Hello
Long story short.
I recently bought a house that has been empty for 10-15 years. In the backyard, I have a "nice" standalone earth cellar with 2 relatively large rooms.
In the spring during the viewing, it was filled with water all the way to the ceiling, i.e., 1.8-2m of water.
Initially, I thought about demolishing it and having a nice lawn. But now, I'm a bit tempted to make it a sauna and relaxation/wine cellar.
Earthen floor, cast concrete vault inside, large stone outside, metal sheets thrown on top.
My big question is how to drain it sensibly. Regardless, I plan to remove the earth, lay down fabric, and smooth everything out.
But if I'm doing that, I might as well drain it too. However, since the ditches are higher than future drainage, I'm considering a sump pump.
Does that seem sensible? Advice and tips on that?
Then the cellar has experienced some form of fungus attack. Should I burn them off with propane and expose them to high heat for a while? I think one might be able to deal with them if it gets reasonably dry in there.
Long story short.
I recently bought a house that has been empty for 10-15 years. In the backyard, I have a "nice" standalone earth cellar with 2 relatively large rooms.
In the spring during the viewing, it was filled with water all the way to the ceiling, i.e., 1.8-2m of water.
Initially, I thought about demolishing it and having a nice lawn. But now, I'm a bit tempted to make it a sauna and relaxation/wine cellar.
Earthen floor, cast concrete vault inside, large stone outside, metal sheets thrown on top.
My big question is how to drain it sensibly. Regardless, I plan to remove the earth, lay down fabric, and smooth everything out.
But if I'm doing that, I might as well drain it too. However, since the ditches are higher than future drainage, I'm considering a sump pump.
Does that seem sensible? Advice and tips on that?
Then the cellar has experienced some form of fungus attack. Should I burn them off with propane and expose them to high heat for a while? I think one might be able to deal with them if it gets reasonably dry in there.
Congratulations! An earth cellar can be a fantastic resource. It's difficult to answer your questions without more information about elevation conditions and type of soil.