The cellar is one of the important buildings on the site near your own house or cottage. Here you can store products, 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 structure will be lower than that of underground storage facilities. How to do this job correctly will be discussed later.
Ground Storage Features
DIY ground cellar (photo below) is a structure that is located above ground level. All its internal 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 should harmoniously fit into the landscape design. Therefore, its facade can be beautifully designed. This takes into account how far the building is from the house, whether it is visible on the site or is it hidden from the eyes by a partition.
A microclimate suitable for storing food is installed inside the above-ground cellar. As a result, you can add fresh food, as well as preservation. However, do not use the room for other purposes. Be sure to take into account the rules of food neighborhood. You can’t store different things, tools, chemicals in the cellar. Only products should be located here. Moreover, their location should be appropriate.
Considering the photo of land cellars, it can be noted that this structure 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 construction plan is created. This allows you to identify and eliminate deficiencies even at the preparatory stage, before the start of construction work.
Choosing a place to build
How to make a land cellar with your own hands? It is worth noting that it is worth starting with the right choice of place. It depends on whether the design will perform the functions assigned to it.
If the place for construction is chosen correctly, the products will be stored inside the building for a long time. You need to choose a high place on the site. Groundwater should preferably not come close to the surface at this location. The site must be dry. There should be a minimum of 50 cm from the bottom of the storage to groundwater.
If the area is wet, you should create the right base under the store. Be sure to provide for the presence of drainage on the site. The foundation must be completed in accordance with all the rules. During its construction, a layer of high-quality, thick waterproofing is necessarily provided.
To avoid deformation of the structure in the winter, it is built on a sand and gravel pillow. It should be below 70 cm from the ground.
It is worth noting that the cellar can stand at a certain distance from the house or be in close proximity to it. If the cellar is adjacent to the cottage, you can not equip the foundation lower than the base of the main building. At the same time, a combination of these two structures is made. It is important to create a cellar that harmoniously complements the facade of the house. It’s easier to create a repository that is separate from the main house.
Ground Storage Reviews
According to reviews, a land cellar in a country house or a personal 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 likelihood of flooding of 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 is non-volatile.
A large storage area allows you to store a lot of products, blanks. This land cellars for storing vegetables favorably with household refrigerators. The advantages of the presented designs are more than disadvantages.
However, there are also negative reviews about elevated 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 creating a quality foundation. However, such a storage facility is still cheaper than an underground cellar. Considering also a number of positive qualities of the presented building, it is erected quite often.
Embankment
The construction of a land cellar can be performed according to one of three schemes. There are such designs:
- ordinary cellar with an embankment;
- storehouses without an embankment;
- wall structure.
The easiest is a cellar with an embankment. This design resembles a hut in appearance. It is erected from planks or logs. Moreover, the material does not have to be new. Logs or boards that were already in use 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.
A 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 this form of roof that the cellar resembles a hut. In winter, snow will fall on the roof. It will perform the function of a natural insulation.
If desired, this design can be made collapsible. This will avoid annual cleaning of the room. Such a structure is erected in the fall (in September), and dismantled in the spring. The soil under such a repository needs to be dug up, treated with a solution of copper sulfate (5%).
Embankment construction
Even a novice master will be able to build a land cellar with his own hands. Step by step, this procedure should be considered before starting work. For construction, you will need sanded logs with a cross section of 25 cm. They need to be treated with bitumen to a height of 60 cm. This is necessary to increase the service life of the building.
Bars are dug along the perimeter of the future storehouse, dropping them into the ground with a treated edge. With the help of long poles, the upper strapping is performed. Thus, a structure consisting of integral walls is obtained.
From the slab, its crate is made. The roof is assembled from boards. The structure must be covered with roofing material. End faces need to be clad with boards in 2 rows. A layer of waterproofing is laid between them. Next, the structure is sprinkled with peat. This procedure is called the embankment. This soil retains heat well indoors.
Creating a do-it-yourself land cellar with an embankment, it is worth equipping it with an entrance from the north side. Climbing plants are sown on peat bog. The door must be insulated. They definitely make a canopy over it.
Around the structure you need to dig a groove. It creates protection against water. Also, ventilation should be created inside the structure. To do this, a box with an adjustable gate valve is installed in the wall. One pipe should be under the ceiling and the other 50 cm above the floor.
Storage without embankment
You can build a repository that will not differ in appearance from a conventional outbuilding. This is a land cellar without an embankment. Its construction also does not cause difficulties.
First you need to make a plan for the future structure. It indicates the natural dimensions, as well as the configuration of the structure to scale. According to the created plan, you need to perform markup on the site. The topsoil is removed. Here you will need to dig a hole with a depth of about 60-70 cm. Soil from the site is not taken out. They put it aside.
The prepared site must be tamped with quality. At the bottom pour gravel or expanded clay. The second option is preferable. It will serve as additional thermal insulation. When this layer is compacted, sand is poured on top. It is also leveled and rammed. Each of these layers should be 10 cm thick. Next, the foundation pit is lined with waterproofing. She must rise over the side of the pit.
Then 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 solution.
Instead of concrete, brick and mortar can be used. The layer in this case should be at least 10 cm. You can lay bricks on soaked clay flat. Each subsequent row is done with an offset.
Completion without embankment
Building a land cellar with your own hands, you should lay out the walls of brick. As a solution, you can use a mixture of clay, lime and sand. You can only make the foundation brick. In this case, it will rise above the ground to a height of about 30-40 cm.
The walls and ceiling of the vault can be built from 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, expanded polystyrene, moss, etc.
From the outside, the walls 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 frost in winter is severe. Inside the cellar is to equip a small vestibule. On this side ventilation is also arranged.
The roof in such a storage can be with one or two slopes. It is trimmed with slate, roofing material. A ditch is dug around the structure to drain water. It should be about 50 cm deep.
Wall storage construction
You can build a repository next to the wall of the main house or other household facility. For this, you also need to follow a specific step-by-step instruction. This design saves space on the site.
First, a building plan is also developed. In this case, you can build a ground cellar of 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 brick. They have high thermal insulation characteristics.
First you need to create a foundation. To do this, 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 aligned. A layer of gravel and sand is poured here. They are carefully aligned, rammed. Next, you need to cover the pit space with overlapping waterproofing (with an approach of 20 cm). It should go to the surface, and also pass along the wall of the main building.
Next, formwork is created from the boards. If the storage is large, you need to lay down the reinforcement layer. Then it is poured with a cement mortar with a layer of 3-5 cm. It is covered with a film, maintaining a natural level of humidity. The screed should not dry quickly.
Completion of wall construction
After creating the foundation of the land 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 the winters are cold) from expanded polystyrene.
Next, a roof is created. In this case, it should be shed. The roof can be made of slab. It is covered with a layer of waterproofing. You can make the roof of the same material as the cottage. In this case, you will need to build a rafter system. It is covered with hydro and thermal insulation. Next, a wooden crate is made. It is lined with slate, metal, corrugated board or other suitable material.
It is also desirable to wall the walls with dry fertile soil. Climbing plants are planted here. You can also plant here undersized perennial bushes and flowers. Around the building, they dig a trench to drain water.
Inside the cellar make natural ventilation. The door also needs to be covered with a heater. If desired, you can make an entrance to the storehouse from the side of the house. So operate the cellar will be much more comfortable. If the door is located on the street side, it must be insulated. Inside, a small dressing room is equipped.
Some tips from builders
The ground cellar will be operated long enough if all the actions are performed sequentially. The best time to build a stationary storage facility is summer. Collapsible structures erected in early autumn. During this period, the groundwater level is minimal.
Do not neglect such stages as warming, arranging the waterproofing of the building. It is also extremely important to create proper ventilation indoors. Without it, the products will rot, 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 land cellar, you can build a store for products and blanks with your own hands. It will last a long time, will fulfill the functions assigned to it in full.