Exciting! Looking forward to the continuation!T Trallalaaa said:Thanks for the good response. Progress has been slow for me, but at least it's moving forward. After your reply, I bought lecablock of the same dimensions as you (note the fox in the background of the picture). I live in Norway but am less than an hour from Strömstad, so I bought there because it was less than half the price in Sweden.
It took some time to dig out by hand in all the clay and gravel, especially since both clay and gravel want about a 45-degree angle to not collapse. After that, I laid in gravel, a geotextile, and gravel again, and finally started to build. I had a lot of rebar, so I reinforced each layer. Now four layers are completed, so next week I'll start with the arch. To be continued
Hehe, good question, it's not extremely planned yet, but I thought about filling it with gravel so there won't be standing water between the walls and then having stones forward. I might also possibly do some masonry there.D Daniel 109 said:
Now the mold is ready so I can start with the actual vault. Just need to put plastic on the outside. Should I oil it or something so it doesn't stick to the mortar, or will it come off easily?
It was more work than I thought to make the mold and I regret not making it first, because then I wouldn't have ended up with crooked walls on the actual masonry that I have now. I thought it would be fine to build with estimation (I made and crisscrossed a bottom frame so it would be completely straight) since it's only four stones high, but in the back, it's become a bit wider with the height. I blame doing it in semi-darkness and pouring rain.
Unfortunately, I forgot that I hadn't bought all the blocks needed for the vault, so I have to drive to Sweden on Friday and buy more. There are no blocks of the same dimensions in Norway, oddly enough, and here they cost more than twice as much. So according to the weather forecast, I have to build quickly as anything to finish before it gets too cold for the mortar, which needs at least five degrees Celsius. Does anyone know what happens if you build when it's around zero degrees? It's supposed to be 2-3 on Sunday and then below freezing next week, and I'm tempted to build on Sunday and get it done.
Does anyone know how many rebar are needed in the ceiling? Is it enough with four bars (about 35 cm between each)?
It was more work than I thought to make the mold and I regret not making it first, because then I wouldn't have ended up with crooked walls on the actual masonry that I have now. I thought it would be fine to build with estimation (I made and crisscrossed a bottom frame so it would be completely straight) since it's only four stones high, but in the back, it's become a bit wider with the height. I blame doing it in semi-darkness and pouring rain.
Unfortunately, I forgot that I hadn't bought all the blocks needed for the vault, so I have to drive to Sweden on Friday and buy more. There are no blocks of the same dimensions in Norway, oddly enough, and here they cost more than twice as much. So according to the weather forecast, I have to build quickly as anything to finish before it gets too cold for the mortar, which needs at least five degrees Celsius. Does anyone know what happens if you build when it's around zero degrees? It's supposed to be 2-3 on Sunday and then below freezing next week, and I'm tempted to build on Sunday and get it done.
Does anyone know how many rebar are needed in the ceiling? Is it enough with four bars (about 35 cm between each)?
I placed construction plastic on the mold, just to be safe, so that the mortar wouldn't stick.
Regarding the reinforcement, I placed a rebar at each joint. There were some left over, so I added extra at the joints on the top.
Hope you finish before the cold arrives
Regarding the reinforcement, I placed a rebar at each joint. There were some left over, so I added extra at the joints on the top.
Hope you finish before the cold arrives
T Trallalaaa said:
Has anything else happened since November?
Yes, the masonry was completed in November and I also managed to put on drainage plastic so that I could start covering it over before the frost set in. This spring, I've had a number of other projects with higher priority (garage and deck), so the only thing I've done since then is cover with a bit more gravel and soil that I had dug up, plus I placed some boulders I unearthed on the side of the cellar that could hold back soil/gravel and also serve as a (very steep) staircase.A afSchinken said:Anything else happened since November?
Once I have time again, I will remove the mold, apply plaster, make a door, and add more soil on top. I plan to use landscape fabric before adding more soil so that the soil doesn't just seep through the gravel. However, it should be a bit humid in a root cellar too, so I'm afraid I might make it too dry, but time will tell.
Could one use simple standing concrete pipes as an earth cellar? I'm thinking of a larger diameter, like just over 2m, which can be found on ST: eriks website but are called straight pipes. A hatch and a small ladder down and built-in shelves along the edges. Won't be able to fit large quantities, but it would be enough for me.
https://www.blocket.se/kalmar/Betongror__vagror_73808394.htm?ca=9&w=3
https://www.blocket.se/kalmar/Betongror__vagror_73808394.htm?ca=9&w=3
It works, but is it worth the price. I checked the first available supplier. They charged 7kkr for a 75cm length. So at least two pieces, and even then there's no roof. Delivery is probably not free either, and a decent crane is likely needed to get the pipes in place.
I considered first having horizontal concrete pipes for my root cellar, but as just mentioned, it's surprisingly expensive unless you happen to find an old pipe cheaply and can place them in the right spot without houses and slopes in the way. It turned out to be much cheaper to do the version described here in the thread with a vaulted brick roof, and not as difficult as I feared.Stefflo said:
My dad made a root cellar in the late 70s with horizontal concrete pipes, I'll upload some pictures showing how it turned out.
"When I finally have time again, I will remove the mold, apply plaster, make a door, and add more soil on top. I plan to use landscaping fabric before adding more soil so the soil doesn't just seep through the gravel. But it should be a bit humid in an earth cellar too, so I'm worried that I might make it too dry; time will tell."
How did the humidity turn out? I'm having the same thoughts about whether or not to use a plastic mat on top. In many places where you read about this, they write about the problem the earth cellar has with "breathing" when you seal it. My planned one is located high up on a hill, of fine sand. In other words, can it become too dry?
How did the humidity turn out? I'm having the same thoughts about whether or not to use a plastic mat on top. In many places where you read about this, they write about the problem the earth cellar has with "breathing" when you seal it. My planned one is located high up on a hill, of fine sand. In other words, can it become too dry?
How do you keep the humidity up/down?Buford said:
What will be the temperature? And do you lower the temperature by just adding more soil on top if that would be a problem? Do you have two doors? I mean a vestibule inside for insulation at the door?