The cellar is one of the important buildings on the site near your own house or cottage. Here you can store food, preservation for several months. It is quite possible to build a ground cellar on your own. At the same time, the cost of such a facility will be lower than that of underground storage facilities. How to do this job correctly will be discussed later.
Above-ground storage features
Do-it-yourself ground cellar (photo below) is a structure that is located above the ground level. All of its interior space is on the surface. If the cellar is partially submerged in the ground, it is classified as an underground structure.
Since the structure will be located on the site, it must harmoniously fit into the landscape design. Therefore, its facade can be beautifully designed. At the same time, they take into account how far the building is from the house, whether it is visible on the site or whether it is hidden from the eyes by a partition.
Inside the ground cellara microclimate suitable for food storage is established. As a result, fresh food as well as canned food can be stored here. However, you should not use the room for other than its intended purpose. Be sure to take into account the rules of the food neighborhood. You can not store different things, tools, chemicals in the cellar. Only products should be here. Moreover, their location should be appropriate.
Looking at the photos of ground cellars, it can be noted that this building can become a real decoration of the site. To do this, you need to carefully consider its location, as well as design. Before construction, a design plan is created. This allows you to identify and eliminate shortcomings even at the preparatory stage, before the start of construction work.
Choosing a place to build
How to make a ground cellar with your own hands? It is worth noting that it is worth starting with the right choice of location. It depends on this whether the design will fulfill the functions assigned to it.
If the place for building is chosen correctly, the products will be stored inside the building for a long time. You need to choose an elevated place on the site. It is desirable that groundwater does not come close to the surface at this location. The area must be dry. There must be at least 50 cm from the bottom of the storage to groundwater.
If the area is wet, you should create the right base under the storage. Be sure to provide for the presence of drainage in the area. The foundation must be completed in accordance with all the rules. During its construction, a layer of high-quality, thickwaterproofing.
To avoid deformation of the structure in winter, it is built on a sand and gravel cushion. It should be below 70 cm from the ground.
It is worth noting that the cellar can be at a certain distance from the house or be in close proximity to it. If the cellar is adjacent to the cottage, it is impossible to equip the foundation lower than the base of the main building. At the same time, a bunch of these two structures is made. It is important to create a cellar that harmoniously complements the facade of the house. It is easier to create storage that is separate from the main house.
Ground storage reviews
According to reviews, a ground cellar in a country house or garden plot has a number of advantages over other storage options. Such a structure occupies a small space on the site. At the same time, it can be built even in the area where there is a possibility of raising the level of groundwater.
The advantage of the above-ground system is the elimination of the possibility of flooding the internal space. At any time of the year, the storage will be functional. At the same time, a certain microclimate is established in it. It has energy independence.
The large storage area allows you to store a lot of products and blanks here. This ground-based cellars for storing vegetables compare favorably with household refrigerators. The presented designs have more advantages than disadvantages.
However, there are also negative reviews about above-ground buildings. Although the cellar takes up little space, there should still be enough space on the site.to create such a structure. In this case, a single picture of landscape design may be violated. This point needs to be carefully considered.
The construction of the cellar is associated with additional costs for the creation of a quality foundation. However, such storage is still cheaper than an underground cellar. Considering also a number of positive qualities of the presented building, it is erected quite often.
Storage with bunding
The construction of a ground cellar can be done according to one of three schemes. There are such constructions:
- usual cellar with bunding;
- storage without bunding;
- wall building.
The simplest is a bunded cellar. This design looks like a hut. It is built from boards or logs. Moreover, the material does not have to be new. Logs or boards that have already been in operation are quite suitable.
This is a small design. It can be up to 8 m long and up to 4 m wide. The average life of such a cellar is about 10 years.
The feature of this design is the roof. Its edges should hang almost to the ground. This is a characteristic feature of the presented design. It is with this form of roofing that the cellar resembles a hut. In winter, snow will fall on the roof. It will act as a natural insulation.
If desired, this design can be made collapsible. This will avoid the annual cleaning of the premises. They erect such a structure in the fall (in September), andsorted out in the spring. The soil under such a storage needs to be dug up, treated with a solution of copper sulphate (5%).
Construction of a storage facility with embankment
Even a novice master can build a ground cellar with his own hands. Step by step this procedure should be considered before starting work. For construction, sanded logs with a cross section of 25 cm will be required. They must be treated with bitumen to a height of 60 cm. This is necessary to increase the life of the building.
Along the perimeter of the future storage, bars are dug in, lowering them into the ground with a processed edge. With the help of long poles, the upper strapping is performed. This is how a structure consisting of integral walls is obtained.
Its crate is made from the croaker. The roof is assembled from boards. The structure must be covered with roofing material. The end sides need to be sheathed with boards in 2 rows. A layer of waterproofing is laid between them. Next, the structure is sprinkled with peat. This procedure is called bunding. This soil retains heat well indoors.
When creating a ground cellar with a bunding with your own hands, it is worth equipping the entrance to it from the north side. Climbing plants are sown on the peat bog. The door must be insulated. They must make a canopy over it.
Dig a groove around the building. It creates protection from water. Also, ventilation should be created inside the structure. To do this, a box with an adjustable valve is installed in the wall. One pipe should be under the ceiling and the other 50 cm above the floor.
Storage withoutbundings
You can build a storage that will not differ in appearance from a regular outbuilding. This is a ground cellar without embankment. Its construction is also easy.
First you need to draw up a plan for the future building. It indicates the natural dimensions, as well as the configuration of the structure to scale. According to the created plan, you need to mark up the site. The top layer of soil is removed. Here you will need to dig a hole about 60-70 cm deep. The soil is not removed from the site. It is folded to the side.
The prepared site must be compacted with high quality. Gravel or expanded clay is poured to the bottom. The second option is preferable. It will serve as additional thermal insulation. When this layer is compacted, sand is poured from above. It is also leveled and rammed. Each of these layers should be 10 cm thick. Next, the pit is lined with waterproofing. She must climb over the sides of the pit.
Next, you can fill the base with cement. The screed should be 3-5 cm thick. It is covered with a film and watered periodically with water. This avoids cracking of the grout.
Brick and mortar can be used instead of concrete. The layer in this case should be at least 10 cm. You can lay bricks flat on the soaked clay. Each subsequent row is done with an offset.
Completion of construction without embankment
When building a ground cellar with your own hands, you should lay out brick walls. As a solution, you can use a mixture of clay,lime and sand. You can only make a brick foundation. In this case, it will rise above the ground to a height of about 30-40 cm.
Vault walls and ceiling can be built with planks. They should be thick enough (thickness 40-50 cm). They are sewn in two rows. A layer of thermal insulation should be laid between them. It can be expanded clay, polystyrene foam, moss, etc.
From the outside of the wall and the roof must be sheathed with roofing material. The entrance to the cellar should consist of two doors. They open outward and inward. Between them it is worth laying a layer of insulation if the frost in winter is severe. Inside the cellar it is worth equipping a small vestibule. Ventilation is also being arranged on this side.
The roof in such storage can be either with one or two slopes. It is trimmed with slate, roofing material. A ditch is dug around the perimeter around the building to drain water. It should be about 50 cm deep.
Construction of a wall storage
You can build storage next to the wall of the main house or other household facility. To do this, you also need to follow certain step-by-step instructions. This design saves space on the site.
A building plan is also developed first. In this case, it is possible to build a ground cellar from foam blocks, bricks, monolithic concrete. The choice depends on the material of the main wall of the house. Foam blocks in this case are preferable to bricks. They have high thermal insulationcharacteristics.
First you need to create a foundation. To do this, they dig a pit to a depth of at least 50 cm. The foundation should not be deeper than the base of the house. The bottom of the pit is well levelled. A layer of gravel and sand is poured here. They are carefully leveled, rammed. Next, you need to cover the space of the pit with overlapping waterproofing (with a 20 cm approach). It should come to the surface, and also pass along the wall of the main building.
Next, formwork is created from boards. If the storage is large, you need to lay down a layer of reinforcement. Then it is poured with cement mortar with a layer of 3-5 cm. It is covered with a film, maintaining the natural level of humidity. The screed should not dry quickly.
Completion of wall construction
After creating the foundation of the ground cellar, you need to lay out the walls of brick or foam blocks. Masonry is done in one brick. Internal and external walls are carefully plastered. For this, a cement mixture is used. Outside, the walls are covered with bitumen. You can also make a layer of thermal insulation (if winters are cold) from Styrofoam.
Next, the roof is created. In this case, it should be single-sided. The roof can be made from slab. It is covered with a layer of waterproofing. You can make a roof from the same material as the cottage. In this case, you will need to build a truss system. It is covered with hydro and thermal insulation. Next is a wooden crate. It is lined with slate, metal tiles, corrugated board or other suitable material.
Walls are also desirable to collapse with dry fertile soil. Planted hereclimbing plants. You can also plant low-growing perennial bushes and flowers here. A trench is being dug around the building to drain water.
Inside the cellar make natural ventilation. The door also needs to be covered with insulation. If desired, you can make an entrance to the vault from the side of the house. So it will be much more comfortable to operate the cellar. If the door is on the side of the street, it must be insulated. A small dressing room is being set up inside.
A few tips from builders
The ground cellar will last long enough if you follow all the steps in sequence. The best time to build a stationary storage facility is summer. Collapsible structures are erected in early autumn. During this period, the groundwater level is minimal.
Do not neglect such stages as insulation, arrangement of waterproofing of the building. It is also extremely important to create proper ventilation indoors. Without it, food will rot and mold will develop on the walls. High-quality ventilation allows you to maintain a normal level of humidity in the room.
Having considered the features of creating a ground cellar, you can build a storage for products and blanks with your own hands. It will serve for a long time, will perform the functions assigned to it in full.
