Root Cellar/Storm Shelter

[SPIKE]

I wanted a root cellar and needed a storm shelter. So this was one of my projects for last year.
Remember I am the guy that collects all of the left over parts. The only things I had to buy for this project was the concrete and mortar mix, but there are several yards in this project.
Also, I had never laid a block before this. It turned out okay, but the mortar work is a little sloppy.

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/004.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/009-1.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/006.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/007.jpg



SPIKE

[SPIKE]

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/0042.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/008.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/0062.jpg

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/005.jpg

[patience]

Wow, SPIKE, that is an impressive piece of work! We need a root cellar, too, but haven't figured out a good place for it. I blew my best chance at it when we added a sunporch onto the house a few years ago. It has a slab floor, and could very well have had a root cellar under it, with the entrance in the basement. :mad: Dumb, dumb me. :rolleyes: Now I get to find another spot.

[Native87]

Very impressive indeed my friend!!! You could make a FORTUNE doing just what you accomplished for yourself. I have never laid block either ( Anyone know good sites for that topic?) but I think it looks very good. One thing for sure. I don't believe it will go anywhere soon. Thank you so much for posting this work. :yes2:

[AzLoneRider]

Great work Spike!! I am thinking about something similar on my property. You have given me some great ideas. Thanks for the pic and the ideas.

Andy

[Anon001]

Add me to the list of the impressed. Got one question. Did you fill the blocks or leave them with just the rebar?

I'm wanting a cellar this year.

Paul

[Andy Jones]

That's a professional looking job,Spike.Man,that's really heavy duty!Did you waterproof the exterior of the blocks?Is there a French drain around the bottom of the slab?I have a bank just like that near my house that will lend itself perfectly to build a root cellar/storm cellar.Did you put plastic under the slab before you poured the concrete?Inquiring minds want to know!

Andy

[Cat Lover]

It certainly looks nice enough; salvaging the materials alone is quite an accomplishment.

It's alway easier - too easy, IMO- to nit-pic someone elses' efforts. I've certainly seen many attempts that came out much worse! Still, I'd like to make a few general comments, for others to consider with their projects:

1- First, when you dig more than 5 ft, you need to either do it in steps, or have the walls shored. While there's some 'green' merit to not disturbing the site any more than necessery, there's a 'health' merit in not getting buried alive;

2- I saw a similar sized room that was made with the rough face of the block facing in. This gave the room a real 'hewn out of stone,' cave-like style. Just a wild thought - though I can understand why smooth walls are better for a root cellar!;

3- I do hope that a proper slab was poured, with some gravel for drainage. Another asked about waterproofing and a French drain- those are good elements to consider;

4- Small underground rooms tend to be lacking in both light and ventillation. It might have been nice to have a skylight and an exhaust vent in the ceiling. I'm not sure that the pipes I see poking up are enough. It also might have been a thought to 'stub out' pipes for future (possible) plumbing and electric;

5- The block, since it is structural, should be filled with concrete; and,

6- Any openings need to be screened to prevent critters from entering- including the bottom edge of the door. Yet another reason to have the door swing 'out.'

[Travis]

Very nice indeed. Very impressed that you salvaged all that stuff. You sound like me. I have tons of things here and there and someday I will use them for something.

[AlchemyAcres]

Wow!

That's the nicest root cellar I've ever seen!!!!


~Martin :D

[AlchemyAcres]

It certainly looks nice enough; salvaging the materials alone is quite an accomplishment.

It's alway easier - too easy, IMO- to nit-pic someone elses' efforts. I've certainly seen many attempts that came out much worse! Still, I'd like to make a few general comments, for others to consider with their projects:

1- First, when you dig more than 5 ft, you need to either do it in steps, or have the walls shored. While there's some 'green' merit to not disturbing the site any more than necessery, there's a 'health' merit in not getting buried alive;

2- I saw a similar sized room that was made with the rough face of the block facing in. This gave the room a real 'hewn out of stone,' cave-like style. Just a wild thought - though I can understand why smooth walls are better for a root cellar!;

3- I do hope that a proper slab was poured, with some gravel for drainage. Another asked about waterproofing and a French drain- those are good elements to consider;

4- Small underground rooms tend to be lacking in both light and ventillation. It might have been nice to have a skylight and an exhaust vent in the ceiling. I'm not sure that the pipes I see poking up are enough. It also might have been a thought to 'stub out' pipes for future (possible) plumbing and electric;

5- The block, since it is structural, should be filled with concrete; and,

6- Any openings need to be screened to prevent critters from entering- including the bottom edge of the door. Yet another reason to have the door swing 'out.'

Yep!!! Seems it's very easy for you!



~Martin

[NCLee]

Add me to the list of those who are impressed with your work.

And I'm :D with envy over what you've accomplished. You sure deserve a big pat on the back. If you hadn't told us, I wouldn't have known that you hadn't laid block before. I've seen some "pro's" work that didn't look that good.

Thank you for sharing your steps with us through pictures. I enjoyed drooling over them.

I want one just like that, dad burn it. Don't have the landscape to do it. (sigh)

Lee

[Deberosa]

That's amazing! Thank you for sharing! Are you taking orders yet? ;-)

[Southerngirl]

Amazing work Spike, had my jaw dropping with each picture as I scrolled down... nice work! :)
We were fortunate enough to have a storm cellar on the property when we bought the land, and we brought one with us on a flat bed trailer from my parent's previous property so we have one for our safety use up close to the house and one behind the house a ways which I plan on turning into a root cellar this spring. We have a few other couples interested in storing items together with ours, so the work will be divided, that always helps. It's a solid storm cellar, just needs a new door, just has a piece of wood laying over the entrance, put in a new window that is broken, a new light bulb and some cleaning, then add the shelves... we feel lucky it was here. One of those times in life you feel you found the right place at the right time! For once! :)

[Phil_Oz]

Very impressive piece of work.

In the SE of Oz, we don't have a problem with storms (cyclones/hurricanes) like you do in the gulf states.
In our tropical north we do (Darwin was levelled by Cyclone Tracey on Christmas Day 1974 eg).

What we do need is bushfire shelters - and the construction would not be too different from what you made.

For suspended concrete slabs, we have a couple of products available. I'd be surprised if you guys don't have something similar, and it would be a lot easier and probably cheaper than welding up those supporting spans for the roof/ceiling area like you did (maybe it was a labour-only cost?).

http://www.fielders.com.au/aspx/RF55.aspx

http://www.lysaght.com/go/product/lysaght-bondek

Fire shelter;
http://www.firesheltersaustralia.com.au/

Because of things like this;
http://www.news.com.au/gallery-0-1111120741999

[SPIKE]

First let me say thanks to most of you for your replys. I come to this forum to share knowledge and experiences to possibly help in everyone's endevors to get through life as best as possible. And hopefully to gain some of the things I need also.

BUT, I can see that there is at least one short term poster here that I need no ASSistance from. I have gone to there profile and read enough of their post to be sure of this.

Now on to important stuff. I will be happy to give more details on my project.

The big ditch I dug into is not for drainage. It starts about 200' from the north property line and is at about the highest elevation in the area. The ditch was dug in the 1800s with the intentions of laying a railroad between a couple of the small towns in this area, but one of the towns moved and the tracks were never installed. The banks are built in a manner that carry water away from the ditch, not into it.

The ground here is awful for gardening. It is a compacted/hard red sand/clay mixture. Digging the hole was a big chore. If I had only wanted a root cellar and not a storm shelter, I would have not even built any walls. I could have just put a roof over the hole. There was a lot of hard pick work involved as the walls were like working with soft stone to begin with.

The finished floor elevation is about 2' above the bottom of the ditch. When I decided the structure was going to be a storm shelter, I knew it would be a total different type structure, as far as construction techniques go.
The footing and floor were poured in one pour. The footing is 16" all around the perimeter with a 4" floor. There is plenty of rebar in the footing.
Learning to lay blocks efficiently still eludes me, but I think a long wall would be easier to to.

There is rebar install horizontally at the 4th and 8th course and plenty around the door frame to secure it to the blocks. I picked up the barjoist from a demolition project about 2 years ago. Cut to proper length, they worked well to hold the concrete roof. The ceiling material is a 5/8 thick marine grade plastic that will never degrade.
The rebar in the roof goes all the way back to the slab at the bottom of the blocks. There is about 4 1/2 yards of concrete in the blocks and roof. All block cells were filled and the roof is 3" at the edge and 6" near the middle.
Scrap 3" pvc was used for ventilation through the roof and at 2 places in the front wall. 3/4 pvc was installed for lights, but in a storm condition there probably will no be power so I will be using small solar lights.

Must take a break, I type slowly.

SPIKE

[SPIKE]

I did some of my designing as I went from this point to get to the finished product. To retain the dirt on the roof I added the 3 runs of block across the front. They were tied to the main structure with rebar and filled with cocrete.

At this point I did think about water proofing the exterior of the block, but decided that it was not needed for this project for a couple of reasons. Due to the soil type and the fact that the way I backfilled water will not stand near the structure and a root cellar should have a high humidity level for most food that I will store. Hopefully some moisture will work through the block and concrete. In the first picture you can see a blocked out area in the floor. I filled this area with pavers so if the humidity is too low, I can pour some water into this area. I will post a picture of the floor later. The metal used to retain dirt on the sides was just too ugly for a finished project, so that is when the wing walls were added with the covered entrance. Rebar was drilled into the walls to tie the wing walls to the first walls and these blocks are also completely fill with concrete. In one of the wing walls, I did put in some conduit for a recepticle that will be on the outside of the structure, but I have not run the wire yet.

I had to buy the treated material for the steps, but the side rails are salvaged steel "Z" metal.

There is about 2' of fill over the shelter that will get some kind ground cover growing on it come spring.
There is enough mass in this shelter that if I can get into it when needed, I shall fear no storm!! I hope to build a house, but if I do not I will not fear living in my present trailer.

I hope I have address everyone's questions. If not let me know.

SPIKE

[rehabman]

Yet another reason to have the door swing 'out.'


The door of a storm celler should NEVER swing out! In a storm, trees and buildings come down and debris flies everywhere. If anything falls against the door, you will be trapped inside until someone finds you.

[SPIKE]

patience,
Possible use part of your basement?

Native87,
If it goes ahywhere, I guess it must have been my time! LOL

AzLoneRider,
I like helping people with ideas.

Pual,
ALL blocks are filles with concrete. May have been a bit of overkill. LOL

Andy Jones,
I hope I address your questions.
I'm originally from Mississippi. Sounds like you may be near Meridian.

Travis,
Keep collecting them parts. I take home almost anything that I think I may use in the future. I became unemployed at the end of 2008 and have not gone back to full time work. So I am getting good use of my parts stash.

AlchemyAcres,
Thanks my friend. I think you will know what I mean.

NCLee,
Wipe your chin! LOL
If you look close you can see the mortar work is not the best. Just need to learn the trick of the trade.

Deberosa,
Taking orders? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM May could hire myself out. For the right price. LOL

Southerngirl,
Looks like you have a good start. Hope you know the people well that want to share your area. knowwhatimean


Phil_Oz,
Thanks for the links. Bar joist were premade salvage. WOW those are some bad fires.


SPIKE

[SPIKE]

Rehabman,

You are so right. I would have felt real stupid if it turned into a burial tomb!

SPIKE

[NCLee]

Ah..... now I better understand. You built into the side of a railroad cut. Must admit that I was somewhat puzzled about the lay of the land when I first looked at your pictures.

Again, I'm impressed with your work. Thanks for going into more detail about it.

Do keep us updated on your projects on your homestead.

Lee

[patience]

SPIKE,

A real pro job, start to finish!

To the critics-a storm cellar door should swing INWARD, so you can get OUT of the darn thing if a tree blows down across the door! We live in tornado country where there are tales of people having to be rescued from their own storm cellar when the door got blocked by storm debris.

We also have red clay here, but mixed with a lot of rocks. Clay is probably the most stable soil on the planet for construction considerations. Contractors here ALWAYS dig basement walls straight down. Saves a lot of needless backfilling. Along the Ohio River valley 40 miles South of us, where soft alluvial soil with sand and gravel substrata are the rule, ditches and such are stepped back. This is one of the myriad of things a builder has to know. Obviously, SPIKE knows his soil.

Congrats on a job well thought out and well done. I love to salvage materials too. For me, that's part of the satisfaction of building things. Anyone can call a contractor, say, "Put it there", and write a check. It takes a lot more ability to do what you have done. And the satisfaction of doing it at very low cost lasts a long time. :D

[patience]

SPIKE,
Yeah, we are probably stuck with walling off a corner of the basement. It is too warm and dry as it is to store root vegetables--as you pointed out, they need moisture. So, If I use the right corner, there is a basement window I can use to ventilate a cellar area and keep temps down in cold weather. I'll have to figure out something for the ceiling to protect the wood joists from the moisture in there. That could be a problem.

And, I have to get rid of a lot of junk in that area first. :o

[Sheila]

Geez, if you think that's sloppy workmanship - I surely can't see it! It looks like you were a professional and it looks great!!!!!

[SPIKE]

Here is the finished floor with the paver blockout;
http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv123/CRSPIKE/003.jpg

[Deberosa]

Rehabman,

You are so right. I would have felt real stupid if it turned into a burial tomb!

SPIKE

Not only that, if the wind is blowing as you enter the cellar it may very well rip the door right off if it opens out. Plus the negative pressure could pull it off it's hinges. Opening in, you can block the door once you get it shut to stay safe. I know I put an outward opening door on my one place in WA - and what a mistake! Even a moderate wind would rip that door from my hands when I opened it!

You have an amazing structure there for sure!

[MooseToo]

Yep!!! Seems it's very easy for you!



~Martin

appreciate your own talent, martin - you've been known to impart knowledge quite often that is complicated, important and meaningful to us all - and it is ALWAYS delivered in a pleasant and friendly and effective manner -

obviously others lack that talent in varying degrees - but that does not mean we ignore ALL their input - sometimes it's worth holding your nose to pick gold coins out of the pigsty (just don't forget and switch hands) -

all hypothetical, of course !

[CVORNurse]

Spike,

I am in awe, and so jealous. Wish I had one of those. Wish I had a ready made bank like you do. Our land slopes towards a swampy lowland in the property next door. We probably have about feet of drop, over an acre and a half to the drainage area that stays wet all winter, then it goes back up.

[CVORNurse]

Just a question though.. In a storm, are you having to come down those steps? That would worry me, but then I still have kids at home to worry about. Better though than having to slide down a bank with no steps or handrails.

[sbemt456]

Good job Spike. This is kinda like what we did here this past summer only we poured concrete. We waterproofed the outside of ours in hopes of keeping it dry inside. Although there is no water leaking in the humidity does stay high in there. We only have one louvered vent in the door and one outlet vent in the roof and when its cold outside you can feel a cold breeze comin in the door vent. We had to block it off when it got really cold outside. And you were right to make the door swing to the inside. At least you can get out in the event of a bad storm. I can tell ya, you will love your cellar. I wonder now how we went so long without one here.

Have a great day!

stella

[firegirl969]

Spike,

What a great job you did! Dh really liked the pics. We are working on our root cellar, but will have to wait till it warms up before we can finish it. I can't supply pics as DH has hid it in a very special place, and we don't want to give that info up. Pics would do that. Ours is not like yours, but your pics answered several questions for him. Blessings, firegirl

[sissy]

Cool, very nice job. Looks like you can build anything you want to.
sissy

[jen_in_southtexas]

It looks great SPIKE. Thanks for sharing your pics and info with us.

-jen

[SPIKE]

jen_in_southtexas
Thanks, I really do enjoy sharing info.

sissy,
Thanks, build anything......maybe, but you made my day.

sbemt456,
Good for you guys. I think every homestead needs one!

CVORNurse,
I have been thinking about adding a slide next to the steps. Not only for faster access, but also for the kid in me.

MooseToo,
You are right, AA is far better at expressing himself than I will ever be.

Sheila,
I think with a bit more practice I could get good at it.

patience,
Sounds like you are working on a good backup plan.

SPIKE

[SPIKE]

I can't supply pics as DH has hid it in a very special place, and we don't want to give that info up. Pics would do that. Ours is not like yours, but your pics answered several questions for him. Blessings, firegirl

Some things are better hidden, and I am glad I was able to help.

SPIKE

[nhlivefreeordie]

Very nice work. A testament to...If you are going to do something,....DO IT RIGHT!!

We are planning something similar in our construction plans, ours will be a room just like this, off of the basement. I hope to keep the floor dirt, and just pour the walls and roof as ours is more root cellar than storm cellar.

One thing you might want to have considered in your plan.....gun portals in the block in front??...:D....J/k

Super job, something to be proud of.

[rAcErRicK]

Super job Spike.

[MooseToo]

.

MooseToo,
You are right, AA is far better at expressing himself than I will ever be.



i guess it's me with the communication problem - that little missile was aimed at your critics rather than you -

i sincerely assure you that i'm applauding you accomplishments as loudly as anyone -

[Grendal]

small recommendation....pipe fittings and wire mesh on exterior opens....rattlers and widows are not fun fellows to ride out a twister with.

[wildturnip]

That looks really nice!

A thought on CatLover's comment..when we dug our house basement, it was much taller than 5 feet but we didn't dig it in "steps" or shore it up. We just laid the blocks up like you did. DH built houses for decades so I think he knew what he was doing :)