened before anyone can say what is behind it. Ventilation, humidity control and electrical capacity all have to be assessed. The concealed entrance itself has to be engineered for the specific wall it will live in. Anyone who gives you a firm number before that work is done is either padding it heavily to cover what they cannot see, or they will be back later to renegotiate.

A number given too early is not a kindness. It is a guess wearing a suit.

So we give you a real range early, at no cost, based on what we can genuinely assess from a conversation. Then we earn our way to an exact figure through work you own — an assessment of your actual building, and a design developed far enough that the price beneath it is real.

I

Imagine your vault

Choose the room, the collection, and how you intend to use it.

Begin on the collection page. Choose the room — a bourbon vault, hidden library, speakeasy, wine cellar, cigar lounge or private gallery — and the architectural language it will be built in. Then tell us about the space itself:

  • Approximate dimensions of the room, or the space you intend to convert
  • Whether this is new construction or an existing home
  • The features that matter most to you
  • Where the property is
  • The investment range you have in mind
  • Photographs, or architectural plans if you have them

A complimentary call of twenty to thirty minutes follows. We are listening for how the room will actually be used, whether the space already exists, and when you would want to be standing in it. We will also be candid about budget at this stage rather than three meetings in — it is the kindest way to find out early whether we are the right people for what you want.

II

Receive your investment range

A written preliminary range, at no cost and no obligation.

Once we have reviewed what you have sent, you receive a concise Preliminary Project Range in writing. It sets out the scope as we understand it, the major features included, the anticipated investment, the assumptions we have made, and the specific items that cannot be priced until someone has looked at the building.

It reads something like this: based on the existing space of approximately 450 square feet, the concealed entrance, custom bar, architectural millwork and Churchill Collection finishes, we anticipate an investment of approximately $225,000 to $325,000.

The threshold

Most VaultCrafters commissions begin around $150,000 and rise with architecture, materials and technology. We would rather say that plainly on a website than discover it matters after you have given us an afternoon.

III

Design your private commission

The building is assessed, then the room is designed properly.

When the range is right, the work becomes real — and paid, because from here what we produce is a deliverable you own rather than a sales exercise.

The site assessment

Our architect, designer and construction lead evaluate the actual conditions: measurements, existing structure, electrical capacity, plumbing, ventilation and humidity, the feasibility of the concealed entrance, code and permitting, and how materials will even get into the space. For a home still on paper, we review the architectural plans instead. Typically $2,500–$7,500, credited toward the design agreement if you proceed.

The design agreement

With feasibility confirmed, the room is designed in full — floor plans, elevations, the concealed-entry design, renderings, material selections, lighting plan, millwork drawings, preliminary engineering, equipment specifications and a detailed construction budget.

  • Signature Vault — typically $15,000–$30,000
  • Estate Vault — typically $30,000–$75,000+

A portion may be credited toward construction. The drawings are yours either way.

The construction proposal

Only now, with the design developed far enough to price honestly, do you receive the final proposal: scope, drawings and renderings, materials and equipment, allowances, exclusions, schedule, payment terms, warranty and the change-order procedure. Depending on how settled the selections are, that may be a fixed price, a guaranteed maximum price, or an open-book arrangement.

IV

Watch it come to life

Permits, structure, fabrication, millwork, installation.

The construction agreement is signed and the work begins. Payment is structured against milestones — contract and scheduling, engineering and procurement, construction, millwork production, installation, and completion — so that what you pay always tracks what has been built.

  • Permits and engineering
  • Site preparation and structural work
  • Mechanical systems, ventilation and humidity control
  • Concealed-entry fabrication
  • Custom millwork, stone, metal and glass
  • Lighting and automation
  • Furniture and styling

You are kept current throughout. Every concealed mechanism and specialty system is tested, adjusted and tested again before anyone calls it finished.

V

Enter the extraordinary

The Vault Reveal.

The last day should not feel like a contractor's walkthrough. We open the entrance with you, walk you through the lighting and automation, and hand over care instructions, equipment manuals and warranty documentation.

The room is then photographed properly — and, if you would prefer it never leaves your house, not photographed at all. That choice is entirely yours.

On the figures above. The ranges shown are typical and indicative. Every commission is priced from its own assessment and design; nothing here constitutes a quotation or an offer.

Payment terms, warranty and change-order procedures are set out in full in the construction agreement.

Start with a conversation

No drawings, no obligation, no pressure. Tell us about the space and what you imagine in it, and we will tell you honestly what it would take.

Request an Estimate