How to decorate a cellar in the country. Cellar for a summer residence - the main types, the correct selection of a place and the stages of construction (115 photos). Creation of high-quality ventilation

Any owner of a private house is faced with the problem of long-term storage of products. Especially if a lot of crops such as potatoes, carrots, apples, other vegetables and fruits are grown on the site. The cellar in the house is just designed to accommodate food, home-made preparations in it, in order to protect them from damage, and to store other necessary things.

How to make a cellar in the house

The most successful option would be the construction of a cellar during construction. In this case, the creation of the element should be taken into account in the design documentation of the building, since it is possible to make a cellar correctly only with a competent calculation of the entire structure.

Making a cellar under the house with your own hands in an already built house is a more difficult task, but quite feasible. All earthworks will have to be carried out manually, and there will also be difficulties in ensuring the reliability of the structure. If you make a mistake when creating an underground cellar, the cottage itself may collapse or squint, so you should carefully consider the development of a plan of action.

The cellar can be made by hand

The advantages of a cellar located in the house

The basement of a private house is convenient for compact placement, optimal air temperature inside for food storage. In addition, you do not need to go outside the cottage to use the cellar.

A basement located separately from housing will require special efforts when building its roof, insulating walls, and other difficulties will arise. Therefore, professional builders recommend building a cellar in a private house, and not outside it.

Another option for using the basement is to install a boiler room in it. In this case, the heating system will not take up much space in the house, only pipes, radiators and a chimney will remain there.

Cellar device

Structurally, the cellar consists of the following elements:

ceiling;
walls;
stairs;
ventilation system
manhole cover.

In this video you will learn more about the cellar:

In addition, you can provide vertical ceilings (walls) to divide the interior space, as well as additional elements, such as built-in wardrobes or shelves.

The wall and floor arrangement looks like this:

the soil itself;
clay castle;
floor and walls (concrete);
sand cushion on the floor between concrete and soil.

Preparing and digging a pit

Some effort will be required to build a cellar under the house, especially if the owner prefers to do all the work with his own hands. This can be described step by step as follows:

planning;
excavation;
the formation of walls and floors;
finishing work, including the installation of shelving;
creation of ventilation;
sunroof installation.

First, you should determine whether it is possible to build a cellar in this area at all. To do this, you should ask the neighbors if their buildings are flooding (if the answer is positive, it is better not to build a basement). Or invite hydrogeologists for consultation.

At the very beginning, you will have to choose where the entrance to the underground will be located in the house. Usually the hole is located in the corridor or in the kitchen room, if it is large enough.

The pit will have to be dug manually, in the process of work it will be necessary to strengthen the walls and ceiling with plywood panels and temporary supports.

The depth of the basement should be 2-2.1 meters, and if it is planned to equip the boiler room, then at least 2.5 meters.

It is important to remember that the floor should be located at a slope of 1-2 degrees, directed towards the technical chute (pit).

When earthworks are completed, the future floor and walls should be leveled.

First you need to dig a pit

After that, it is necessary to pour out a layer of sand (the pillow should turn out to be up to 20 cm thick), tamp and level it to a solid and even state, and then pour gravel of various calibers.

A layer of waterproofing is laid on top of the pillow to protect against groundwater and the flow of liquid cement during pouring. You can use polyethylene or roofing felt.

From above, a mesh of reinforcement should be laid out, the thickness of the rods should be at least 5 mm.

Now you can fill with cement, as a result, you should get a layer 10-15 cm thick, and wait at least 5-6 days. Full hardening will occur only after a few weeks.

If everything is done correctly, the underground cellar will have a reliable floor that is not subject to deformation.

Walling

The best option would be the manufacture of monolithic concrete walls. But if the work in the house is done by hand, you will have to order ready-made concrete, since it will take too much time to create the required volume of mortar on your own.

When ordering concrete, you should tell the manufacturer's employee what the mortar is intended for, so that the builders add a special mixture to the mortar, which will create a penetrating moisture barrier.

Before pouring, formwork should be prepared from boards and bars. It is better to use planed lumber to make the structure easier to disassemble.

Important. When creating walls, it is necessary to provide ventilation ducts, as well as install electrical wiring in advance if its hidden placement is planned.

After about 7-10 days, the formwork can be removed, but the concrete will completely “get up” after another 4-5 weeks.

Cellar ventilation

Since it is quite difficult to make full ventilation in the cellar of a finished house, many owners prefer not to deal with this issue. The result is increased humidity inside the room, since in any case, liquid particles will penetrate into the cellar from the outside. Stored food (vegetables, fruits) will also release moisture.

Ventilation pipes should be laid in pre-made shafts, and if the house has already been built, this will have to be done before pouring concrete.

The exhaust outlet should be located under the ceiling and above the technical chute (pit), and the supply outlet should be opposite it (at the bottom of the floor).

Both pipelines are brought out to the street. The exhaust pipe should be located as high as possible - in the area of \u200b\u200bthe roof slope, and the air intake - at the bottom of the wall of the house. Be sure to use protective nets to protect against the penetration of rodents and insects or special filters.

Cellar ventilation is an important element of the cellar.

If the cellar is small, then it is allowed to use a single pipe, which will ensure both the penetration of fresh air inside and the flow out.

Cellar waterproofing from the inside

For internal waterproofing of walls in the basement, roll materials (such as roofing material) or coating materials (bituminous mastic) are used. It is even better to combine both materials, it is much more reliable.

First, layers of mastic are applied (with a brush or roller), and after that the walls are pasted over with sheets of roofing material in 2-3 layers. In some cases, it is advisable to lay a brick wall in one layer, this will significantly strengthen it.

Cellar insulation

Insulation of the cellar floors will allow you to safely store various products, they will not be frozen even in winter. The most commonly used tile materials: polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam and their analogues. It is best to install panels with a density of 25 kg/m³ or higher.

The use of mineral wool is also allowed, but if the humidity is too high, it will lose its properties in 1-2 years, so good preliminary waterproofing will be required.

Spraying a layer of polyurethane foam is the most reliable method, since the resulting coating will be seamless, and the material itself does not absorb moisture at all and retains heat well. But its cost is quite high when compared with mineral wool and polystyrene.

The main method of insulation involves the creation of a frame made of wooden bars or a galvanized metal profile, which is attached to the walls and ceiling.

Insulation is placed in the cells of the crate, after which it is recommended to stretch the plastic film, and lay sheet plywood, boards from boards on top, or simply glue the mounting mesh if solid materials (polystyrene or analogues) were used as insulation. After that, the wall surfaces can be plastered.

Ladder and manhole cover

The simplest solution to the question of how easier it is to build a staircase in the cellar is to use boards and wooden bars. If desired, you can use concrete or even metal. It all depends on personal preferences and capabilities.

It should be noted that the wood will require impregnation with special compounds (to prevent decay), and the metal will need to be painted with a primer.

At the same time, there are many varieties of stairs, for example:

stationary wooden;
complex staircase made of concrete;
retractable.

Don't forget the sunroof

The hatch cover can be made hinged (on hinges) or completely removable, it depends on how large the opening is inside and where it is located.

Conclusion

The presence of a cellar or subfloor in a private house is very important if you need to store food for a long time, but for this you should carefully consider the process of creating this element of the structure. If the basement is not built correctly, vegetables and fruits will mold, and water can penetrate inside, which will make the existence of the cellar meaningless.

It is important to periodically inspect the basement. If condensation constantly accumulates somewhere, mold or fungus has appeared, the cause should be identified and eliminated.

To store and store blanks and vegetables for the winter, many summer residents decide to build a cellar on their backyard territory with their own hands, which is quite justified for several reasons. Firstly, independent work will save a lot of money, especially considering that the work on organizing the cellar itself cannot be called very complicated. Secondly, such a design near the house makes it possible to consume scarce vegetables and vitamins in the winter.

In the article we will try to fully and in detail reveal the topic of how to build a cellar on the site with our own hands. We list the different types of structures for self-construction, offer instructions for each type of building, and also look at ready-made solutions available in the store. Go!

Cellar with concrete walls: instructions

First of all, you need to make training, namely, to decide on the building materials, the location and dimensions of the cellar. We decided to choose a project from bulk expanded clay concrete, since this option copes well with maintaining a constant temperature, and moisture will not penetrate into such a room. As for the depth, in our case, 3 meters will be considered the optimal indicator.

Important point! With self-construction and choosing a place for a cellar, it is worth stopping in elevated areas. So you can avoid the risk of flooding the pit in the spring with groundwater.

Let's move on to digging a pit. For greater comfort when descending into the cellar, a hole should be dug rectangular shape. The walls and floor of the underground structure should be carefully tamped! A gravel or crushed stone backfill is created on the floor, which is then poured with a solution of clay.

If your site is in a lowland, and there is a risk of flooding the pit, then you should use a concrete solution instead of clay. In this case, before pouring, it will be necessary to lay a steel mesh.

The construction of walls can be carried out in a variety of ways, it all depends on the material used. Alternatively, concrete walls can be arranged. For this purpose, a formwork with longitudinal reinforcement is placed in the pit, after which it is poured with concrete. The formwork is dismantled after a few days.

Another good option is to build walls from expanded clay or reinforced concrete blocks. The process of laying the material is identical. Even at the planning stage, it is worth considering places for organizing ventilation and a doorway for greater comfort in the operation of the cellar.

After the walls, the floor is being created. To do this, again, formwork is created from chipboard, which is laid on top of the supports.

A reinforcing mesh is placed in the formwork, which is then poured with concrete.

Forgetting about moisture inside the pit will allow waterproofing! In our case, this is coating waterproofing using bituminous mastic, which will be applied both on the outside and inside of the walls. On top of the ceiling, directly on the mastic, a layer of roofing material is laid, which will act as an additional waterproofing of the cellar.

The final stage in the construction of the cellar with your own hands will be backfilling the pit and concrete floor with earth.

Advice! In the process of backfilling the ceiling and the pit, make sure that there are no sharp objects and stones left in the ground that can damage the roofing material layer, thereby violating the waterproofing of the room.

In the end, it remains only to improve the storage, namely, to carry out electrical installation measures, install a ladder and a door, and also place special places for storing vegetables and racks for blanks and cans inside.

Video

Brick cellar: work order

If desired, for a country house, a cellar can also be built of brick. To create such a building with your own hands, you can follow the following workflow.

After the final determination with a place for a cellar, taking into account the previously mentioned recommendations, you can immediately proceed to digging a pit of the required dimensions. In our example, the pit will be 2 by 2 meters.

After thorough tamping of the floor and walls, we proceed to the pouring of the floor concrete slab, followed by waterproofing.

For the construction of the walls, bricks with a thickness of masonry in one row were used.

During masonry work, you should constantly check the evenness of the walls with help of level and plumb line!

After the walls we move on to the ceiling. To this end, wooden logs, pre-impregnated with an antiseptic composition, installed along the walls. A flooring is laid on them, on top of which a 25-30 cm layer of sawdust is arranged.

A wooden hatch will act as a door inside. Do not forget to insulate it with foam so that the jars with blanks do not freeze in winter.

The final structure in a makeshift cellar with brick walls will be a wooden gable roof, on one side of which there will be an entrance door with a ventilation hole.

Along the perimeter of the aboveground part of the cellar, it makes sense to dig a small groove where water will drain from the roof in the future during rain.

As for ventilation, in our case, a pair of pipes with a diameter of half a meter was used for this. One was placed 20 centimeters diagonally from the ceiling, the second - at the same distance from the floor.

Red brick cellar

The creation of such a cellar, as in the case of other varieties, begins with digging a pit no more than 3.5 meters deep. As a result, we should get two rooms: a staircase and a vestibule.

After digging the pit, we carefully tamp the steps of the stairs, the floor and walls of the room.

We perform concrete pouring as a floor. After it hardens, you can proceed to laying brick walls.

It is important to emphasize that you can start laying the walls only after the concrete has set and gained about 70 percent of its rigidity!

On top of the finished walls, rolled metal is placed, which will serve as a kind of basis for the future floor.

The formwork is placed directly on the metal frame and the concrete mixture is poured.

After the final hardening of the concrete, you can proceed to the construction of the above-ground part of the cellar using red brick. The roof is completed at the end.

Do-it-yourself storage in the country

Before proceeding to the construction of the cellar, it is necessary to prepare in advance all the necessary drawings, draw up at least a preliminary work plan and calculate the amount of building material. During planning, it is important to consider that the finished storage must meet the following requirements:

The room must have good ventilation;
It is important that it stays cool inside;
In the underground part there should be an autonomous power system;
It is necessary to take measures to protect the blanks and vegetables from mice;
The temperature regime in the basement should not be too harsh.

Reconstruction of the cellar in the country

The first step is to remove everything from the underfloor, after which you can proceed to cleaning the hardwood and earthen layer, followed by disassembly of the knurler. It will be more correct if the listed work is carried out from the edge to the center!

The next step is to dismantle the old masonry of the walls with beamed ceilings.

Foundation arrangement . For this purpose, a pit is dug out, in which formwork is created. In order to keep relatively warm inside the cellar, the thickness of the walls should be made at least one brick thick. In our case, the height of the foundation reached 150 millimeters.

Before pouring the concrete mixture in the formwork, reinforcement with a diameter of 16 millimeters is laid in 3 rows. Each row of reinforcement is welded together using metal strips. Only then can the structure be poured with cement. The formwork is disassembled after a few days.

It will be possible to avoid problems with it if in advance, even at the stage of installing the foundation, a figure-eight bar is welded to the reinforcement!

Clacks of brick walls . The first or, as it is also called, the zero row of bricks is laid directly on top of the concrete surface of the foundation with a poke. In the center above it, a strip of steel metal is attached, on which embedded parts are fixed. Thanks to this solution, reliable and high-quality grounding is achieved.

All the following rows are laid in half a brick, while the steel strips should be placed after each row. This will provide the walls of the basement with greater strength. It is not necessary to connect the strips to each other!

When building basement walls with your own hands, it is important to ensure that during the construction there are no voids and gaps between the material. Otherwise, in the future, rodents can penetrate into the cellar through them.

Upon reaching a height of one meter when laying walls, you can proceed to the arrangement of supply ventilation, in our case, sewer pipes were used for this.

It is possible to organize waterproofing of the walls of the basement at the expense of sheets of roofing material.

Creating a slab and top strap . Only after laying 21 rows of bricks can the upper part be tied with metal elements. To do this, a sheet of roofing material is laid on top of the last layer of brick, which is then covered with earth. In our example, two profiles from an I-beam No. 12 were used for strapping, which was sawn in the middle. A piece of rail was used as a beam.

The next step is to secure the ladder carefully!

The pouring of a 100 mm reinforced concrete slab begins with the formwork and installation of reinforcement. After the structure is poured with concrete.

At the end of the construction work in the cellar, the screed from the finest gravel is poured with cement, the ceiling is insulated with a 5-cm layer of foam and a hatch is placed.

Power supply and finishing works are carried out, in which the surface of the walls will simply be whitewashed.

When carrying out finishing work, do not forget to place a canopy over the ventilation pipes!

The difference between a basement and a cellar

In most cases, the basement is equipped as an underground room inside the house. As a rule, it is used as a place for placing summer equipment, less often as a workshop, etc. The cellar is built mainly for storing vegetables and products. In addition, often the cellar is built as a separate room, standing outside the building.

How to convert a basement into a cellar with your own hands?

If there is a basement inside your country house, then if necessary, you can easily convert it into a cellar with your own hands - you just need to place racks for storing vegetables inside, as well as install a wooden partition to divide the basement. Along with this, the cellar will require a ladder, fans and lighting.

The stairs leading to the basement should remain comfortable and without steep steps!

If in winter in the basement the temperature drops below zero, then you will additionally need to make wall insulation. Before that, it makes sense to apply slaked lime or an antifungal composition on the surface of the walls. Styrofoam, stekloizol or rolled roofing material will fit as a heat-insulating material. The insulation itself is covered with sheets of fiberboard or plywood.

In addition to walls, the basement may need in floor insulation, which is realized at the expense of a polyethylene film and timber laid on top. If necessary, you can fill the floor with bitumen, create a 5-6 cm sawdust flooring, covered with wood on top.

How to build a cellar in the country?

An ordinary cellar is made in the form of a simple pit with concrete walls, on top of which a roof is placed. It is recommended to build such a structure on a high place so that during watery periods, groundwater does not reach the underground.

Work order

Preparation of drawings. In our case, the depth of the basement will be 1.0-1.2 meters, dimensions - 1.5-2.0 meters.
Digging a pit in the case of a separately located cellar.
The bottom of the pit is covered with a 5-7 cm layer of crushed stone or pebbles, a steel mesh and formwork are installed, after which cement is poured.
After the concrete has hardened, you can proceed to the laying of brick walls.
Along the perimeter of the basement, on top of the walls, bars 50 by 50 millimeters are laid. A hatch is mounted, insulated with ordinary foam.

Types of ready-made solutions

Barrel cellar

To create such a solution, high-quality fiberglass is used. The cellar in the form of a barrel is an absolutely hermetic structure, and therefore it can be placed anywhere and on the ground. The operational period of the finished product reaches 50 years. Design features ensure a constant internal temperature, which allows you to store vegetables and products inside without any fear. To place on your own site, you just need to dig a hole, place a cellar inside and fill the barrel back.

Finished Models

Similar to the previous model, many conventional ready-made cellars are designed to operate for 50 years. As a rule, they are made of seamless plastic. Together with them, the kit usually contains: forced ventilation, a steel ladder, an exhaust hood, a built-in light source, etc. To install such a product with your own hands, you just need to dig a pit of the required dimensions, place the device inside and fill the structure back so that only a rectangular hatch is visible above the ground.

Cellar in the form of a capsule

If you do not have time to build a cellar with your own hands, you can purchase a ready-made structure in the form of a capsule in the store. Outside, a similar product resembles a ball with a ladder. To install the product, similarly to other models, it is enough to dig a hole, place a container inside and fill the voids with earth. Only the door inside will be visible above the ground.

Construction Materials

Petr Kravets

Reading time: 3 minutes

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In the summer cottage, you can build a room that will be cool and keep the products for the whole winter in the right condition.

Having made a mini-cellar in the country, you can store vegetables and fruits grown on the site, processed crops or harvesting and conservation there. In some cases, you can do all the work yourself by making a cellar with your own hands.

In order for it to function properly, it is necessary to follow all the rules for the construction and arrangement of the premises, then it can be used for many years.

As a rule, a cellar is built either under the house in which they live, or on a plot in the form of a separate structure. Its main purpose is to store food supplies in the winter season, and in summer, when the temperature is quite high, the remnants of provisions should be cool.

If you correctly make racks and distribute stored products in the underground storage space, you can significantly increase the functionality of such a room.

Cellars can be of several types depending on the level of their penetration into the ground:

In dry places, an underground structure is being made;
In humid places, where the level of water flow in the soil is at an average level, a semi-underground cellar is made;
If the soil is waterlogged and the groundwater level is high, an above-ground building is made, equipped as a cellar.

In areas where the soil is too wet and groundwater passes close, it is imperative to make a pillow from a mixture of sand and gravel. Then the basement structure will be separated from the ground and protected from the penetration of groundwater during their seasonal rise.

To build a cellar, it is not required to obtain special permits from regulatory authorities, but each owner of a private house must independently determine the place for its arrangement, taking into account some features.

Experts recommend choosing a dry site, preferably on some hill, away from trees and forests. This is due to the fact that the roots of mature trees can damage the underground room when it is close.

These requirements do not apply to shrubs, their shallow root system will only braid the structure, even if it reaches so deep into the ground in its development.

Once the site has been chosen, preparations for the construction of the winter storage can begin. All these stages of work refer to semi-underground and fully underground premises.

As for above-ground buildings, a different technology will be applied to them, which has much in common with the construction of houses and other structures of this type.

Pit preparation

The construction of the cellar begins with the arrangement of the foundation pit for the future building. It is necessary to take into account the following requirements for a pulled out hole:

The depth of digging a pit is calculated based on the design features of the future cellar - its functionality and dimensions;
The area of the pit should exceed the planned room, but not by much. The walls of the room and its floor also occupy a certain space;
In order to prevent the soil from crumbling, temporary formwork is made along the edges of the pit, its walls;
All the soil that is removed must be left nearby, as it will be required for the installation of the formwork and the further arrangement of the storage.

If the cellar is made under the house, then there will be no need to arrange floors, since the floor at the level of the first floor will perfectly cope with this problem.

Floor base device

The most suitable option would be to fill the soles of the cellar with a concrete mixture. To do this, garbage and other foreign elements are removed from the pit.

The entire surface must be carefully leveled and compacted, after which a layer of 15 centimeters of sand is poured. A waterproofing membrane is placed on top, a reinforcing mesh that will strengthen the subsequent layer of poured concrete.

Thus, when choosing options for the base for the cellar, you should pay attention to the concrete sole because of its strength and reliability.

The walls in the mini-cellar in the country should, with their compactness, withstand all the pressure that the soil exerts on them. For construction, concrete mix, blocks, wood or bricks are used. Each of the materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, features of application and installation technology.

But the limitation in the estimate also plays a role, due to which it is possible to use those materials that are available, for example, after the construction of the main residential building.

Floor laying

One of the flooring options are wooden beams. The elements that will perform the supporting function are stacked with their ends on opposite walls, on top of which the board covering is sheathed. A membrane is placed on top to protect against water penetration and prevent condensation.

An alternative can be reinforced concrete slabs, already finished and purchased from the manufacturer. They are much stronger and will last longer than wood, which is why they are so widespread in construction. Plates are placed on the ends of the walls and covered with earth.

This method is very simple to arrange and is recommended by specialists.

Creation of high-quality ventilation

Proper air circulation in the room will avoid the appearance of mold lesions and fungal infections, which are in a dormant state in any room, and when high humidity appears, they begin to multiply, covering all surfaces of the cellar.

Also, competent ventilation will maintain the optimum temperature in the room throughout the year.

To do this, they put two pipes, one of which is called the supply, and the second is the exhaust. You can use plastic pipes of medium diameters. But the size will depend directly on the dimensions of the room.

The supply pipe is installed in one of the corners of the cellar at a distance of 20 centimeters from the floor, and the exhaust elements are placed in the opposite corner at a distance of 40 centimeters from the ceiling. Due to the difference in levels, there will be an influx of fresh air and an exit of the exhausted moist cellar air to the outside.

Features of the construction of the cellar at a high level of groundwater

If the water in the soil passes very close to the surface, then the problem of arranging the cellar arises. It should be noted right away that this is quite possible, you just need to take care of drainage around the perimeter of the entire structure.

Advantages of the drainage device

To equip the drainage system for the cellar, perforated elements are installed at the bottom of the pit along the entire perimeter. Installation is done at a slight slope, about 2 centimeters per linear meter, directed towards a collection well or a special pit for water drains.

All pipes are covered with rubble, previously wrapped with layers of geotextile. Such an arrangement will protect the surfaces of the pipes from corrosion, and the drainage holes from the ingress of dirt, gravel or other debris.

If the floor is made of reinforced concrete, then high-quality waterproofing is necessary both from the inside and outside. You can make the room airtight by using a large plastic container.

Such a caisson is buried in the soil, and due to the solidity of its design, it does not allow moisture to penetrate inside. The arrangement of this option requires a special sequence of work in compliance with all the rules and regulations of construction.

Recommendations for arranging a mini-cellar in the country with your own hands

For comfortable use of the cellar, you need to make comfortable descents and ascents into the room. This will help a wide and comfortable staircase with a width of 40 centimeters. Its slope can be made up to 75 degrees, otherwise the main requirement will be violated - safety for the descent of a person. All stairs are made of wood, metal or concrete.

To store products correctly and accurately, it is worth making racks and shelves in the cellar, as a rule, from a bar with a diameter of 100 * 100. The height of such storage devices is limited by room height and common sense.

Having completed the arrangement of the cellar on the site, it is worth thinking about lighting it, even in such an underground space you can make safe switches and wiring.

They must be protected from moisture, since even waterproofing made can be damaged at any time due to insurmountable circumstances.

How to make an earthen cellar with your own hands. It is almost impossible to imagine a private house with its adjacent territory without a cellar, since it is here that the owner of the house stores all the crops and conservation. Not every refrigerator can become a full-fledged replacement for a cellar - it is in this place that a comfortable temperature and the right level of humidity are maintained, which allow vegetables and fruits to remain juicy.

It's great if there is already a cellar or barn under the house. But what if you do not have such a room? It doesn't matter - you can easily build an earthen cellar in the country with your own hands. About what are the features of the building, as well as what installation rules, we will tell in this article.

To date, many options for buildings for the basement are known: cellars, above-ground structures, glaciers and storehouses. These can be buildings that are complex in terms of architecture, and the simplest ones, from improvised material. It is to the simplest structures that an earthen cellar can be attributed.

Note that this design is not suitable for every site - construction is possible only under the following conditions:

Note, that trees should not be planted near the earthen basement, since the walls of the building may be damaged due to their powerful root system.

It is generally accepted that it is in an earthen cellar that it is easy to maintain a pleasant microclimate, which is great for storing potatoes, turnips, carrots and beets. Due to the natural moisture, the vegetables will not wrinkle or dry out, and even in the spring last year's harvest will be healthy and appetizing.

The process of creating an earthen cellar

Where to start

Although the design is considered simple, the question "how to make an earthen cellar?" still does not lose relevance. To do this, it is not necessary to be a professional builder, since even beginners coped with this task. You should start by creating a drawing / sketch, and it should be carried out taking into account the scale, as well as indicate on it all the dimensions of the cellar and its elements.

Here it is important to remember the following important factors:

The internal dimensions of the building should be indicated.
There should be a distance between the pit and the cellars - at least 50 cm more. In the future, this gap can be filled with clay, which must be mixed with straw - this will create a side lock that will prevent the walls from getting wet and seeping liquid from the soil into the basement.
Usually, they try to make the entrance to the earthen basement from the north side in order to minimize the loss of cooled air when the door is opened in summer.
Be sure to provide for the conduction of electricity to the basement, and in the construction plan, draw the electrical wiring, and take care of the input and connection.
For such a structure, ventilation is also necessary. It should also be developed during design.
The thickness of the bunding on the outside should also be calculated at the planning stage. But the thickness should be selected taking into account the climate in the region, the level of precipitation and the strength of the wind.

You should know that it is best to engage in such construction in the summer, when the groundwater level will be at a minimum and nothing will interfere with the work.

Foundation creation

So, when everything is verified and calculated, and the location is chosen, you can proceed to the construction itself. You should start by digging the base - a pit / pit, which will act as a repository for fruits and vegetables.

For a cellar, you can dig a hole without using special equipment, since it is usually made small in size - about 200 * 200 * 300 cm. You can reduce the height, this is especially true when groundwater lies close to the surface (150 cm).

It is also important to remember that the pit itself needs to be made 50 cm larger than the construction site. When manually digging, you will be able to maintain density and relief, and thanks to this, the walls will not crumble. It will help to protect the surfaces of the basement from collapse and the shape, namely an inverted trapezoid: the distance between the opposite walls should be less at the bottom than at the top.

Now let's think about how to make a floor in an earthen cellar. It varies:

Advice! If in this case the earthen floors get wet, then make all pallets and racks on a hill.

For example, you can assemble wooden lattices, and put boxes and boxes on them.

earthen cellar walls

Important!, foam concrete, cinder block and other materials that are porous in structure are not suitable for cladding, because after some time water will seep through them, which can cause walls to be destroyed.

Roof of the earth cellar

Most of the heat loss goes through the roof and ceiling of the cellar, and for this reason it is important to pay as much attention to this element of the building. The ceiling must be reinforced so that it does not collapse. In bulk basements, wood poles or woven vines are often used for this, but more resistant materials, such as planks or stone, can also be used.

But you will have to tinker with the roof, and first insulate it. The structure above the earthen basement should be made gable. Thanks to this, rainwater will drain quickly and will not penetrate into the cellar. Insulation and waterproofing should be laid on the base itself under the roof. By the way, it is perfect as insulation, and you can insulate the roof with any material that is not afraid of moisture (, / stone wool, glass wool, etc.).

Moisture resistant plywood, metal sheet or OSB should be placed on the roof. The corners on the slopes should be 45 degrees. For the best protection of the basement from freezing, it is advised to cover its roof with a layer of peat (about 25 cm), and then cover it with another insulation (roofing material or film) and cover 12 cm of fertile land.

Useful advice! If you sow low-growing grass like lawn or moss into the ground, then you can provide the roof with additional protection from cold and getting wet. In addition, greenery will make the roof spectacular and give an unusual, sophisticated antique look.

Ventilation

As in all storage facilities, even in an earthen cellar it must be equipped. If this is not done, then there will be stale air inside, and it will not be possible to store vegetables there, since it is in such conditions that fungus and mold feel best. The rules for creating ventilation in an earthen cellar in the country are as follows:

Use metal or plastic pipes with a diameter greater than 10 cm. You can make ventilation ducts out of wood.
The supply pipe should be located slightly above the floor level, and go outside no lower than 0.5 m above the ground.
The hood should be located just under the ceiling, and the outer edge should be raised 150 cm from ground level.
Both pipes must be covered with a protective cap, which prevents atmospheric moisture from entering inside.

Important the fact that in a small cellar you can install only one supply and exhaust pipe.

Basement interior decoration

In the earthen cellar itself in the country house, everything can be arranged the way its owner wants, since everyone has different needs: someone stores potatoes in it, and someone wants storage for wine. In this case, the storage is usually divided into two zones - the bins on the right, where there are wooden boxes / compartments for apples and other things, and on the left, racks for preservation and wine. The shelves should be 0.5 m apart, but the size may vary depending on the height of the jars.

The material of the shelves is acceptable different - metal, wood. In the first case, the racks should be protected from corrosion by regular staining, and in the second, the wood should be treated in a timely manner with antiseptic agents or coated with oil enamel.

An indispensable attribute is a ladder. It must be safe and durable, and it must also be processed in time so that there is no corrosion or decay.

The final stage is the supply of electricity. Do not forget about the microclimate and safety standards - only low voltage lamps should be installed in such rooms!

Conclusion

An earth cellar is the best way to create storage for harvest and conservation. This basement will not only last for many years, but will not require repairs and additional maintenance, since all surfaces will be protected by a layer of earth.

The cellar is a room that is useful to any owner. It is in the cellar that products can be stored for a very long time, thanks to the special microclimate. Maintaining such a microclimate is facilitated by constant temperature and humidity. The main thing during the construction of the cellar is to comply with certain conditions of waterproofing and ventilation. A video on how to build a cellar with your own hands will help you with your work.

From this story you will learn useful information regarding the construction of the cellar.