Root Cellar under SunRoom

skidoo · Apr 2, 2009

I am building a partial Sun Room (lots of glass but no clear roof), and under that will be a daylight basement style, garage size (14.5x30 ft) space. The back and side walls will be against full height (about 8 ft) of dirt. The other side will be against the existing house wall and foundation. The front will have an insulated garage door, and the ceiling will be insulated from the Sun Room above. It would be similar to my garage on the other end of the house which is not heated. It tends to remain very cool in there, so I would anticipate this space to be as well.

So, I am thinking about utilizing this space as a Root Cellar. It will look like the pdf sketch as shown in post #16 of this thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/139869-foundation-questions-2.html

This is in the process of being built. Before it is completed, what can I do to ensure good performance as a cellar. Do I need to add a vent at the back wall and front wall? Should I leave the back corner with a dirt floor or keep it all in concrete floor? Anything else I should consider adding to this part of the structure before completion?

JB4310 · Apr 2, 2009

Which way is it facing I'd guess the existing garage is facing North, and the new one is facing South, since your talking about a sun-room. If that's the case it wont be as cool as the other side IMO.

JB.

JB4310 · Apr 2, 2009

After looking at the pics in your link I see both garages face west? but the new one is at the south end of the house, I would think it wont stay as cool.

The back wall would be the coolest so you could run a framed wall parallel to the back foundation wall and out as far as yo want to make the root cellar, insulate the wood framed wall and the ceiling, leave the floor dirt for now and see how cool it stays. Instead of wood wall you could use block to close off that back room, the cement tends to keep things cooler.

Being a contractor who is in many cellars I do see some cold canning cellars, the best ones are made like a bunker with all 4 walls and ceiling made of concrete, usually just utilizing part of the basement that is constructed like that, for instance under a concrete porch or front stoop with full foundation, I actually have a small 4x4 room/closet just like that under my front stoop, it does stay pretty clammy in there even with heated room on the other side of the door. I understand the original owners used that space for root cellar.

JB.

skidoo · Apr 2, 2009

Got me to thinking... What if I was to extend the side wall back 4 ft and make a cutout at the back wall so it was a 4' deep by 8 ft long at the back corner. This would make it full deep underground on three sides, two short sides an one long side. Or, maybe it could be rotated 90 deg so that it would have two long sides and one short side fully underground. I think that would take twice the additional concrete though. Can it have a concrete top, say 2 ft under ground so that there is a 6' height? I'm not sure how that would be poured? The top would have to support potential vehicle weight as well, especially for an 8' extension...

forgeblast · Apr 2, 2009

How would you pour the roof? would a dome shaped roof or an arch be better at holding the roof up?
Also some root cellars have two sides, one side has a gravel floor for high humidty crops and the other a poured floor for the less humid ones.
I have been kicking around the idea for one, as a shelter/root cellar.