Subtleties of installing a ground cellar

The owners of country houses and summer cottages know firsthand how useful a ground cellar can be in everyday life. Indeed, such rooms are extremely spacious, which is also combined with an optimal microclimate. They are designed to store various products for a long time. It is noteworthy that you can build it yourself, you just need to know the intricacies of installing a ground cellar, which will be discussed in this article.

The main feature of the cellars is the aforementioned need for its location relative to the ground level. Unlike its counterparts (for example, an underground cellar), the cellar is located exclusively on the surface.

Types of cellars:

• separate - the building is not integrated with other buildings and is an autonomous object;
• wall-mounted - in this case, the storage is, as it were, part of an existing structure, for example, a barn, bathhouse or house.

Advantages:

• complete isolation from the electricity system and, as a result, saving money;
• large size, capacity, spaciousness;
• ease of use;
• complete absence of flooding;
• perfectly performs all its functions regardless of the season outside the window.

Disadvantages:

• loss of part of the land for the installation of the structure;
• there is an interference in the structure of the landscape of the site, it can be minimized if you use the option of a wall cellar;
• waste of time and material resources on hydraulic works.

an aboveground horse cellar can be built, for example, from foam blocks or red bricks. There are different types of cellars. Let's consider the installation methods for each of them in more detail: how to do it step by step, explain the structure and present the project.

The structure of the ground cellar is simple. It is a spacious room for storing canned food and vegetables. It can be decorated with themed decorative elements to your liking. The main elements are numerous shelves or mini-storage for certain products. It looks like an unremarkable room, although it has its own personality in the spirit of the old times. There are, of course, small differences in the device depending on the type of ground cellar (there are several of them), which will be discussed later.

A ground cellar is a fairly simple structure, at the same time, distinguished by its reliability. Various materials are used for its construction. Among them there are:

• brick: red and white;
• wood;
• concrete (to create a pillow);
• roofing from various components (for roof construction);
• clay (for protection from rodents);
• roofing material (to ensure waterproofing);
• sand, gravel, expanded clay.

The creation of an initial project is the most important stage in any business. All subsequent work will rely on it. It sets their main vector. You can compile it yourself, or you can contact a specialist.

The primary task will be to choose the location of the construction. This issue should not be approached irresponsibly.As you know, it is the place of construction that will affect its strength and durability and, most importantly, the freshness and safety of the stored products.

First of all, you need to know that the building is being erected on a dry, elevated place. It is important that the groundwater is at least fifty centimeters below the bottom of the cellar. If it is not possible to find a dry place on a hill, you need to create a pallet from a mixture of gravel and sand.

There are various types of above ground cellars. You can build them yourself. Let's consider each of the varieties separately.

This is perhaps the simplest type of construction of all. Outwardly, it resembles a hut. For construction, wood planks and logs are used.

You can use the installation tips given by professionals.

• For the construction, skinned logs are most often taken. Watch the dimensions carefully: the diameter should not exceed twenty-five centimeters. After that, you need to apply a bituminous coating or conduct a firing with a height of about fifty centimeters. This is done in order to ensure maximum durability.
• Next, you need to dig the logs into the ground. This is done around the perimeter of the future cellar. It is important to place them on the surface with the treated side.
• Then the upper sides are fastened together with large poles. All this together forms an integral structure.
• After that, the top covering of the boards and the slab lathing are created. If cracks appear, you need to caulk them. Moss is most suitable for this procedure.
• It is also necessary to remember about the protection from moisture from the inside of the building. Here you need to resort to coating with bituminous mastic. The mixture should be warmed up.
• Next, roofing material is applied. It provides high-quality waterproofing of the building.
• The walls from the end must be sewn up with boards and roofing material must also be applied.
• To keep the heat indoors, it is necessary to cover it with peat soil.

• Grass or plants, such as sod, are sown on the top layer of the earth.
• It is important to create a small groove near the structure, which, if necessary, will protect against water access.
• Entrance doors are most often installed double. From the north side, you need to use doors with insulation materials and install a canopy.
• An important element of construction is the provision of ventilation. A wooden box is most often used as a hood. It has a special valve and two pipes: exhaust and flow.
• If after construction there is a feeling that the hill, which is the basis for it, is superfluous and does not fit into the overall design concept, you can turn the situation into a plus and use it as an additional design object. For example, plant beautiful flowers on it or set garden figurines and so on.
• The most common sizes of such cellars are 4 by 8 meters. Subject to the rules of operation, the building can last up to ten years.
• If there is no time, effort or desire to carry out systematic cleaning and processing, you can choose the option of a collapsible design.

Unlike the previous version, this design does not look like a hut, but is an ordinary small house.

Elements of such a building:

• walls;
• ventilation window;
• roof, which is also covered with roofing material;
• basement pillow;
• floor;
• protection from insects and rodents from clay;
• entrance doors;

This is a rather simple structure, which can also be erected with your own hands, if you carefully study all the stages and follow the rules.

• The dimensions of the future cellar and its perimeter are being measured.
• Sod removal.
• Preparation of the base - pits. Its depth should be no more than sixty centimeters.
• The leftover soil does not need to be removed. It will come in handy later.
• The created site is leveled, the "foundation" of the building is created.
• Control over the position of a special cushion that provides the required waterproofing. The following common materials are suitable: sand (coarse), gravel (fine), and expanded clay.

• Provides guaranteed protection against possible attacks of rodents and insects. To do this, clay is bred and placed in a layer of no more than twelve centimeters on a pre-installed pillow, after which the area is covered with bricks.
• Walls are built on the sides of bricks. They are connected thanks to a lime mixture with the addition of clay and sand.
• The rest of the walls and ceiling are being built. For this, large boards are most often used (their thickness should reach about five centimeters). Their ranks are necessarily reinforced with material to create thermal insulation. It can be the usual expanded clay and even foam.
• Roofing material is imposed. This is necessary so that there are no drafts in the room.
• Installation of doors from the inside and outside. For comfortable operation in cold climates, you can use special insulation or build a kind of small vestibule. You can also put a pipe for ventilation right there.
• One of the final steps is the creation of the roof covering. It can be single or gable. In this case, you can use the extremely common material slate or the well-known roofing material.

As noted earlier, this method is quite convenient: it saves a significant amount of space on the site, because it kind of joins the load-bearing side of the house or any other building.

The back-to-wall cellar consists of:

• own walls;
• walls of a house or building to which it is adjacent;
• ceiling;
• floor;
• embankments;
• roofing material coatings;
• roofs;
• specially designated storage space.

Installation is quite simple, and you can also do it yourself, without the help of professionals. The procedure is approximately the same as in previous models. Let's consider it in more detail.

1. The necessary measurements are made, the perimeter is determined.
2. The missing walls of concrete or brick are being laid. A mixture of sand and cement is used to combine the materials.
3. Bitumen lubricant is used. This provides the required water insulation. It is applied to the outer surfaces of the cellar.
4. A kind of concrete pillow is created with a thickness of no more than twenty centimeters. This protects the prepared and leveled surface.
5. After 1-1.5 weeks, the final flooring of the building is created. For this, a mixture of sand and cement is used and laid out in a layer of no more than six centimeters.
6. The roof is being built.
7. The necessary embankment is being created.
8. A blind area is being erected along the perimeter of the building.
9. As in the previous cases, a small groove is pulled out (no more than 1/4 meter deep). It will conserve rainwater and provide flood protection.

It is only important to study the intricacies of installing the cellar and follow the rules of operation for maximum durability.

1. The main thing is to carry out systematic cleaning, to monitor its cleanliness. Since a dirty cellar is not only aesthetically unpleasant, but also threatens the composition of products, they deteriorate faster, lose their taste, and microbes get inside.
2. The second key rule: regular disinfection and treatment against parasites. This will avoid the appearance of parasites, insects, rats, which pose not only a threat to stored things, but also to the health of the owners.

The following ideo will tell in more detail about the intricacies of installing a ground cellar.