# Photos of your root cellar / build?



## MNBobcat (Feb 4, 2011)

Hi All,

I'll be starting a root cellar as soon as the ground thaws. I would really like to see photos of other root cellars and especially photos of the build process.

I've already checked out youtube and googled and looked at everything I can find. I didn't actually think there was all that much info available.

Please post your photos!

Thanks!


----------



## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

don't have photos but a new septic tank makes a great root celler---dig a hole and drop it in, cost about 1500 bucks for a 6x12x6tall tank, have to stoop when your in it but its easy to set up.


----------



## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Oh I would love to see that also !


----------



## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Just started perparing a section in the basement; the old walk-out stairs now have a room above them, it's on the north side, and floor, stairs and walls are stone. Getting ready to wash it down, since the cobwebs and dust of 100 years have settled, then going to paint the walls and floor.
I'll grap a pic soon.
Matt

added ...
Just for perspective...still doing the cleaning part, and the water is the remnants of a pipe I just removed...it was water to nowhere...LOL!









And, the stairs to nowhere...









I'd call it a cold cellar...not sure if a root cellar is different...
Matt


----------



## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

Here is one I already had uploaded.What are you wanting to see? inside or the outside?


----------



## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

oberhaslikid, if I may...GREAT LOOKING SETUP!
Now you have gone and done it...need to paint and make new shelves so it looks THAT good! :bow: What you see is what has been there since before we bought the place...just getting around to the basement area...
Matt


----------



## MNBobcat (Feb 4, 2011)

oberhaslikid said:


> Here is one I already had uploaded.What are you wanting to see? inside or the outside?


I'd like to see both! I'm mainly interested in the design, so outside pictures or construction pictures would be great!


----------



## Mavors (Mar 30, 2007)

Check out this site
Cedar Ridge Farm

He is building a home and built is own root cellar. May help you with some of your own plans.

Mav


----------



## MNBobcat (Feb 4, 2011)

Mavors said:


> Check out this site
> Cedar Ridge Farm
> 
> He is building a home and built is own root cellar. May help you with some of your own plans.
> ...


Thanks. Cool site. I'm surprised he is putting in a cement floor.

I started digging the hole a couple days ago! Gonna be a big one at 9 feet deep!


----------



## mudburn (Feb 26, 2010)

Mavors said:


> Check out this site
> Cedar Ridge Farm
> 
> He is building a home and built is own root cellar. May help you with some of your own plans.
> ...


That's my blog -- I'm the builder. It's a big project for sure.

I was going to build a $50 underground house type of root cellar, but we decided to integrate it with the house. I put in a concrete floor because when I first dug the hole for the cellar, we reached ground water (it was spring time). I didn't want too much moisture in the cellar. I figured I could always add humidity if needed, and a concrete floor feels more permanent.

We haven't gotten to use the cellar yet. I'm working to finish the house by this fall. Even if I don't, we are planning on using the root cellar this fall and winter.

mudburn


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I'll watching this thread eagerly, as I want to put in a root cellar/storm shelter this year. As my land is flat, I'm planning to have a fella with a backhoe and dozer dig me a hole...if it fills with water, I have a pond...if not, I've got the start of my root cellar, lol! I'm thinking about 12x12 for a shelter, maybe bigger, with an 8' ceiling.

I plan to put in a cement floor and concrete block walls, using as much waterproofing on the outside as possible, and using Dry Lok on the inside - I've seen that stuff do an amazing job of stopping water coming through a wall. No, I don't work for them...just a product I've seen in action and plan to use myself. I figure it'll need to be dug at least 6 feet down to allow for the foundation, and the extra dirt from the excavation will be used to berm the sides and cover the roof after I pour the slab (columns inside to support a cement/rebar slab and the additional weight of earth on top). 

The plan is to have the door slightly above ground level to prevent water from running down the steps to a below grade door. I also plan to incorporate a hallway with an outer door opening in at one end of the hall (so that if any debris lands against the door, I can still open it) and then the door actually entering the cellar opening out to save usable space inside the cellar/shelter. Stairs going down from the doorway will give me space under them for rows of potatoes in crates, and shelves all around the room will give me room for more storage. I figure I can not only store vegies, but also a great deal of the stuff currently taking up room in my house - things that can stand a bit of cool humidity. Extra canners, harvesting equipment, extra clothing and bedding in waterproof totes, etc. Add in a pull down "couch" or Murphy bed for comfort during a storm event, some ventilation pipes, etc, and I'm all set for the next big wind event around here. 

We don't get tornadoes, but we do get several big windstorms just about every winter. So far, none of the big evergreens across from my house haven't fallen on it - they've fallen parallel to it -but I'd feel safer if I was out of the house and in a safe shelter during the biggest storms.

Does this sound like a workable plan? Any thoughts to improve it would be welcome.


----------



## Phalynx (Nov 3, 2005)

I too will be watching this thread. My land is flat and 100 sand. Doesn't really hold water at all. I want to dig a root cellar in the ground as well. I can't find really any new construction of root cellars out there. The biggest knowledge that I lack is how to cover it and construct the cover.


----------



## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

I cant wait to see pics either. I have a spot in my cellar that I am thinking of converting just need to get the chance to do it!


----------



## MNBobcat (Feb 4, 2011)

I haven't had time to work on the root cellar. Been trying to get the garden put in. Our soil (sand) is so poor it won't hardly grow weeds. Been hauling in compost. Will be able to start digging on the hole again on Sunday. 

I had to make the hole shallower. Its now 8 feet deep. When I got down to +9 feet I hit water. The water table is really high right now. At 8 feet, its nice and dry.


----------



## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

Sorry its taken so long. I lost my job lat week and Ive been cleanning out the place.Hope this helps, This was one of the selling points for this place for me anyway. The top is my work shop and brooding chicks area.We ran electric to it. DH has beer fridge in the bottom the rest is sheves for brewig supplies and canning supplies and food.It has concrete floor but it does leak when it rains the moisture helps. It isnt completely under ground but stays cool.Never freezes.


----------



## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

Roadking said:


> oberhaslikid, if I may...GREAT LOOKING SETUP!
> Now you have gone and done it...need to paint and make new shelves so it looks THAT good! :bow: What you see is what has been there since before we bought the place...just getting around to the basement area...
> Matt


The shevles that you see are the old ones made of oak. We just painted them.The ones to the left are the new ones.The whole thing is shelving except for the fridge left space for that. Its great to have another fridge.


----------



## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

here is our cellar built in 1999.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I'm not sure how you could clean them (fire inside?, seal with paint?) but sometimes you can buy old large metal tanks.

A friend of mine has one buried that holds his wood stove and wood supply. It's buried next to his house. I think it was an old fuel tank. It's about 6-8' in diameter.

He's got another one split in half that he uses to hold minnows for his fish farm.


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

farminghandyman said:


> here is our cellar built in 1999.



OOOOOOOOO I like this!!!!


----------



## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

the tank was once used for some type of sulfur solution, (talked to the tank dealer and told him what I was wanting to do with it, and that what ever had been in it had to not be toxic in any way, and he had this tank with a rotted out bottom, I cut about a foot off the bottom and then cut it in half, (i used abrasive blades in a Makita 16" beam saw),
the block walls are on a foundation, with rebar that came up from footer foundation, and ended up filling the block holes and then on top of the wall I place a flat plate 8" wide, and burnt holes for the rebar to come through, welded the rebar to the flat, and then drug the tank on to the stem wall, and butted it up to each other, and welded it back to gether and onto the flat plate, one corner was off about 1/2 inch, I use a piece of 1 inch wide flat iron to fill the gap, then I took tar and tared it and I think I put black plastic over it as well,

I did add a 4" pipe on the rear with a small wind powered ventilator, and the hole you can see that was in the tank I used as a intake vent, 

painted the inside of it, and built the shelves in it, I did put a sump pit in it but have never needed it as of yet, 

the entrance is all reinforced block and filled and has a steel frame for the door, 
in the rear of the tank (the tank dealer had burnt a 3 and half foot around hole in the top of the tank to inspect it, I left it drilled holes and welded bolts in the holes and bolted a plate over the hole, on one of the bolts is a wrench chained to the bolt for removal of the bolts and a military type entrenching tool in case the entrance would some how be damaged in a tornado, one has a alternate exit, 

the tank was very low cost just a little above scrap price, 

any way that was the basic procedure I used,


----------



## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Since I'm no good at posting pics, I'm going to copy a link to another HT thread I started last year when I started my basement. It is complete now and I'll try my best to get some completed photos put on here. The pics are on the first comment of the thread. 

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=368741


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

farminghandyman said:


> painted the inside of it, and built the shelves in it, I did put a sump pit in it but have never needed it as of yet,


What did you use for paint and how did you prepare it?


----------



## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

for paint I bought some "surplus" or mis tints at Sherwin Williams this paint was a product they got in for the prison, that was being built at the time, it was water based, two part paint, and I really did not prep the steel beside power washing it, it has held up fairly well, a few places are loose I think more so before I got better ventilation in the cellar and I was having some water dripping and running down on the ceiling do to condensation.


----------

