Well, that's the most impressive root cellar installation i have ever watched! I was wondering about all the cdx and then you took it all out and I was thinkng ... oh no, its gonna cave in and then it fell and the black plastic came down and i was so impressed! Great job for a diy! Made me feel confident about attempting it!
You are not the only one who was a little nervous. We did so much research before our build but it was still a little nerve wracking. Thank you for the comments. I guess that is why we put up our projects, to encourage others to see what they can do.
I can appreciate quality work. And I have to say you guys did an awesome job from start to finish This cellar will be of good use forever!!. Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing and teaching us along. God Bless.
Thank you for your tutorial. I closely examined these videos for a couple of months and just finished my cellar. Mine is just like yours except for the entrance. My entrance steps down from the top. Thanks again.
That is so exciting. Good job! I feel like doing the entry like that would help maintain the temperature. We are going to add another foot of dirt on top of ours this spring to help with insulation. We'll have to use retaining wall bricks to do it due to the location of our build. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Oh man. Thank you so much for sharing this, I’ve been worried about how to build the framing for my room, you guys have definitely helped me quell some stress! Haha
Yes. We had already filled to halfway through the last layer of block but when we did the roof we filled in the rest. We felt like it tied in the layers a little better that way.
Great video !! Thanks so much for sharing this. Just curious - on pouring the roof, what was the thickness of the roof? did you guys just eye it up for consistent thickness? Wondering how you measured the consistency of that, as it's an arch. I'm going to follow this plan, and i think i'll just set some vertical standoffs throughout the roof form to make sure that the thickness is consistent. Was just curious how you approached that..? THANKS SO MUCH great video series :)
Great video series! My wife and I built our own house (in three phases) and our latest project is a root cellar very much like yours! I was also inspired by the Walden Labs site, so our design is nearly identical. One issue that I'm grappling with is the entry. I initially thought I'd do it the way you did, but we're in Oregon and very WET so we would definitely need a drain. Do you get water standing at the base of your stairs? You mentioned "lots of snow" - what happens when it melts? To get around this I'm thinking of using a steel basement bulkhead door.
We do have trouble with flooding about once or twice a year. I now know the conditions and am on top of it with the shop vac. In retrospect, I would have placed French drains at the base of each wall and a large drain at the foot of the stairs. I think that would be particularly important for an area like yours. The roof above the stairs has really helped as well.
Hi how what depth was the concrete in the roof, did you find the level of steel enough, as I am in the middle are doing my own rootcellar and we are at roof level,
We did a 5 inch thick roof. I was a little skeptical about how far apart we spaced the rebar with it in every other cell, but it actually hasn't had any issues. We are going on our second year with it and the only thing I would change is to put in some French drains around the base. We live in a pretty arid area so we don't usually have an issue with flooding but there is usually one heavy rain or snowmelt a year that requires me to pull out the shop vac. I have seen some people place a row of rebar at every cell. That may be a little overkill but you would know it wouldn't fail later.
I like the build. What psi concrete did you use? I'm shocked you pulled it after 15 days. It takes usually about 30 to fully hard but iv seen your other video so I know it didn't fall in thank God. Did you back fill the sides with gravel?
We used 5000psi concrete and then backfilled with the gravel after painting the concrete. Thankfully we had no trouble with it but I was a bit nervous. We did give it a little more time to cure before we covered it.
Hi, great videos in this series! I'm in the middle of doing one, but I have a question regarding affixing the top curved plywood. It looks as if it's screwed down, but then how are the arched plywood pieces pulled away from it in the end? Are they just pried away from the screws? Also, how is the paint holding up inside? What prep did you use for that, and what type of paint? I'm so glad you posted--this makes me and others think we can do it!
I'm so glad it helped inspire you. I love our root cellar. It has made it so much easier to store my foods and stretches out my canning season. We did screw the plywood down. As we took down all the supports and ribbing my husband just pulled the screws through or if they were onery he disconnected the small board from the rest of the framing. It worked out far better than I anticipated. We used concrete paint for the inside and it has held up really well. There are only 2 things I would do differently. One, I would install French drains. Since it is a more arid environment, I only have flooding about twice a year, usually after a big snowmelt or a heavy spring rain. I am able to manage it with a wet shop vac but it would be nice not to worry about it. Two, I would place more rebar in the ceiling. We went in every other cell of the cinder block but I would go in each. My husband assures me it would be overkill but better too much than too little when it comes to support. We haven't had any issues at this point but I have seen some done with more rebar that way and it makes me think there could be advantages to it.
You stated that you were researching these plans before making this cellar. I am planning on making one very similar to yours and have collected books on the topic but was wondering if you could share the resources you've found for making the round ceiling. Trying to convince the father-in-law that it's safe. Thank you in advance if you're able to share :)
This is the primary website I used in my design process: waldenlabs.com/how-to-build-a-root-cellar-in-7-steps/ It was a great resource. We have had no issues with ours. If you want it even stronger you could use #4 rebar in every cell of the blocks. The only thing I would change in my design is I would add French drains at the base of the walls. We're pretty arid here but about once a year I have to pull out the shop vac due to a heavy rain or large snow melt. Good luck with your endeavors!
We plant pumpkins on it usually so there is no mowing but I wouldn't hesitate with my mower. I'm not sure I would drive a full size vehicle on it though.
Thank you for showing the build! Excellent project and the out looks great. We are in the process of planning and designing our root cellar. How did you calculate how much concrete you needed for the roof. We haven’t had any luck in finding a calculator for the arch. Thank you.
We just added a foot to each side to help cover the almost 1 foot rise and then did our calculation. It was a little more than we needed so I recommend having an extra little cement project on the side just in case.
@@WisdomPreserved after you put osb on top sounds like you were describing support braces underneath to hold it up when concrete poured? Did I hear that right? If so, are they in permanently or can concrete support itself if reinforced? Love the design btw
@@ASVProductions I must have said something a little unclearly. All the support boards were shown on the video. As long as the concrete roof has rebar in it, it should support itself. We did rebar in every other cell (in the cinderblock) plus every corner and around the door. We haven't had any issues with cracking or anything. I have seen other people place them in every cell if that gave you greater peace of mind. Does that answer your question?
@@WisdomPreserved I think so…did you not have support board under OSB when concrete and rebar was poured/drying though? And you poured into cinderblocks? Why is that necessary? Could you save on concrete costs by not doing it? (Sry for laundry list of questions and not questioning wisdom of it, just looking to do something similar:))
@@ASVProductions I don't mind answering questions. We just had the posts holding everything up. That arch is pretty strong. We poured into the cinderblocks to increase the strength and tie the levels together. I really don't feel like that would be optional. The mortar is great for filling in cracks but structural stability...not so much. Good luck with your build. Ours has worked great. The only things I would do differently is add the rebar in every cell and French drains along the base of the walls.
We used a tar paint over the entire outside. Some people will also wrap it with a waterproof material but our area is pretty arid so we felt this was sufficient for our area.
I recommend putting in french drains at the base. We didn't because we live in such a dry area. It has only been a problem for us in the few wet weeks of spring. In retrospect we should have put them in. Now we just head in with the shop vac and pull out any water that leaks in during those 3 weeks or so.
I‘ve seen a few people do rebar in each cell of the cinder blocks. Honestly, it is not a bad idea. More support never hurts. Although, ours seems to be holding just fine. Thanks for the comment.
Your project was awesome but it would have been better if you didn't speed through it. I like seeing detail work over commentarie. I have to find your caller wall build now. Caller looks great. I would have put less dirt then heavy seeded with Bermuda grass so you would have a grass net on top.
It's hard to decide the best way to show it sometimes. We try to go for detail but not too much. If you have any questions about a specific bit, just let us know. The grass is a good idea. The thicker the dirt is the greater the R value so just keep that in mind if you decide to build.
GREAT job.Would love to make that for a tornado shelter.
I imagine it could be used for that. I have heard it would work as a fallout shelter as well.
Well, that's the most impressive root cellar installation i have ever watched! I was wondering about all the cdx and then you took it all out and I was thinkng ... oh no, its gonna cave in and then it fell and the black plastic came down and i was so impressed!
Great job for a diy! Made me feel confident about attempting it!
You are not the only one who was a little nervous. We did so much research before our build but it was still a little nerve wracking. Thank you for the comments. I guess that is why we put up our projects, to encourage others to see what they can do.
I can appreciate quality work.
And I have to say you guys did an awesome job from start to finish
This cellar will be of good use forever!!.
Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing and teaching us along.
God Bless.
Thank you very much!
Thanks, this is the video I've been looking for. Good job.
Glad I could help
Thanks for doing these videos. I just dug the hole for my root cellar and I plan on using your roof system. I love your enthusiasm.
It’s worked great for us. Good luck with your build.
Thank you for your tutorial. I closely examined these videos for a couple of months and just finished my cellar. Mine is just like yours except for the entrance. My entrance steps down from the top. Thanks again.
That is so exciting. Good job! I feel like doing the entry like that would help maintain the temperature. We are going to add another foot of dirt on top of ours this spring to help with insulation. We'll have to use retaining wall bricks to do it due to the location of our build. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Is there any chance you can share pictures? I would love to see it.
Great video, thanks for all the tips! How thick is the concrete roof?
You're welcome. Our roof was 5.5 inches deep. We just used a 2x6 for the frame.
Nice job.
Thanks!
Oh man. Thank you so much for sharing this, I’ve been worried about how to build the framing for my room, you guys have definitely helped me quell some stress! Haha
You can do it! We were nervous too but it worked out so well.
@@WisdomPreserved is it strong enough to be a tornado shelter?
Wow, that looks great! So when they poured the concrete, did they also fill in the holes in the cinderblocks?
Yes. We had already filled to halfway through the last layer of block but when we did the roof we filled in the rest. We felt like it tied in the layers a little better that way.
@@WisdomPreserved Perfect! I hope to do something like this in the near future.
Great video !! Thanks so much for sharing this. Just curious - on pouring the roof, what was the thickness of the roof? did you guys just eye it up for consistent thickness? Wondering how you measured the consistency of that, as it's an arch. I'm going to follow this plan, and i think i'll just set some vertical standoffs throughout the roof form to make sure that the thickness is consistent. Was just curious how you approached that..? THANKS SO MUCH great video series :)
Found the answer to my questions in one of the comments below.. thanks again for sharing! I'll be starting this build in the coming weeks!
Good luck with your build. We love this space we were able to create.
I'm dying to see it decked out with goodies. This has been an interesting series of videos.
We are premiering that video this coming Monday at 2pm PST. I can't wait to show everyone. - M
Great video series! My wife and I built our own house (in three phases) and our latest project is a root cellar very much like yours! I was also inspired by the Walden Labs site, so our design is nearly identical. One issue that I'm grappling with is the entry. I initially thought I'd do it the way you did, but we're in Oregon and very WET so we would definitely need a drain. Do you get water standing at the base of your stairs? You mentioned "lots of snow" - what happens when it melts? To get around this I'm thinking of using a steel basement bulkhead door.
We do have trouble with flooding about once or twice a year. I now know the conditions and am on top of it with the shop vac. In retrospect, I would have placed French drains at the base of each wall and a large drain at the foot of the stairs. I think that would be particularly important for an area like yours.
The roof above the stairs has really helped as well.
Hi how what depth was the concrete in the roof, did you find the level of steel enough, as I am in the middle are doing my own rootcellar and we are at roof level,
We did a 5 inch thick roof. I was a little skeptical about how far apart we spaced the rebar with it in every other cell, but it actually hasn't had any issues. We are going on our second year with it and the only thing I would change is to put in some French drains around the base. We live in a pretty arid area so we don't usually have an issue with flooding but there is usually one heavy rain or snowmelt a year that requires me to pull out the shop vac. I have seen some people place a row of rebar at every cell. That may be a little overkill but you would know it wouldn't fail later.
I like the build. What psi concrete did you use? I'm shocked you pulled it after 15 days. It takes usually about 30 to fully hard but iv seen your other video so I know it didn't fall in thank God. Did you back fill the sides with gravel?
We used 5000psi concrete and then backfilled with the gravel after painting the concrete. Thankfully we had no trouble with it but I was a bit nervous. We did give it a little more time to cure before we covered it.
Hi, great videos in this series! I'm in the middle of doing one, but I have a question regarding affixing the top curved plywood. It looks as if it's screwed down, but then how are the arched plywood pieces pulled away from it in the end? Are they just pried away from the screws? Also, how is the paint holding up inside? What prep did you use for that, and what type of paint?
I'm so glad you posted--this makes me and others think we can do it!
I'm so glad it helped inspire you. I love our root cellar. It has made it so much easier to store my foods and stretches out my canning season.
We did screw the plywood down. As we took down all the supports and ribbing my husband just pulled the screws through or if they were onery he disconnected the small board from the rest of the framing. It worked out far better than I anticipated. We used concrete paint for the inside and it has held up really well. There are only 2 things I would do differently. One, I would install French drains. Since it is a more arid environment, I only have flooding about twice a year, usually after a big snowmelt or a heavy spring rain. I am able to manage it with a wet shop vac but it would be nice not to worry about it. Two, I would place more rebar in the ceiling. We went in every other cell of the cinder block but I would go in each. My husband assures me it would be overkill but better too much than too little when it comes to support. We haven't had any issues at this point but I have seen some done with more rebar that way and it makes me think there could be advantages to it.
Thanks for your reply, and additional advice!@@WisdomPreserved
You stated that you were researching these plans before making this cellar. I am planning on making one very similar to yours and have collected books on the topic but was wondering if you could share the resources you've found for making the round ceiling. Trying to convince the father-in-law that it's safe. Thank you in advance if you're able to share :)
This is the primary website I used in my design process: waldenlabs.com/how-to-build-a-root-cellar-in-7-steps/
It was a great resource. We have had no issues with ours. If you want it even stronger you could use #4 rebar in every cell of the blocks. The only thing I would change in my design is I would add French drains at the base of the walls. We're pretty arid here but about once a year I have to pull out the shop vac due to a heavy rain or large snow melt. Good luck with your endeavors!
Fabulous
Thank you!
Do you stay off the roof?? Like its a no drive zone with the mower ext.?
We plant pumpkins on it usually so there is no mowing but I wouldn't hesitate with my mower. I'm not sure I would drive a full size vehicle on it though.
Thank you for showing the build! Excellent project and the out looks great.
We are in the process of planning and designing our root cellar.
How did you calculate how much concrete you needed for the roof.
We haven’t had any luck in finding a calculator for the arch.
Thank you.
We just added a foot to each side to help cover the almost 1 foot rise and then did our calculation. It was a little more than we needed so I recommend having an extra little cement project on the side just in case.
@@WisdomPreserved Thank you very much.
Dang really wanted to see that last shot with lights on to see boards underneath you were talking about
Which boards specifically? I might be able to find some footage that wasn't in the video for you.
@@WisdomPreserved after you put osb on top sounds like you were describing support braces underneath to hold it up when concrete poured? Did I hear that right?
If so, are they in permanently or can concrete support itself if reinforced?
Love the design btw
@@ASVProductions I must have said something a little unclearly. All the support boards were shown on the video. As long as the concrete roof has rebar in it, it should support itself. We did rebar in every other cell (in the cinderblock) plus every corner and around the door. We haven't had any issues with cracking or anything. I have seen other people place them in every cell if that gave you greater peace of mind. Does that answer your question?
@@WisdomPreserved I think so…did you not have support board under OSB when concrete and rebar was poured/drying though?
And you poured into cinderblocks? Why is that necessary? Could you save on concrete costs by not doing it?
(Sry for laundry list of questions and not questioning wisdom of it, just looking to do something similar:))
@@ASVProductions I don't mind answering questions. We just had the posts holding everything up. That arch is pretty strong. We poured into the cinderblocks to increase the strength and tie the levels together. I really don't feel like that would be optional. The mortar is great for filling in cracks but structural stability...not so much. Good luck with your build. Ours has worked great. The only things I would do differently is add the rebar in every cell and French drains along the base of the walls.
This is awesome! I'm loving this journey you are on! What state are you in? I see the chickens and animals there, you have a nice homestead.
We live in Washington State. The pacific northwest is a fantastic place to homestead.
@@WisdomPreserved A lot of people homestead there! nice place to live!
Nice
Thanks
Muito bom, obrigada pelas legendas em português!!!
Fico feliz que o TH-cam tenha disponibilizado legendas em português para você. Obrigado por visitar nosso canal.
How did you waterproof outside of the roof?
We used a tar paint over the entire outside. Some people will also wrap it with a waterproof material but our area is pretty arid so we felt this was sufficient for our area.
@@WisdomPreserved Thanks.
Planning to build one also.....
what about water run off?
I recommend putting in french drains at the base. We didn't because we live in such a dry area. It has only been a problem for us in the few wet weeks of spring. In retrospect we should have put them in. Now we just head in with the shop vac and pull out any water that leaks in during those 3 weeks or so.
Next time, do it without the friend moderating. Makes it difficult to watch.
Thanks for the input. We also have a blog on it that might be easier for you: www.wisdompreserved.life/root-cellar-part-4-roof
I like it, but... I would've added ribs in the concrete for extra support...
I‘ve seen a few people do rebar in each cell of the cinder blocks. Honestly, it is not a bad idea. More support never hurts. Although, ours seems to be holding just fine. Thanks for the comment.
I don't know how in the world he got that 2x4 through that dado blade without getting hurt the way it was handled.
He's pretty talented.
Your project was awesome but it would have been better if you didn't speed through it. I like seeing detail work over commentarie. I have to find your caller wall build now. Caller looks great. I would have put less dirt then heavy seeded with Bermuda grass so you would have a grass net on top.
It's hard to decide the best way to show it sometimes. We try to go for detail but not too much. If you have any questions about a specific bit, just let us know. The grass is a good idea. The thicker the dirt is the greater the R value so just keep that in mind if you decide to build.
its not plywood it is osb board on top
I know but for some reason I catch myself using the terms interchangeably. Thanks for the clarification.
Good video too bad about the irritating narration.
Sometimes the mute button is your best friend.
@@WisdomPreserved
Exactly
MAJOR MAGA KILROY corbin was here [* 1952-present]
MAKE 1984 FICTION AGAIN
Funny i hear you talking but dont see you working
Blah blah blah
I want to build and hide it from fema