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Old 02-14-2014, 06:46 AM
 
2,981 posts, read 2,923,620 times
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I was wondering what others thought about this idea, I'm thinking about, of
having a Root-Cellar in the Crawl Space under one's house.

That is, if there room for them to sit up on their knees to dig a Root Cellar.

I'm not a Dooms Day Prepper.
As I'm one that believes Jesus The Bridegroom will come for His Own
And we will not have to go through The Great Tribulation.

So anything I put-up
is just because I use to see my farming grandparents put food up for the winter.

When I was very young they use to have a Root Cellar. But I don't remember anything about it.

So we've got wasted space under our house on a hill side.
And we could sit up on our knees and dig into the hill.

Has anyone else ever thought about having A Root Cellar Under Their House?

And yes, I can Goggle, Root Cellars to see how their made.

But I've just never heard of anyone putting one under their house in the crawl space.
And wondered if anyone here would even think that would be worth looking into.

Thanks.
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Old 02-14-2014, 07:55 AM
 
Location: Where the mountains touch the sky
6,753 posts, read 8,540,542 times
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If that is where you want it and it doesn't violate local building codes, go for it

The ranch house I was raised in had just a dug out hole under it, no real shoring, no cement or reinforced walls of any kind that my mother used as a root cellar and it worked fine.

You may look at the water table in your area, that could make a difference. You need to have ventilation to your cellar to avoid molds, and you need some kind of shoring for the walls so they don't collapse.
Make sure your hole doesn't undermine the foundations of your home or weaken them.

You may wish to decide if you want to have a covered cellar or open top to the floor of the house. A lot will depend on how cold it gets in your area and how long you plan to have your stores down there. Potatoes and other root stock do very well in dark cool cellars and can store all winter.
If you put layers of straw between layers of apples, they can also do very well in a cellar.

Just be careful digging in confined spaces like that because there is always the potential for collapse. Use all safety precautions and make sure you have someone spotting for you in case of problems.

Root cellars are great and give you the option of buying bulk and saving money.

Good luck
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Old 02-14-2014, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Backwoods of Maine
7,487 posts, read 10,459,924 times
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For little cost, you can get a used copy (or download it) of Mike and Nancy Bubel's classic book, "Root Cellaring". I highly advise you to have a look at it. We are planning to utilize their methods at our new homestead in Maine. That way, you can be sure you are doing it correctly. It would be a shame to lose a great deal of produce to rot or freezing due to something easily preventable with forethought. I don't see anything wrong with your plan, but as MT suggested, check the water table. I'd suggest you also check the frost level for your area, and arrange some form of ventilation. It's a sin to waste good food -- or good money!
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Old 02-14-2014, 01:12 PM
 
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Thanks for the advice.
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Old 02-15-2014, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
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Digging in a crawlspace with a trowel and bucket is a lot of work in an uncomfortable position and progress will be slow. However, as long as you don't undermine your foundation, won't hit your water table, and have the time to spare it's as good a place to put a root "cellar" as any.

Winter cold can do just as much damage to stored food as summer heat. If you live in a really cold climate where freezing is a hazard, you'll need to insulate (and possibly heat) your cellar so your food doesn't get ruined by freeze-thaw cycling. Most storage crops prefer 40F and moist, but not all of them. Some prefer cool and dry, others prefer warm and dry... you should determine what you want to store and the best way to store them before digging! You certainly don't want to dig a big hole and then find out your onions and pumpkins can't be stored there.

One solution that may work for "instant" root cellars are big coolers... the hole you have to dig isn't very deep/large and the cooler has built-in shoring for the hole and built-in insulation against heat & cold. The hard walls are fairly rodent-proof. You'd need to address ventilation -- a low hole and pipe for intake and a high hole and pipe for outflow, with insect screen and hardware cloth over the vents to prevent pests. Layers of straw or blueboard insulation can be added on top if needed. Old fridges or freezers would work too, but are heavier and more awkward to wrangle into a crawlspace. Making multiple cold boxes would allow you provide different humidity levels, and separate crops that don't store well together.

ETA: Also, don't assume that being under the house means your cold storage will be in the shade or stay cool. If the house doesn't shade the crawlspace 24/7, you may need to add lattice or shrubs to block the sun. Heat leaking through the floor of the house may help or hinder, you may need more insulation between the joists.
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Old 02-16-2014, 03:43 AM
 
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- Some good ideas to ponder, M.

Thanks
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Old 02-23-2014, 06:58 AM
 
Location: Northern Maine
10,428 posts, read 18,620,776 times
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I live in a town where there are no building codes and no zoning. Such places still exist in our nation. Building codes are available and many are good guides for efficient energy conservation, for example. I would not live in a place that has oppressive government regulations.

Just build your root cellar. Don't apply for permission. I have learned in this life that it is much easier to obtain forgiveness than to obtain permission.

Make sure that vermin cannot reach your food. Strong wire mesh or "hardware cloth" should cover your necessary ventilation openings. A mouse can go through a surprisingly small hole.
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Old 02-24-2014, 12:41 AM
 
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Interesting you should say that.

A few years ago my husband went down to the local town
to apply for a permit for the extension of our front deck.

After he told the woman behind the desk what he wanted it for she said,
'why don't you just build it whose going to care (?)'

When my husband informed her that he was one of The Board Of Directors at our Conservancy.
She stumbled backwards took off her name tag put it in the drawer of her desk!
And said, 'Oh I'm so sorry please don't say you heard that here! Of course I'll get the form."

A lot of people at our Conservancy are still trying to gain forgiveness in Court over violations.
Some get away with things, some don't.

It cost us $140.00 to send out certified letters to
all so called neighbors to ask them if they would contest us having a bigger deck out front.
Even though two big pine trees hides our deck from the one lane dead end dirt road.

Of course no one contested. And one guy even sent us a letter thanking us for asking.

If it would have been my decision. I would have just done it like the woman said.
But my husband is a man of many principles. As was his dad.

My dad was a gambler.
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Old 02-24-2014, 06:13 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RevelationWriter View Post
But I've just never heard of anyone putting one under their house in the crawl space.
Because it's a major PITA to do.
Those who have them (however deep)... did the digging BEFORE the house went up.
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Old 03-02-2014, 07:13 PM
 
Location: Texas and Arkansas
1,341 posts, read 1,526,705 times
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Yeah, it's going to big a major PAIN to put stuff in and take it out. Now you can just use the crawl space itself for a few items but dig it out in the open if you want a good root cellar. If I did one I would do a combination of an storm shelter that could also be used as a root cellar.
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