How to make an outdoor cellar. Various options for a do-it-yourself cellar for a summer residence

Today it is important to make a cellar with your own hands (including from concrete and blocks).

Indeed, why hire people and spend extra money when you can do all the work yourself.

A cellar is a room in which fruits, vegetables and preserves are usually stored, in winter period, but products can be stored there all year round.

The most important thing is to maintain the same temperature in the room: the temperature should not be higher than 4 degrees Celsius, then thanks to this microclimate, vegetables and fruits can be stored for a long time without losing their presentation.

If you have your own garden or dacha, then you can’t do without storage.

Preparatory work

Before you begin building a cellar, you first need to study the terrain.

Then, in the studied area, you should select the driest place, not forgetting to take into account the level of groundwater rise and the structural features of the soil.

Also, do not forget about the depth of soil freezing, which is influenced by previous factors.

It is advisable to carry out the construction of the storage facility with your own hands on an elevated surface; this makes it possible to simplify waterproofing work.

The building should be positioned so that groundwater does not reach the bottom of the cellar by at least 50 cm.

If this is not possible, and you are forced to build a vegetable storage in a lowland with highly moist soil, then you cannot do without a sand and gravel layer (cushion), which is poured onto the floor.

It will be able to protect the structure from erosion by groundwater.

The height of groundwater must be determined in spring or autumn, when the level rises as high as possible.

Where groundwater lies close to the surface, you can observe the growth of lush green grass. In those places, plants that love moisture are sure to grow: horsetail, reeds, sedge.

We should not forget that places with high humidity are very fond of mosquitoes and midges, which can also become a kind of guideline in choosing a place for construction.

Types of cellars

There are quite a few types of cellars; the most often preferred ones during construction are:

• earthen cellar;
• I will cellar under the house;
• stone cellar;
• blocked cellar;
• above ground cellar.

They all differ in appearance, internal structure and the materials used.

One structure is built from concrete, for another they use stone, a third is built from blocks, you can also build a cellar out of brick with your own hands, and so on. The floor, walls and roof also have different structures.

Therefore, let's take a closer look at the structure of each of them.

An earthen building perfectly preserves food and protects it from rotting and drying out.

The pit is dug so that during construction the walls can be placed slightly at an angle, which makes it possible to avoid soil destruction.

If the pit is planned on sandy terrain, then the walls need cladding and reinforcement from wooden planks or fence.

Thanks to the cladding, it is possible to increase service life and create optimal conditions for long-term preservation of workpieces.

The advantage of the design is that the casing can be made collapsible, which makes it possible to modernize the structure.

Earthen construction is mainly done at the dacha as one of the budget options. It has a small area and a height of about 2 meters.

If the level groundwater lies close to the surface, then it is better to make the height of the room even smaller.

But this does not in any way affect its positive characteristics and you can use this design all year round.

In the photo above you can see an image of such a storage facility.

We are building an earthen cellar

Let's learn step by step how to build a cellar in a country house with your own hands:

• For the base we use crushed stone (it must be compacted) and pour it with hot bitumen. It reliably protects the surface and prevents moisture from penetrating into the base;
• The floor is made of clay, about 10 cm thick, with an admixture of sifted crushed stone from brick (alternatively, the floor is made of concrete);
• The ceiling can be created from poles. We coat them with clay mixed with pieces of straw, then add a layer of soil. In order for the thermal insulation to be good, the layer must be thick enough, at least 25-30 cm. The roof must be brought to the ground, which is why a gable roof is usually installed. We take the most budget-friendly materials, slabs or ordinary branches. We form the roof ridge from thick cut boards and lay down roofing felt or roofing felt in several layers;
• We insulate the ceiling using peat or dry leaves, which prevents the building from freezing in harsh winters;
• To a depth of 40-50 cm, dig a ditch around the structure to drain water.

As you can see, building such a structure is not at all difficult. Its main advantage is the simplicity of the design and the use of budget materials.

The video below shows an overview of such a cellar.

The construction of such a cellar makes it possible to save usable space on the site.

In the photo below you see an example of such a cellar.

Let's look at how to create a cellar under the house with your own hands. The swarm pit is not very large. We put a layer of crushed stone about 10 cm thick down, tamp it down, and then fill it with hot bitumen.

We build the walls from concrete with steel reinforcement.

Then we plaster the concrete coating using a cement-sand mortar and smooth it with a metal spatula (a combination of concrete and cement mortar will reliably protect the surface of the walls from water).

For waterproofing, we cover the base and upper parts of the cellar walls with roofing felt in several layers.

We also make the floor concrete (as an option, the floor can be made of clay mixed with crushed stone or brick).

To enter the storage room, we make a hole in the floor of the house and put a door in it (as a rule, the entrance is made in the kitchen). Your storage is now ready to use.

In the video below you see how the construction of this structure is carried out step by step.

Such a cellar boasts many positive characteristics. It is strong, very reliable and durable.

In a cellar made of stone, both fresh and canned foods are perfectly preserved. As a rule, a stone structure is erected large sizes and the construction itself is quite complex.

It is advisable to build it in an arid area so that groundwater in the event of a spill cannot reach the building.

The structure is erected using a very durable mortar. A flagstone is applied to the clay, and chaff and lime are added.

Before laying flagstone, it must be taken outside and left there for at least six months so that it acclimatizes.

The photo below shows appearance stone cellar.

Construction of a stone cellar

Let's look at how to make a cellar with your own hands:

• The floor must be durable so that it can withstand heavy loads. Therefore, we make the floor using tightly knit clay with the addition of crushed straw, sand and crushed stone;
• On the outside, we cover the ceiling with a solution of thick lime, apply a thick layer of clay on top of it (about 6-8 cm), then put wood ash (layer thickness 8-10 cm) and cover everything with dry soil;
• Now you need to lay the vaulted roof. We place the roof on wooden formwork.

The staircase in such a cellar is made of stone blocks or bricks, covered with wood.

There are no pipes for ventilation in a stone cellar, so small holes are made in the entrance hatch to circulate air and maintain the desired level of humidity.

Now you know how to build a cellar with your own hands from stone. This construction is quite difficult and takes a lot of time, so you should think about it before deciding to build such a structure.

The video below shows detailed construction stone cellars.

Blocked cellar

Most often, such a room is located on a plot of land in a private house for rational use. usable area. Making such a storage is quite easy.

Such a building is considered budget-friendly and does not require much time to create. In the photo below you see an example of such a cellar.

We cover the bottom of the prepared pit with a layer of crushed stone, compact it and pour hot bitumen. Alternatively, you can make a base from a mixture of cement, gravel and sand.

When the base dries, we build brick walls. We coat the outer and inner sides of the walls with cement and sand.

Afterwards, we apply a bitumen primer to the surface of the concrete and coat it on top with bitumen grease (we apply the grease several times).

We make the overlap using thick slabs or boards, also coating their ends with hot bitumen. We insulate the ceiling using clay with the addition of chopped straw.

Make the layer that we apply to the ceiling at least 40 cm and put a layer of soil on top.

The floor is made of concrete. Alternatively, the floor can be made of brick, covered with wooden flooring on top.

It is quite possible to sow grass on the surface of the blocked storage area so that it looks harmonious on the site in a private house.

In the video below you can see an example of building a basement.

Above ground cellar

The area of ​​the cellar located on the ground is usually small in size. It looks like a small room for storing food.

It is placed inside an existing hillock or embankment on the site. An above-ground cellar has its advantages.

Firstly, it can be built in an area with a high groundwater level; secondly, it can be built in the summer (other types of similar structures are built mainly in spring or autumn).

Since we are building a cellar with our own hands, we need clear instructions that will cover the entire process step by step.

Construction of an above-ground cellar

Let's look at how to properly organize the construction of a cellar with your own hands on the ground:

• To begin with, we dig a hole in a hillock or earthen embankment to accommodate the future building;
• At the bottom we make a drainage cushion (about 10cm thick), take sand for this. The presence of such a pillow will protect the building from moisture and dampness;
• We apply crumpled clay about 15 cm thick to the surface of the pillow and lay a layer of red brick on it. We raise walls made of the same brick and coat them with a mixture of clay and limestone (clay and limestone protect brick walls from moisture). The upper edge of the walls may rise slightly above the surface of the embankment, but not more than 20-30 cm;
• Such a structure requires additional protection in winter, so we make the ceiling from thick wooden blocks. We insulate the ceiling using moss, sawdust, dry leaves and expanded clay. You can also insulate the ceiling with a mixture of lime and sawdust in a ratio of 9:1;
• We protect the outer side of the walls from the harmful effects of the external environment using roofing felt, hardboard or kraft paper;
• The doors must be made double (do not forget to install thermal insulation in the space between them);
• We also install a ventilation pipe, covering it on the outside with a fine mesh (so that insects cannot get inside).

Helpful advice: when constructing such a structure, it is better to make a ditch to drain water at a distance of 1-2 m from the structure.

In order for the cellar to always remain dry and the temperature in it to be stable, its construction should be carried out in compliance with certain rules and requirements. The work ahead is quite extensive, but in the future it will pay off with interest.

The cellar can be located either away from other buildings or located under a house, garage, bathhouse or barn. The storage facility located under the building allows you to save space on the site, and can also be used in winter time it will be much more convenient for them.

If you decide to build it in an open area, then you should choose a higher place - in a storage facility located in a lowland there will be constant dampness. It is advisable that a free-standing cellar be located in the shade. In this case, in summer time it will warm up less.

To avoid the collapse of buildings, in no case should a free-standing cellar be located closer than half a meter from their walls.

Types of cellars

The decisive factor when choosing the type of cellar is ground water level . If aquifer passes too close; during spring floods, your food supplies will be flooded every year. Moreover, no drainage system will save you - the more you pump out water, the faster the ducts will erode, and every year there will be more and more of it in the cellar.

To prevent it from being flooded during floods, it should be located 0.5 m above this level. To determine how close groundwater is to the surface, you can use:

• garden auger: 2.5 m long or more;

• spoon drill: it is used to drill wells under water, but it can also be used for similar measurements.

After drilling, the well should stand still for at least a day. Next, the water level is measured using a long rod lowered into the well. Depending on the result obtained, they decide which type of cellar can be built on the site:

• underground: a standard cellar located on a dry area, most often deepened by 2.5-3 m;
• semi-recessed; less demanding on the soil, its depth is on average 1 m;
• bulk: built on swampy soils where the groundwater level is very high;
• a slope cellar, a type of bulk cellar, is used quite rarely.

To protect against frost heaving of the soil and preserve heat in storage cellar depth must necessarily be 0.5 m below its freezing level.

Construction of a cellar in stages

A cellar should only be built in summer – at this time the groundwater drops to its greatest depth. To prevent an open cellar from being flooded with water, work is carried out only in dry weather. If it does rain, cover the hole with polyethylene for a while.

Pit preparation

Construction of floors

It is not advisable to fill the floors in the cellar with concrete. The soil located below the freezing depth will be the main (and in the case of a cellar located outside the buildings) and the only source of heat in winter and cold in summer.

Clay castle

Our ancestors have long used compacted fatty clay to waterproof foundations and basements. Of course, it will not save you from rising groundwater, but clay is quite capable of protecting you from capillary moisture, which constantly penetrates through the thickness of the soil. This kind of protection is called clay castle .

To create it, clay is laid in layers:

• at the bottom the height of the castle is 0.4 m;

• wall thickness 0.25-0.3 m.

To make the clay plastic, it is pre-soaked and left to soak for some time. The ideal option would be to harvest it in the fall. Over the winter in the open air, it will gain enough moisture, and it will be easy to work with.

It should not crumble, but also not flow out of your fingers. Clay is laid using adjustable formwork in small layers. You can start working with a new layer if it has dried to the consistency of plasticine.

The quality of the clay will be much higher if 20% lime is added to it.

Wall decoration

The walls can be made of brick, concrete, rubble or asbestos cement sheets. The thickness of the concrete wall should be 5 cm, the thickness of the rubble wall should be 25 cm. To protect against capillary moisture, they are coated before finishing bitumen mastic, hot bitumen or pasted over with roll materials (roofing felt, roofing felt, etc.).

To pour concrete, vertical formwork is prepared. To create a waterproof film, the wall can additionally be plastered cement-sand mortar- iron. The ratio of sand and cement in this case is 1:1. To protect against cracking, lime is added to the solution (about 1/10 of the cement).

Be sure to insulate the hatch or door leading to the cellar. They should fit as tightly as possible and have no gaps. They are made of two layers and edged with a beam or a metal corner filled with any heat-insulating material (for example, polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene).

Ventilation

Since most vegetables should be stored in dry, ventilated areas, the cellar must be equipped with natural ventilation. To do this, perform the following work:

• Exhaust and supply pipes are installed in the cellar:

Pros and cons of free-standing cellars

Free-standing buildings have significant disadvantages:

1. Such storage facilities must be equipped with a ground part - an entrance and a roof, which significantly increases the cost of their construction.
2. Inconvenience of use in winter: the passage to them will need to be cleared of snow. Plus, in severe frosts, in order not to freeze, it is often undesirable to open them.

But there are also positive aspects of having a cellar located outside the house. The temperature in the underground under a heated building is always much higher than in the cellar. Therefore, vegetables and fruits are stored in it only until the end of winter - by spring, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables begin to sprout, and fruits begin to flake. In a separate cellar they are stored excellently until the end of summer. Plus, if there is a subfloor in the house, rodents infest it faster. If supplies are kept in a separate storage unit, they are less likely to come into the house.

If the plot of land is small and there is no space on it to build a separate cellar, you can use the advice of the author of this video and make a mini-cellar with your own hands:

Since ancient times, people have used cellars (basements, underground, etc.) for long-term storage of food. IN modern world they have not lost their relevance.

But when the need arises, the question arises: how to make a cellar with your own hands?

Types of cellars

Nowadays, there are a large number of types of cellars. Their types are distinguished mainly by the type of construction material, depth level and location.

So there are:

• earthen cellars, brick cellars, stone, wooden, concrete and metal cellars;
• by level above the ground: ground, buried cellars, semi-buried, bulk and on a slope;
• balcony basement, cellar in the house, under the terrace, basement under the garage or kitchen, or free-standing storage.

But all these types of storage facilities can most often be built only on a summer cottage. That’s why photos of cellars in dachas are so common – as an example of their use.

Some people may be confused by the idea of ​​a balcony cellar, but this is the only opportunity for those who do not have their own plot to store large quantities of food cheaply.

The essence of such storage is in a wooden box with a tight lid, lined with a heat insulator. To ensure that it has the same temperature, an incandescent lamp is used, which is turned on by a relay and a contact thermometer.

An underground space under a building is erected during the construction of the main structure. This is the cheapest and highest quality option for this type of cellar. Its walls are the foundation of the building, and the ceiling is the ceiling of the basement floor.

According to the construction method, the cellar under the building is built like an ordinary basement.

However, it happens that for various reasons the storage facility needs to be built separately. It is these types of cellars that we will dwell in more detail.

Where to build

Choosing the location of the future cellar is very important. It depends on the number of people in the family (the more people, the larger the cellar), on the groundwater level (if the glacier is in the water, it is unlikely that anything will survive), on accessibility (the more convenient the approach to it, the better).

To answer the question of how to build a storage facility, the most the best option for a family of 4-5 people there will be a room 2 by 2 meters, up to 3 meters deep, located at the highest point of the site.

Under such conditions, a cellar at the dacha can be built slowly and efficiently so that it lasts for many years.

How to build

There are exactly 2 ways to build a cellar: pit and sink. With the lowering option, the basement box is built on the surface and only then is gradually buried into the ground, removing the soil.

The pit method is the most common. In this case, first a foundation pit is created to fit the dimensions of the future cellar with an increased tolerance of half a meter, and the cellar is assembled in it.

Work in the pit

Having chosen the pit option and dug the pit itself, the problem arises - how to build the cellar next?

To do this you need to do the following:

Note!

• prepare the base;
• build walls;
• plaster them;
• make waterproofing;
• perform interior finishing;
• build a ceiling;
• arrange ventilation.

Base structure

The base is prepared by leveling the bottom of the pit. Then it is covered with crushed stone, sand and broken brick a layer of at least 20 cm. The resulting layer must be filled with heated bitumen.

It is necessary to lay reinforcement with a diameter of 6 mm on top and pour concrete mortar. The thickness of the resulting layer should be 10-15 centimeters. Then, when the concrete hardens, a box is laid on the base.

Wall installation

The walls are made of bricks. Its thickness is 1 brick.

To make the masonry strong, it is necessary to use wire with a diameter of 4 mm at intervals of 4 rows. Its use in corners is especially important.

Plastering

The walls are plastered on both sides (outside and inside). In order for the plaster solution to stick better, laying the wall needs to be empty.

Note!

After plastering, you need to wait a month until the solution dries. This period is most desirable for the further strength of the plaster.

Creating waterproofing

To protect the cellar from moisture, you need to cover the walls hot mastic made of bitumen and glue 2-3 layers of roofing material. Ruberoid is laid overlapping, the first layer is vertical, and the second is horizontal.

When reaching the base, it is necessary that sheets of roofing material be placed on it and carefully glued. Having carried out this work, the space between the wall of the pit and the box can be filled up.

Cellar interior decoration

After all the work has been done, it’s time to start working on the internal contents of the underground. Everyone decides for themselves - you can whitewash the walls, or you can cover them with tiles.

It is advisable to cover the bottom with roofing felt bonded with bitumen, and lay tiles on top.

Note!

Cellar cover

The resulting box can be covered with either a concrete slab or wood (timber, log, board).

The type of overlap depends entirely on financial capabilities and availability of material.

Ventilation installation

Ventilation in the cellar - important element its normal performance. To create ventilation, 2 pipes are used (exhaust and air intake). One of them is placed at floor level, and the other is closer to the ceiling.

The diameter of the pipes depends on the volume of the cellar; it must allow air to circulate.

The material of the pipes can be different (metal, plastic, asbestos cement). For the winter, the pipes must be covered with burlap both outside and inside.

If your cellar is a separate building and there are no other rooms above it, it is advisable to build a cellar - a roof that performs protective and design functions. It will protect the cellar from precipitation and can be harmoniously integrated into the landscape of the site.

DIY cellar photo

A cellar is a mandatory extension in a country house or near a private house. This room is kept all year round optimal temperature for saving vegetables, fruits, canning and preparations. It is quite possible to build a cellar yourself. To do this, it is necessary to assess the condition of the soil, determine the optimal type of structure, select materials and adhere to the chosen technology.

Requirements for arranging a cellar

The optimal place for canned food and grown crops is the cellar. This room maintains natural conditions and temperature regime about +4°C. A favorable microclimate is necessary to preserve the presentation and taste characteristics of fruits and vegetables.

Some people confuse the concepts of cellar and basement. However, these are completely different structures. The basement is located in the basement of the building. The cellar is arranged separately - separately on the plot. The design is made invisible, or vice versa, protrudes bright element landscape design.

Practical use of vegetable storage is possible subject to certain conditions:

• the presence of a low temperature - the cellar is built underground or arranged in a basement in contact with external wall Houses;
• darkening - windows are excluded from the cellar design;
• constant filling with clean and fresh air thanks to natural and supply and exhaust ventilation;
• air humidity is about 80-90%.

Selecting the optimal design and materials

Depending on the depth of occurrence, they distinguish following types cellars

Ground structure rises above the surface, the depth of the structure is no more than one meter. Essentially this is a small bin for vegetables. A storage shed can be erected anywhere, even in small lowlands.

The construction of a “garden” storage shed is the optimal solution for waterlogged areas and low-lying areas. A distinctive feature of an above-ground cellar is the lack of overlap. As a rule, a gable roof made of boards is installed. Thanks to this, the time and final cost of constructing a vegetable storage facility are reduced. An additional plus is the ease of building such a cellar with your own hands.

A more spacious above-ground cellar - externally the building resembles a small house. Earth is poured on top of the ceiling, covering the ceiling with a thick layer. The end side with the door remains unprotected. Planted on top of the backfill lawn grass, decorating the territory and keeping the soil from crumbling with its roots.

Semi-buried cellar- the most popular type of structure. The structure is externally similar to a ground structure, but part of the room (about 1.5 m) is located underground. Entrance door in the bins is located below the ground surface, so it is necessary to provide a system for draining melt/rain water. The door structure is thoroughly insulated.

Deep cellar well suited for compact areas. However, its construction is possible only when groundwater is low or with thorough drainage and waterproofing. The entrance can be covered with a heat-insulating removable cover or decorated with a special cellar - a small house with a hatch in the ceiling. The cellar can be used as a utility room for storing gardening equipment, various household items or vegetables.

Cellar walls are built from different materials: stone, brick, concrete or asbestos-cement sheets. It is not advisable to build a building from metal, since it is difficult to achieve a suitable temperature regime.

When using earth as the main material for the walls, the inside of the bin is lined with wood. The wooden slats must be thoroughly dried, sanded, treated with an antiseptic and dried again.

Making a cellar with your own hands: video on selecting materials

How to make a cellar with your own hands: recessed design

Assessment of terrain and soil conditions

The best location for the cellar is a hill, hillock or hill. Groundwater in such cases passes far from the surface of the earth. When placed on a hill, rainwater ingress is reduced. In addition, you will be able to save on waterproofing materials.

Many people prefer to build a cellar next to residential building, to quickly reach and take the necessary products in the cold season, in the rain, etc.

Before starting construction, you need to find out the type of soil and the possibility of constructing a buried/semi-buried vegetable storage facility. To do this, you need to do a little test:

1. At the site where the bin is being built, place a scrap of natural wool and a raw egg on top.
2. Cover the “structure” with a jar and leave for one night.
3. Evaluate the result of the experiment:
   • if the wool has dew droplets, then groundwater is located nearby;
   • if the egg and wool are dry, then the water is deep and you can safely start working.

Before building a cellar with your own hands, it is advisable to evaluate the type of soil:

1. Peat is the optimal type for bunding. This soil minimizes food spoilage, which is especially important when storing root crops.
2. Quicksand is heaving soil that is not suitable for building an “internal” cellar. This soil contains loam, sand and sandy loam. To be able to build a vegetable storage facility, you will have to replace the soil and add sand.
3. Sandy soil is well suited for arranging the foundation. This natural material is often added to reduce heaving and moisture content.

Materials and tools

To build a cellar in your country house with your own hands you will need:

• crushed stone and gravel;
• rack sand;
• clay mortar;
• rolls of roofing felt;
• brick;
• cement;
• boards for arranging the floor frame;
• concrete grade 100;
• molten bitumen;
• grid for reinforcement.

Tools you should prepare:

• concrete mixer;
• manual tamper;
• shovels;
• screws, screwdriver, nails, hammers;
• welding machine;
• grinder;
• primer;
• brush;
• hacksaw

Pit preparation

The construction of an underground storage facility begins with digging a pit. The work is performed in the following sequence:

1. Clear the area of ​​stones, sticks and vegetation.
2. Mark and dig a hole. Traditional cellar dimensions: length/width - 2.5 m, depth - 2.3 m. To dig a pit, it is better to use the services of an excavator.
3. Level the walls of the pit with a shovel, scraping off excess soil and giving them a flat surface.
4. The depth of the pit depends on the type of cellar being built. When determining this value, it is necessary to take into account that the space will be partially occupied by a hatch or entrance, shelving, and a ladder. In view of this, the pit must be dug with a certain reserve.
5. Compact the bottom of the pit, pour sand and gravel into the hole. The thickness of the sand cushion is 20 cm, the gravel cushion is 10 cm.

Arrangement of the subfloor

It is better to screed the floor using clay mortar. To prepare it, you need to combine clay and quartz sand in a ratio of 90%/10%. Dilute with water until it becomes thick sour cream. Pour the prepared solution into the gravel to a thickness of 3-4 cm.

To increase the strength characteristics of the base and provide better isolation from groundwater penetration, it is recommended to additionally reinforce the bin with concrete. Procedure:

1. Prepare a mixture of rack sand and concrete in a ratio of 5:1, respectively.
2. After drying, pour the clay base concrete mortar 5 cm thick.
3. Smooth the surface and leave until completely hardened.

Construction and waterproofing of walls

Construction technology brick walls next:

1. Build a foundation for the masonry with a width of 1 brick and a height of about 15 cm.
2. Leave the foundation to dry.
3. The laying is done from the corner of the wall where the doorway is provided.
4. The bricks are placed in a checkerboard pattern.
5. When laying brick, you need to tap it with the handle of a trowel - this will help get rid of excess mortar and improve the adhesion of the materials.
6. After the construction of each row, its evenness must be checked with a building level.
7. The working solution is prepared from sand and cement in a ratio of 4:1, respectively.
8. In parallel with the masonry, the cracks and spaces between the brick and the earthen wall are filled with clay mortar. This technology provides additional waterproofing for vegetable storage.
9. After all the walls have been erected, leave construction for 1 week until the mortar hardens.

Brick walls require waterproofing. For this purpose, hydroglass insulation, roll insulators or bitumen mastic are usually used. Sequence of insulation work:

1. Treat all surfaces with a water-repellent compound.
2. Attach sheets of roofing felt to the walls - the material is fixed using heated bitumen mastic. To ensure high-quality insulation you will need 2-3 layers.
3. Plaster the walls with cement.

Construction of the floor

Arranging the ceiling is a responsible undertaking. The supporting structures must withstand heavy loads. Often the ceiling is made of a monolithic block made of concrete and reinforcement cage. It is important that the roof of the cellar exceeds the size of the room, since the walls will act as load-bearing supports.

Algorithm for performing the work:

1. Install supports on which the wooden formwork will subsequently rest.
2. Before pouring, the formwork must be carefully sealed so that the solution does not leak out through the cracks.
3. After preparing the formwork, make a frame concrete slab from reinforcement. The spacing of the reinforcing bars is about 25 cm, the height of the frame is up to 30 cm.
4. For a large cellar area, it is recommended to double reinforce the slab.
5. The reinforcement mesh should protrude beyond the cellar wall by 5-10 cm from different sides.
6. The resulting frame is evenly filled with concrete mortar.

After pouring the slab, you need to wait 3-4 weeks. The overlap will completely harden and take on its final form.

Ventilation system and electrical supply

Good air exchange is an important condition for the safety of products in the cellar. Lack of normal ventilation will lead to rotting of vegetables, and too rapid circulation air flow- to drying out of root crops.

In a technical room, it is preferable to create natural ventilation - it is less expensive, and its proper organization will provide sufficient air exchange. To implement this, you will need to install a supply and exhaust air duct. The exhaust element is placed at the top near the ceiling, and the supply opening is on the opposite wall at a distance of half a meter from the floor.

The procedure for creating natural ventilation in the cellar with your own hands:

1. Select an air duct based on 1 sq. m bin area - 26 sq. cm pipes.
2. The pipe is installed from the corner of the room, and its lower end should be located under the ceiling. The air duct passes through the entire room, the roof, rising half a meter above the rafter system.
3. To prevent condensation from collecting in the pipeline, it is necessary to thermally insulate the exhaust pipe using the sandwich principle. One pipe is installed into another, and the space between them is filled with mineral wool.
4. The open end of the air pipe is located at a distance of 50 cm from the lower floor level. The exhaust air duct penetrates the ceiling, ending 80 cm above the base.
5. Cover the outer hole of the pipe with a mesh.
6. It is advisable to put valves on the pipes to regulate the air flow.

Electrification of the cellar is carried out using copper cable with double or triple insulation.

Interior design of the cellar

Upon completion of the installation work, you can begin landscaping the cellar. There are several design options:

• make the walls with racks with spacious shelves;
• hang metal shelves;
• set up prefabricated racks.

Important! All wood structures must be coated with an anti-insect compound and a protective impregnation against moisture.

Do-it-yourself above-ground cellar: step-by-step instructions

At your dacha, you can equip a simple cellar with your own hands high level groundwater. Inside the bin, the air temperature can be maintained at 2-3°C. Let's look at an example of building a vegetable storage facility like a storage shed, with the following dimensions:

• height at the center of the structure - 2 m;
• width - 3.3 m, length - 3 m;
• passage width - 0.6 m.

Sequence of work:

1. Coat logs resting on the soil with hot bitumen mastic.
2. The ceiling is made of boards, and the sheathing elements are made of hewn slabs, obapol, clay straw, and pine trimmings from the sawmill.
3. The roof overhangs must rest on the ground. Such an installation provides in the cold season additional thermal insulation in the form of snowdrifts. As a result, a structure is formed, like a tent.
4. On one side, the storage shed is sewn up with two rows of boards, between which insulation is laid. At the other end there is an insulated door.
5. From the outer part of the lobaza, dig a drainage trench around the entire perimeter to prevent the ingress of natural water.
6. Make a hood near the ridge - wooden box with adjustment plate.

Building a cellar with your own hands: video

Preserving a crop is sometimes more difficult than growing it. A generally accessible and virtually maintenance-free means for this is the cellar. When built separately, it is also the least labor-intensive and cost-intensive compared to other types of storage for agricultural products, except for pile and underground. But a cellar in an individual household is optimal in many respects:

• Only 1-3 types of root vegetables can be stored in a pile, and in the cellar everything that they eat themselves and keep for sale, from potatoes to delicious smoked meats.
• The loss of goods stored in the cellar is much less than in the pile.
• The pile must be disassembled as soon as the heat has set in, otherwise it will all rot. In a well-equipped cellar, fruits and herbs can be kept fresh until summer, and root vegetables can be kept fresh until the next harvest.
• The volume of excavation, construction and installation work during the construction of a cellar is much less than that of bunker-type storage facilities.
• When building a cellar, you can do without expensive materials and complex technologies– a novice builder can make a good cellar with his own hands from scrap materials.
• The labor intensity of the cellar is quite high, but comparable to laying a pile and much less than for bunker storages. Additionally, the cellar is built once, but the pile needs to be folded/disassembled annually.
• Compared to an underground cellar, a properly constructed cellar is better ventilated, which reduces the likelihood of rotting to an insignificant amount, and is poorly accessible to pest animals.
• The cellar does not require a constant power supply, filling with preservative gas, etc. costly receipts from outside.
• The cellar, if necessary, without any alteration, can be converted into a storage shed for storing large quantities of fruits and vegetables.
• The allocation of land for the cellar is minimal, even zero, as for bunkers.
• The cellar fits quite easily into landscape design plot, see fig. Experienced and knowledgeable builders even manage to combine a cellar with a pond, right pos. right there.
• The specific microclimate of the cellar gives some products a special quality.

You should dwell on the last 2 points. Firstly, you can build a pond in a cellar only if you are a builder and an ace hydraulic builder, because... In fact, having a cellar near bodies of water is strictly contraindicated. True, in our time the trick with a pond can be accomplished by a savvy amateur, if the pond is in a ready-made fiberglass or carbon bowl and is equipped with an overflow. But during the cellar it will give a lot of extra land; then you can build an ice cellar, see below, in which apples and cabbage will last until the new harvest.

Secondly, a person completely devoid of the makings of a taster, when tasting it at the market, can easily distinguish jarred cucumbers or sauerkraut from barrel ones, in favor of the latter. But, if you give him a taste of tub-and-barrel pickles, not only vegetables, but also mushrooms, meat, fish, lard, aged in the cellar and home-basement, then he will also easily give preference to cellar ones. And smoked meats stored in the cellar acquire a particularly delicate taste and aroma.

Thirdly, only in the cellar (see below) do homemade kvass, syta, intoxicated honey and fruit and berry alcoholic drinks: liqueurs, beer, etc. ripen properly. And grape wine materials (wine, cognac) generally reach the required level condition only in the cellar with special conditions; We will also touch upon wine and cognac cellars in the course of our presentation.

What kind of cellar to build?

In any climate zone of the temperate zone it is possible to build a cellar of any of the 3 types according to the degree of depth: non-buried, pos. 1 in Fig. , semi-recessed, pos. 2, and recessed.

As for materials, the structure (box, chamber) of the cellar can be concrete, stone (brick), wood or earthen. We will return to the choice of material when we talk about construction itself, but for now please note: any type of cellar must be lined drainage ditch with free flow. A damp cellar is not a cellar, but a rotten heap.

On the ground

A non-buried cellar is the least labor-intensive, but it “feels” soil movements well and stably maintains only the average seasonal temperature, i.e. It can freeze in winter and heat up in summer. The temperature in it can be brought to the average annual temperature (5-15 degrees within the Central Zone of the Russian Federation) by powerful earthen backfill. This execution is possible if there is a lot of soil left from other construction work, but then a larger land allocation will be required. A typical diagram of a non-buried cellar is shown in Fig. Mainly root vegetables are stored in it until spring or for winter sale. It’s easy to build a glacier in a non-buried cellar, because... drainage of melt water does not cause difficulties. In this case, you can store shelf-stable fruits until the new harvest: quince, winter varieties apples and pears. Material for construction – preferably wood or concrete, because the brick chamber may crack when the soil moves.

About the vestibule

The risk of the cellar heating up can be reduced or completely eliminated by equipping it with a vestibule with 2 tight doors. This is how they most often build; a cellar without a vestibule is, in general, a construction hack. The exception is cellars in very cold regions with short summers, where the cellar is more likely to freeze than warm up. The vestibule is made inclined inward, then cold air will not come out of it spontaneously, and warm air will not flow in. But in a non-deep cellar, like it or not, the vestibule will be horizontal, this is another disadvantage.

In the ground

How a semi-buried cellar is constructed is shown in Fig. on right. In the ground it sits above the standard freezing depth (NFD) in the area. This allows you to maintain the average annual temperature in the chamber almost all year round; at the height of summer it rises slightly. You can store everything in a semi-buried cellar, the allocation of land for it is close to minimal, and the excavated soil is almost always enough for sufficiently effective backfilling, so it is preferable to build a semi-buried cellar in the country.

Due to its depth and the presence of a slightly heaving cushion around the entire chamber, a semi-buried cellar is little sensitive to soil movements and can be built from any materials suitable for a cellar. As a result, the semi-buried cellar comes in the greatest number of varieties. Unfortunately, it is only possible to supply a semi-buried cellar with a glacier if there is a drainage system on the site, because... draining melt water into periodically freezing soil can cause an emergency.

Dugouts

Earthen cellars are very cheap: it takes very little material to build, and the appearance fits perfectly into country landscape, see fig. on right. The structure of an earthen cellar is shown in Fig. below. Depending on the nature of the continental soil (see below), the slopes of the chamber are sheathed with boards; perhaps along stakes driven into the ground, or left bare. The floor will be filled with clay that has been dug from the surrounding area. It is also advisable to cover the roof with sand from the surrounding area, on top of it with excavated soil, and also lay excavated turf over it. The upper structure of such a cellar will also be an excellent cellar.

Storehouses

Storage sheds are earthen cellars of shallower depth, without a top structure and with a thicker earthen backfill. Storage sheds are used to store fruits, vegetables and root vegetables for winter and spring sales, because... In the summer heat, they often warm up. Up to 8-10 types of products that are compatible during storage are loaded into bins. In a large storehouse for 1-2 types of root crops, they are sometimes piled on the floor.

A device large and small, with a camera 2-3 times narrower, is shown in Fig. The length of the chamber is practically limited by the size of the storage area. Ventilation of the warehouse is always exhaust and, highly desirable, with a fistula and catcher umbrellas over the bins, see below. When storing several types of products, their bins are each equipped with its own hood. The length of the support posts is 1.2-1.8 m, depending on the thickness of their logs or beams, 150-250 mm, respectively.

Cellar on the slope

An earthen cellar on a slope is very effective, see fig. on right. To be able to build it, the continental soil must be non-slipping, clayey or loamy, and dry. Advantages of a dugout cellar on a slope:

• Minimum consumption of labor and materials.
• Almost insensitive to ground movements.
• It is possible to construct a glacier, because drainage of melt water is simple.
• A sloping ceiling with a hood at the ridge allows you to store a variety of products, because... Gases released by vegetables and fruits during storage are lighter than air. In fact, the ceiling of the cellar on the slope is one large umbrella-catcher over all the bins at once.

Note: the construction of any earthen cellar is possible only if there is at least 1.7 m from the bottom of the chamber to the groundwater during the period of its highest standing (see below).

Underground

The deep cellar goes into the ground below the NGP, so the average annual temperature in the chamber is stable. It is possible to reduce it to almost zero with a glacier, because... melt water can be discharged into permeable, non-freezing soil. This is almost a bunker, only without a layer of soil above the structure. A deep cellar is very expensive and labor-intensive and, unlike a bunker, removes land from economic use, therefore Middle Zone they almost never build these. However, in the southern regions with Mediterranean-type winters, you can sometimes find buried bottle cellars or tandoor cellars, see fig. They are built with adobe (in dry soil), brick or rubble. Thanks to the side sand filling and the upper clay castle, the temperature in the bottle cellar is kept 5-7 degrees below the annual average, i.e. up to 15 degrees. This is enough to store vegetables until spring, and melons and watermelons until the New Year.

About the cellar

The cellar is a wooden upper structure of the cellar, a kind of hut above the cell. Nowadays, a real log cellar can only be seen in an open-air museum (on the left in the figure), but in vain. Firstly, it serves as a thermal damper and stabilizes the temperature in the cellar at the average annual level with a much smaller depth of the chamber. This is already important, because There are few places suitable for building an earthen cellar, and the cost and labor intensity of a stone cellar with a cellar are reduced by an amount greater than the amount of labor and money spent on the superstructure. Secondly, the same smaller depth of the chamber allows you to build a cellar “on high water” instead of an expensive and complex caisson chamber or half-caisson with drainage. And finally, full ripening of home-made Russian drinks is possible only in the cellar. In general, if you decide to build such a cellar (the diagram on the right in the figure), and then take a sip of kvass from the cellar and compare it with a draft keg, not to mention a bottled one, the question can be considered settled.

Note: By the way, the production of some branded and foreign traditional drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, includes an aging stage in conditions similar to those in a cellar. In addition to apple cider and Calvados, they ripen in the attic.

About ventilation

Ventilation in the cellar is necessary because... During storage, plant agricultural products emit gases, primarily ethylene and aldehyde vapors. Products affect each other with their evaporation, which reduces shelf life, so air must be removed from the cellar, accepting the loss of cold.

For vegetable storage, exhaust ventilation will be optimal, on the left in Fig. The hood is brought 0.5-0.8 m to the bin that emits the most gases: potato or apple, on the right in Fig. It is highly desirable, as already said, to have its own hood with an umbrella over each bin; in a small cellar they can be combined into one outlet pipe. The flow of outside air is ensured by openings with dampers in the doors.

Smart owners in vegetable stores make a hood with a whistle: instead of simple holes, they equip the doors with whistles, like a kettle boiling alarm, only bigger. The fact is that the release of gases from products decreases closer to the exhaustion of shelf life; this process spreads in the bin or pile from top to bottom. A vacuum occurs in the cellar chamber and the flow of outside air increases. That is, if the fistula “sings” in calm weather, it’s time to sort out what’s stored.

In universal cellars, with pickles and preparations in open containers, smoked meats and animal products, it is necessary supply and exhaust ventilation, see fig. on right. Its design is similar to basement ventilation, see below, but for a cellar, in order not to pull the pipes high up, the hood should be insensitive to the wind and work only on draft. To do this, its diffuser cap (diffuser) is equipped with a ring seal, as in industrial ventilation.

Glacier

In a cellar with a glacier, 9-10 months are possible. maintain a temperature of 3-7 degrees per year, and wait out the peak of the summer heat at 12-15 degrees. This ensures the storage of many types of products until the new harvest. At the same time, building a glacier in a cellar is not so difficult, see fig. The glacier bowl is made of waterproof concrete; You can use a bathtub with additional foam or foam insulation. The bath is convenient because the drain siphon does not allow unmelted sludge into the drainage, but in general its volume is small: for a good glacier you need more than 1 cubic meter. m. In a concrete bowl, slush is held by an inclined partition in a condensate collector.

Both ventilation pipes of a cellar with a glacier should not “catch” the wind pressure, for which they are equipped with wind-independent diffusers. During normal operation of the glacier, the mass of melting ice slowly sucks in outside air and cools it, cold air also slowly flows to the floor, gradually heats up and goes into the hood. If the spring wind blows properly into the inflow or through the hood, all the ice can melt in a day or two. In addition, the optimal air humidity for storing plant products is 80-90%; the same value is acceptable for livestock products. But without an exhaust hood and in the presence of a source of water vapor in the form of melting ice, the humidity can reach the condensation threshold, which is unacceptable for both.

When constructing a cellar with a glacier, special attention should be paid to drainage. If the cellar is on a dry hill, see below, there are no problems even with a non-buried one: the drainage is discharged to the ground below the slope. But dumping it into freezing soil, even the most porous one, is unacceptable: hidden ice may form, and in the summer this can lead to local suffusion of the soil, i.e. its sudden drawdown in the form of a hole. This hole can be anywhere, incl. and under a residential building.

We are building a cellar

The construction of the cellar in stages is as follows:

1. Choosing a location;
2. Soil research;
3. Determining the depth of groundwater;
4. Choosing the type of cellar and material for construction;
5. Digging a pit;
6. Foundation structure;
7. Construction of the camera;
8. Backfilling from above or erection of a superstructure;
9. Equipment: hatch (manhole), doors, shelves, bins, etc.

Place

The best place for a cellar is on a dry slope or slope. A cellar on a hill would also be good. In both cases, if the continental soil is sandy loam, the construction of a glacier will not cause difficulties, see below. On other soils you will have to take care of drainage. A cellar without a glacier can be built on level ground, but an earthen cellar is undesirable.

Is it possible to make room?

Allocating land for a cellar is sometimes difficult, and building a bunker is extremely difficult and expensive. Hence a completely natural question: is it possible to place a cellar under existing buildings? If there is already a basement there, then the question of building a cellar disappears altogether, except perhaps as a storehouse in a commercial economy.

The first thing that comes to mind is home, it’s convenient, you don’t have to go far. However, firstly, the construction of a cellar under an existing house is superior in complexity and the risk of disrupting the stability of the building to repairing the foundation and possible only when the house has completely settled, i.e. no earlier than 3-5 years after completion of construction. Suddenly the foundation cracked, there’s no getting around it, but about the cellar you need to think and think, there’s plenty of time.

Secondly, a cellar cannot be built under a house on any foundation. For example, they definitely exclude the construction of a cellar. In fact, the only type of foundation for a house on which a conscientious builder will undertake to develop a cellar project is a buried one, i.e. normal, below the NGP, depth. And then, if the size and layout of the house allows you to maintain the distance from the cellar pit to internal sides strips of at least 1 m. But all the same, so much land will have to be allocated for the entrance to the cellar, and its construction will turn out to be so complicated, see Fig., that it will be easier to build a separate cellar next to the house. And this is not counting the manual, and no other way, digging of the foundation pit under the building and the mandatory resettlement of residents during construction. It’s another matter if there is no land for a cellar on the site, and the house is just being built. Then you need to include a basement in the project; it will be simpler and cheaper in every way.

Thirdly, the temperature in the cellar under the house cannot be kept below 13-15 degrees, because... winter heat loss at home will fall precisely on it. If the temperature in it is forcibly reduced in some way, then there is a high probability that the floor of the house will become damp. Amateurs sometimes build cellars under houses, but this is a lottery: one is lucky, but how many don’t know what to do now? Naturally, they don’t brag about it on forums and don’t post videos.

Actually the only case When building a cellar under a house is justified, this is if the wine cellar is in places with consistently sub-zero winters. Then the temperature in it will be just right for the maturation of wine materials. If the temperature in the cellar drops below about 10 degrees, the wine material may “catch a cold”, its taste and bouquet will deteriorate. By the way, it is not necessary to plant vineyards in frosty regions; young wine can be purchased; perhaps distill it and age it at home. The limestones near Moscow perfectly age cognacs, the wine spirit for which is purchased on the Don. But in this case, experienced professionals must design and build the cellar, because... There are no completely identical houses, just as there are no matching fingerprints. To take into account all the available circumstances and develop a project based on them, you need to be a very experienced and competent builder. Yes, amateurs also sometimes build wine cellars themselves, but this is already a double lottery. Even though the design turned out to be reliable, we still need to try what kind of wine is ripening in that cellar.

The garage is another matter. Even if it is heated, no one will keep it above +12, it’s ruinous. In the cellar then it will be +(7-8), which is just good. And in the summer, the garage will serve as a heat damper like a cellar. It’s better, of course, not to try kvass “from the garage,” but warming up the cellar in the summer can most likely be avoided. Break existing screed It's a shame, but it's not a disaster.

In a standard garage of 7x4 m, a cellar of 2x (1.5-1.7) m is placed along the blank rear wall. Taking into account the fact that the edge of its box should be no closer than the same 1 m to the foundation of the garage, inspection hole will have to be shortened. But, since you most often have to climb into it because of the transmission, this is not so scary: suddenly you need to look from below under the hood, the car can be rolled away. If the body is an ordinary sedan, then there are no problems at all, because There is no need for space in the back to lift the 5th door. In general, a cellar in a garage is somewhat more labor-intensive, but optimal if there is a lack of free land on the site. Let's see how to build it further.

Note: the cellar under the garage must be equipped with separate ventilation from the garage, the same as the basement, see fig. on right.

Priming

To determine the nature of the soil in an attractive location, humus is removed to the underlying (continental) rock in an area of ​​0.5x0.5 m. The ideal soil for a cellar is dry, slightly heaving; for a cellar with a glacier - permeable for the sake of ease of drainage, but not excessively, so that the runoff does not migrate where it is not needed, combining high heat capacity with low thermal conductivity. Load bearing capacity does not matter much, the load is small, but ease of development is important, because You'll have to do a lot of digging by hand.

Rocky soil (item 1 in the figure) is not heaving and has a heat capacity, but is thermally conductive and is very difficult to dig. Clastic (semi-rocky) soil is close to ideal, pos. 2, because it swells little even when heavily moistened, but it is impossible to release runoff from the glacier directly onto it; water in such soils migrates far and unpredictably. Digging in clastic soils is also not easy.

The best soil for a cellar is sandy loam, pos. 3. It satisfies all the conditions of “ideality”, except for heat capacity, but it can be increased by filling the chamber from above; The slopes of the earthen cellar chamber in sandy loam must be strengthened with wooden panels. Loam, pos. 4, worse: conducts heat well and, being waterlogged, swells greatly. It is better not to build a cellar in loam on level ground.

Completely unsuitable for cellars as load-bearing soils, sand, pos. 5, and clay, pos. 6. But they will be great for backfill and pillow. Natural self-dug sand is good because it is not divided into fractions, and this is what is needed to build a cellar. If there is dry peat in the vicinity, pos. 7, it can (and should) be placed on the very first layer of top backfill, counting from the chamber; the clay with sand and turf is then “pushed apart” to accommodate a layer of peat. It is an excellent heat insulator and desiccant; food stored in a cellar with peat lasts much longer.

Silty soils, pos. 8. They can be recognized as dry by their dull gray, somewhat dusty color and putrid, musty, muddy odor, which intensifies when the sample is wetted.

Groundwater and material

An earthen cellar can be built at least 1.5 m above groundwater, a brick cellar - at least 1.2 m, and a monolithic concrete cellar at least 0.7 m. The depth of the aquifer surface is determined during the period of highest groundwater; in the central zone of the Russian Federation this is the end of April - the first half of May.

A test for water height is made on the same site where the soil type was determined. Conducting test drilling is complex and difficult, but in this case An old “detector” made of wool and an egg will help out. Search for them drinking water no need, because It “catches” first of all the dirty high water, but for the cellar you just need to “catch” the highest water.

The “detector” is prepared in the evening. To test, place a piece of clean new, unworn felt the size of a plate or a piece of wool of the same size 3-5 cm thick on a site without humus, and a fresh chicken egg on it. The best thing is freshly picked and warm. In this case, the egg checks the moisture absorption of the soil, because emits water vapor. The “device” is covered with a thick cap (cauldron, pan) and its edges are pressed to the ground; Covering them with soil won't hurt.

The next morning, preferably immediately after sunrise, they look at what happened there. The results are interpreted as follows:

• The egg and wool are dry - you can build any cellar.
• The egg feels damp to the touch, the wool is dry - you can build a brick or concrete cellar.
• The egg is dry on top, the wool feels damp to the touch - the cellar is only concrete.
• The egg is covered in dew, the wool looks damp, and when you squeeze it in your fist, even a little water is squeezed out - you can’t build a cellar.

Note: if the cellar has a door and not a hole, then the entrance is oriented to the north. It is also highly advisable to orient the door of the upper structure to the north.

About cellars on high water

It happens that a cellar is needed, but the water in the area is high underground. In this case, it is also possible to build a cellar by installing pressure-resistant waterproofing. But this work is by no means for an amateur: the insulation scheme is developed by specialists based on on-site survey data and universal standard solutions there are none as such. Secondly, this work is difficult and expensive. For example, in Fig. on the right is one of the pressure insulation diagrams. We emphasize that there is only one, tied to specific local conditions. Successful amateur buildings should also be selected for the basis in consultation with specialists: there are no identical local conditions; What's dry there will get wet here.

Pit and base

It is better to rough-dig the cellar pit, of course, with an excavator, but the hole is brought into shape manually. They dig with their hands using a “plow”, scraping off the loosened soil with a shovel to a dense “matter”, i.e. continental soil. The shape of the pit is an overturned truncated 4-sided pyramid; so it is necessary that the bottom and side backfill counteract the forces of heaving. A cube box in a pit, especially a brick one, will have to be reinforced by reinforcing the seams and corners, which is expensive, labor-intensive and far from 100% reliable. The reserve for backfilling for stone and concrete cellars is approximately 0.7 m in depth, counting from the lower surface of the chamber floor; width - 0.5 m at the bottom and 0.7-1 m at the top. Enlarging it won't hurt in any way. For a wooden cellar, a hole is dug to size and stakes are immediately driven close to the walls, to which the lining will be attached. The depth of driving into the mat is from 30-40 cm.

Note: The pointed ends of the stakes are burned over a fire until charred to a depth of 0.5-1 cm, turning continuously. If it catches fire, extinguish it in the sand; Do not fill with water! Then soaked in oil protective compounds for wood; you can use mining. A water-polymer emulsion, a lifesaver in many cases of working with porous materials, will not last long in the ground.

Next, the bottom of the pit is covered with sand to a depth of 20-25 cm and, after sprinkling lightly, tamps it down. You can use a tamper or hand roller to garden paths. On sand cushion pour a 1:1 mixture of sand, not sorted into fractions, with fine crushed stone screenings, i.e. the backfill should contain all fractions from the smallest grains of sand to grains the size of a sunflower seed or pea.

The second backfill is leveled horizontally with a rake or scraper on the handle and compacted without wetting. Finally, very hot, almost boiling bitumen is poured over it evenly from above until a “mirror” is formed. But you can’t overfill it; the layer of bitumen above the backfill should be 3-4 mm. This is the base of the cellar; further depends on the material of construction.

Box

Earth and tree

If the cellar is earthen, then an adobe floor is formed over the hardened bitumen. When covering a chamber with wood, the panels are first installed, and then the floor is filled.

Brick and stone

For a brick cellar you need dense, dark, well-burnt iron brick. Bulging and warping (“propeller”) by 3-4 mm, i.e. no more than a third of the thickness of the masonry joint, not a hindrance; It is important that you draw less water into yourself. Even better, but more expensive, would be concrete foundation blocks or shaped blocks made of waterproof concrete, see fig.

The laying is carried out along a bitumen surface. The first row is placed with a poke, i.e. the bricks are laid crosswise, the corners are laid out along the short side, see fig. on right. The next rows are placed in spoons with a simple chain ligation of the seams. In a properly constructed pit, half a brick of masonry will be enough. If you want to lay the walls in brick for safety, then the scheme is usual: a butt row after 4-5 spoon rows. If a staircase opening is needed, its framing is placed with fence-style pillars, in a brick with an empty core, the same fig. It is advisable, if you have something, to reinforce the seams, as when building a cellar in a garage, see below.

After the finished masonry has dried, the outside of the box (preferably from the inside too) is soaked generously, twice, with bitumen mastic. Modern primers for stone over deep penetration even better, but expensive. Primers that simply penetrate deeply are not suitable. Further work is carried out after the primer has completely dried; for bitumen it takes a week or two, depending on the weather. During this time, protect the box from rain by stretching a tent over the pit with a film with gaps above the ground.

Concrete

For a concrete box, it is better, of course, to order water- and frost-resistant concrete of medium plasticity, but you can get by with homemade one. The composition is also common: cement M400, sand of medium (1 mm) fraction and fine crushed stone 1:2:4. Water – 170-190 liters per cubic meter ready solution; more on the floor, less on the walls.

First, the base is filled with 40-50 mm of concrete; It is good to add a plasticizer to the solution for it. When the footing has set, a reinforcement frame is assembled, common to the floor and walls. The reinforcement scheme is standard; floor 150 mm thick, walls 200-250 mm. It is very convenient to use plastic reinforcement; then the frame is pre-assembled at the top and simply placed in a hole on a hardened concrete base. This will make the entire monolith more reliable.

Having assembled/installed the frame, the formwork is installed. First the floor is poured; as soon as it grabs, the walls. You can’t delay, just like with the concrete base: the entire monolith must be poured long before the concrete gains strength, otherwise it won’t be a monolith. The walls are poured in layers, in the same order as when laying a strip foundation. Since vibration compaction is not applicable in this case, the poured walls are bayoneted, the same as when building a foundation.

It is better to pour the monolith in spring or autumn: in hot weather, the concrete will “mature” too quickly and the monolith will turn out to be fragile. After setting, the monolith is moistened as required for concrete work. After gaining strength (20 days at +15 and 7 days at +25), they are treated with bitumen mastic, like a brick, or, better, with an ultra-deep primer, but on concrete. The final stage is the formation of the floor screed.

Wood work

The construction of any chamber is completed by the flooring of its upper floor. Most often, the cellar is covered with a slab in 2 layers crosswise; this is strong enough for a cellar and cheap. If provided for by the selected design, make a log floor in 1-2 rolls. All wood for the cellar must be treated with oil compounds or treatment; shields internal lining wooden cellar too.

Top fill

The hill above the cellar is poured according to the scheme of the selected sample. Clay in it is waterproofing and a cold accumulator; sand is a heat insulator. You don’t have to stand on ceremony with them: the thicker the better. The thickness ratio of the layers is approximately 1:2 or 1:3 (clay:sand). The role of peat has already been mentioned; 20-40 cm is enough. Turf directs surface runoff to the sides.

Arrangement

The cellar vestibule will be the simplest and cheapest, prefabricated panel with foam insulation. Suddenly, this part of the building is completely repairable. It is better to make a cellar made of logs or timber; other upper structures - according to the project or selected sample.

Special mention must be made, firstly, about stairs and hatches. The staircase to the cellar, if it is not an extension, must be made either in stringers, or between the walls of the vestibule, on the left in Fig. below. Stairs with hanging steps, on the right there, can be beautiful, but in the cellar they are very dangerous.

Cellar hatches with lifting mechanisms (see figure on the right) are available for sale. They open/close with a light touch. However, if you’re not too lazy to push yourself a little, you can make a cellar hatch yourself from leftovers and scraps. Its diagram is in Fig. left. Insulated cellar doors can be made in the same way.

Secondly, electrical wiring. The cellar, according to PTB, is a particularly dangerous room in terms of the degree of electric shock. The power supply in these is 12 V and not a volt more. In the basements apartment buildings The wiring is 36 V, but there are no sockets, there is a light switch outside a particularly dangerous room, and residents do not have access to electrical work in underground structures, but they have a utility electrician at their disposal.

The cellar must be powered from a 220/12 V isolation transformer wound with copper on iron. Electronic inverters do not provide proper separation of 220 and 12 V circuits. Between the windings of the transformer there must be a static screen (an open coil of copper or aluminum foil), electrically tightly, i.e. soldered or welded, connected to the magnetic core of the transformer. The magnetic core itself is also tightly connected to the house grounding bus or to a homemade grounding circuit; A couple of pins will be enough in this case. But grounding the transformer through a three-pole Euro socket is unacceptable!

Cellar in the garage and under the house

It's time to remember the promised cellar in the garage. In a similar way a cellar is also being built under the house with a hole from the room, but then you will have to break the floor, break the ceiling, and carry out cubes of earth in buckets when digging the pit. The figure shows step by step how to build a cellar under a garage:

1. Build a brick box as described above, because concrete works in such conditions are unrealistic;
2. Masonry joints are reinforced with perforated steel strips 2-4 mm thick. It is convenient to use press and stamping waste. This is necessary because it is extremely difficult to construct a normal foundation pit with slopes and anti-heaving backfill under an existing building;
3. Steel pins are embedded in the seams of the top row of masonry, and a strip of the same strip is welded to them. There is no point in placing stronger mortgages, because... there will be no wind or other operational loads tending to raise the ceiling. A center beam made of a tee or 2 welded corners from 60x60 to 100x100 mm and a hatch opening from the same or smaller, up to 40x40 mm, corners are welded to the tape;
4. The frame of the concrete floor is assembled by welding. The frame stiffeners are assembled from the same strips connected by 12-16 mm reinforcing bars. At the same stage, ventilation and metal conduits for wiring are installed;
5. From below, formwork is mounted from 40 mm boards on supports made of timber or logs from 150 mm. The installation pitch of supports is up to 600 mm. The formwork panel is covered with waterproofing in advance;
6. The formwork should be 30-50 mm away from the stiffening ribs, as required, but the pipes and corrugations should sit tightly in it, for which purpose the gaps are coated with cement-sand mortar;
7. Fill the ceiling 30-40 mm above the stiffeners. As they gain strength, 40-50 mm of foam plastic is laid, retreating from the edge of the slab by 50-60 mm. It is impossible to push the foam tightly; it will soon crumble due to temperature deformations. Sometimes mice are blamed for this, but what should they do in the garage? Insulation stabilizes the temperature in the cellar. Immediately assemble the reinforcing mesh of the floor screed using all the same strips laid flat; the strips are fastened with soft wire, a hatch is installed and the screed is poured;
8. The arrangement of the mesh under the screed is shown in more detail.

Note: The depth of the pit for the garage cellar is calculated so that the screed on the ceiling is level with the floor screed. Absolute accuracy, of course, cannot be achieved, so the floor screed is poured locally with a thickness of 30-120 mm. It is advisable to stay within 50-70 mm.

Just in case

No cellar is guaranteed against water. Subsurface runoff and perched water are insidious and capricious; they wander underground in the most bizarre way. What kind of repairs the cellar will need if it gets damp is another question. First you need to remove the water; Maybe after this it will be possible without repairs. Specialists charge a lot for draining a flooded cellar, so home handyman First, it’s better to try to drain the water yourself; it won’t make things worse. One of available ways draining a flooded cellar/basement - discharging water into the underlying aquifer. How to make it, see video.