Hello everyone,
We are currently starting our "garden shed" project, but still at a very early stage.
It will be a masonry garden shed with a footprint of 4x5 m (13x16 ft).
For this, a concrete slab will be poured, probably 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) thick and reinforced.
And no, I don’t expect to have to remove the slab again in the next 50 years.
About my idea:
The plot has a slight slope. Unfortunately, when digging the gravel bed under the slab, we made a bit of a mess... well, filling it back with gravel is at least easier than digging it out.
Today, I took a look at the “hole” and got the idea to build a small storage cellar beneath the garden shed.
Sounds more ambitious than it really is—I thought of a small space about 1 m (3 ft) deep, 1 m (3 ft) wide, and 2 m (6 ft) long. For storing potatoes, carrots, apples—something like that.
I’ve already read quite a bit about “earth cellars,” but this isn’t really an earth cellar.
My basic thoughts were:
Gravel and crushed stone as the base, then paving slabs? Or should I better use a concrete floor?
Should the walls be made of insulated concrete forms (ICF) that are reinforced and poured, or better to build with sand-lime bricks?
Alternatively, I have some Poroton blocks here lying around (17.5 cm (7 inches) thick) that could finally get used...
Do I need to waterproof the walls from the outside? There is at least 1 m (3 ft) of gravel on each side of the “cellar,” so I consider the risk of lateral water infiltration to be rather low...
Has anyone here done something like this before?
How did you proceed, and do you have any practical experience?
Or any other input on this topic?
Thank you!
Best regards
We are currently starting our "garden shed" project, but still at a very early stage.
It will be a masonry garden shed with a footprint of 4x5 m (13x16 ft).
For this, a concrete slab will be poured, probably 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) thick and reinforced.
And no, I don’t expect to have to remove the slab again in the next 50 years.
About my idea:
The plot has a slight slope. Unfortunately, when digging the gravel bed under the slab, we made a bit of a mess... well, filling it back with gravel is at least easier than digging it out.
Today, I took a look at the “hole” and got the idea to build a small storage cellar beneath the garden shed.
Sounds more ambitious than it really is—I thought of a small space about 1 m (3 ft) deep, 1 m (3 ft) wide, and 2 m (6 ft) long. For storing potatoes, carrots, apples—something like that.
I’ve already read quite a bit about “earth cellars,” but this isn’t really an earth cellar.
My basic thoughts were:
Gravel and crushed stone as the base, then paving slabs? Or should I better use a concrete floor?
Should the walls be made of insulated concrete forms (ICF) that are reinforced and poured, or better to build with sand-lime bricks?
Alternatively, I have some Poroton blocks here lying around (17.5 cm (7 inches) thick) that could finally get used...
Do I need to waterproof the walls from the outside? There is at least 1 m (3 ft) of gravel on each side of the “cellar,” so I consider the risk of lateral water infiltration to be rather low...
Has anyone here done something like this before?
How did you proceed, and do you have any practical experience?
Or any other input on this topic?
Thank you!
Best regards
Schimi179129 Sep 2021 07:16I would store beer there.
Nida35a schrieb:
🙄 That’s something grandparents used to do to keep food fresh.
Since electricity has been installed in garden sheds, refrigerators have been used instead.
I’m just imagining,
you get the butter and it’s still sandy and crunchy 😉An earth cellar is not only built to store food cool but also to store it frost-free.
Anyone who grows larger quantities of fruits and vegetables in their garden for the whole year needs some way to keep them cool without freezing. Refrigerators in garden sheds are not suitable for this purpose. Many refrigerators have a climate class N, meaning they are designed for ambient temperatures between 16 and 32 degrees Celsius (61 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Our "garden refrigerator," as far as I know, is approved for temperatures starting from 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit).
Appel2000 schrieb:
Any ideas?
At the moment, I’m leaning towards using formwork blocks, anchoring them in the ground, and then concreting them in place.
I still have to backfill with gravel and compact thoroughly on the sides.
I’m somewhat concerned that if I just use a few small 17.5cm (7 inch) Poroton bricks, they might not withstand the pressure... You could reinforce the cavity temporarily during gravel filling and compaction by clamping boards or rods in between (like an inner shuttering). Later, you remove them again.
A
Appel200029 Sep 2021 22:36Supporting it could actually be an option.
I need to think about how to do that in the best way.
And regarding storage:
Of course, butter and similar items go in the fridge... that goes without saying.
And yes, in summer there might even be a refrigerator installed in the house.
But precisely because the opportunity arises now, it could be a good idea to create a small storage space here to store fruits and vegetables in proper quantities... and beer fits in there perfectly as well 😉
I need to think about how to do that in the best way.
And regarding storage:
Of course, butter and similar items go in the fridge... that goes without saying.
And yes, in summer there might even be a refrigerator installed in the house.
But precisely because the opportunity arises now, it could be a good idea to create a small storage space here to store fruits and vegetables in proper quantities... and beer fits in there perfectly as well 😉
Appel2000 schrieb:
to build a small storage cellar.
Has anyone here ever done something like this? Hello
I have done something like this, but a bit larger.
For the building permit / planning permission, it was called a “climate cellar.” At first, the building authority was surprised, then happily intrigued.
The climate cellar measures 450 x 400 cm (177 x 157 inches), and is 360 cm (142 inches) below ground level.
We dug a large hole, installed a concrete floor, and stacked concrete form blocks: 50 x 30 x 25 cm (20 x 12 x 10 inches). (Generally, underground walls are 30 cm (12 inches) thick.) Before stacking, I placed steel rebar 16 mm (0.63 inches) into the ground to secure the blocks firmly. Then the ceiling was installed and that’s it. I did it myself. If you hire this out, it becomes very expensive. I coated the exterior of the blocks with thick-layer bitumen, added 5 cm (2 inches) of polystyrene foam, then a dimpled membrane on top. After that, I backfilled with gravel concrete.
Cool in summer, never too cold in winter.
Steven
Steven schrieb:
The climate cellar measures 450 x 400cm (177 x 157 inches). It is 360cm (141 inches) below ground level.How did you secure the deep excavation during digging and concreting? What kind of “ceiling” did you use? Can we see some pictures?
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