A cellar in a summer cottage is simply an irreplaceable room. You can store canned goods, root vegetables, vegetables and fruits in it, and also use it to store garden tools in the winter.
Despite the apparent complexity of the task, building a cellar in a country house with your own hands is not a very difficult task. The main thing is the correct selection of the type of cellar, materials for construction and choice of location for construction.
Kinds
All cellars are divided into types depending on their location to the ground level. They are divided into underground, semi-underground and above-ground. At the same time, underground cellars are immersed in the ground up to the roof, on average by 2 m, in semi-underground cellars the floor is lowered below ground level by 0.7-1 m, and above-ground cellars are not buried at all.
The choice of the appropriate type depends on the soil moisture. Underground premises are located in dry places, semi-underground ones - in places with an average level of groundwater, and above-ground structures are used if groundwater passes too close to the surface.
Basement renovation
Stages of basement renovation work
The specificity of the basement is that without repairs and decoration of the premises, it will not be possible to obtain permits and the opening of the establishment may simply not take place.
All repairs can be divided into several stages:
| 1 | Redevelopment and reconstruction. | To carry out reconstruction or redevelopment, which in no case should concern supporting structures, you will have to collect documents again and submit an application to the local government. Their list is in many ways similar to that required when building a new house. It is also important to obtain the support and consent of all residents. |
| 2 | Carrying out thermal insulation and waterproofing work. | Dampness and moisture, which are one of the main disadvantages, must be eliminated and for this purpose additional hydro- and thermal insulation is carried out. |
| 3 | Installation of high-quality ventilation. | Only a high-quality air conditioning and ventilation system must be installed; most often, a flow-exhaust option is used in the basement. This will allow approval to be carried out faster, and will also ensure a good microclimate in this room. |
| 4 | Design and decoration of the premises. | The interior should be decorated in the spirit of the concept that was conceived at the preparatory stage. Therefore, it is important to correctly install not only sound, but also lighting equipment, which allows you to create installations and various effects. Advice. If there are no windows in the basement, then you must remember that illumination standards say that there should be no less than 200 to 750 lux. |
In the video you can see how the renovations changed the basement and made it modern and stylish. A neglected basement can be rented at a lower price.
Selecting a location
To build a cellar, you need to choose a place without trees, which can over time damage the structure with their roots and make it unsafe. Also, if possible, you should choose a dry place. You can do this yourself using traditional methods.
Typically this test is carried out in spring or autumn. To do this, take a glass or clay vessel, one fresh egg and a little natural wool. In the chosen place, wool is placed on the ground, and an egg is placed on top. Then cover the egg with a vessel, sprinkle with grass and leave overnight.
If in the morning there is condensation on the walls of the vessel, then the groundwater level is very high, if only the wool lying on the bare ground is saturated with water, and the egg remains dry, then the water level is low. Even the wool remained dry - groundwater in this place does not flow at all.
Underground basement
When digging a pit, it is worth considering that the pit itself must be larger than the final dimensions of the basement, because part of the volume will be occupied by the laid walls and floor, and the soil should be left near the pit - it will later be useful for embanking the building. Also, to prevent the walls of the pit from collapsing, they should be dug at a slight angle.
Once the pit is completely dug, you can begin pouring the floor. First, the earthen bottom is cleared of stones and debris, leveled and compacted.
Next, sand is laid in a layer of 15 to 20 cm and covered with waterproofing (thick construction film or roofing felt with bitumen). Afterwards, the reinforcing mesh is laid and concrete is poured.
Great demands are placed on the materials for the side walls of the basement - they will be subject to strong pressure from the surrounding soil. Materials such as brick, building blocks, wood and concrete mixture are used to make walls.
What can you do in the basement?
However, you should not think that the basement of a private house is absolutely useless. This is the best place for a cinema. A large room, privacy, no windows - ideal conditions. Leisure areas can be located under the house, the main thing is that they are used quite rarely.
In the basement of a private house you can place a leisure area, for example a billiard room
If the house has a staff of servants, all office premises can be moved to the basement. If there is a small elevator, you can organize an additional kitchen or supply storage below.
In historical houses, kitchens were actually located in basements. On the first floors there were only pantries where the owners took food. All food for table service was delivered to them using special dumbwaiters.
A cold basement will be an excellent storage place for homemade preparations, sauerkraut, smoked meats, and dried fish. Large refrigerators are allowed there. But for this you need to provide communication with the main kitchen or dining room.
Is it possible to place technical rooms in the basement?
Theoretically, yes. Historically, heating systems have always been located in basements. A large heating element (stove) was usually installed there, and water to heat the rooms was supplied through pipes laid in the walls. A good example of this can be found in Ryabushinsky’s house.
In modern conditions, this question can only be answered based on regulations. It all depends on the place where the house is built: country, region, cottage community and even a specific site. Check with builders and local authorities for all information.
If you manage to get permission, then you can hide utility control systems (water, gas) in the basement with maximum benefit. So, now a boiler room under the house is not uncommon: this is a suitable place for additional tanks. However, you need to be as careful as possible. People usually rarely go down to such basements, so it is quite difficult to detect any damage right away. Small damages over time require serious repairs or even restoration work. Sometimes they affect the first floor of the house. This is especially true for leaks.
If pipes burst, the basement will flood. And to get to the source of the leak, you will have to bail out the water manually.
Thus, you need to make a decision about using a basement based not only on personal preferences, comfort factor and regulations, but also on common sense.
Floors
The best choice is to purchase ready-made reinforced concrete slabs. They are distinguished by their convenience and durability, and are not very expensive.
You can also use wooden beams, which, after installation, are sheathed with boards and waterproofing. After installing the floors, you can fill the ends of the structure with earth.
Ventilation
One of the main requirements for a good country cellar is the presence of high-quality ventilation, which maintains optimal temperature and humidity in the room, preventing fungi and mold from developing.
To ensure ventilation, only two plastic pipes of medium diameter are enough, one of which will serve as a supply, and the other as an exhaust. The supply pipes are located 20 cm from the floor, and the exhaust pipes are located on the opposite side, 40 cm from the ceiling.
In this case, the supply pipe must have a metal protective mesh against rodents, and the exhaust pipe must be insulated with glass wool, have a canopy to prevent rainwater from flowing in, and a tap in the lower part to drain condensate.
Where to start arranging a basement at home?
When starting to renovate your basement, draw a floor plan and decide which functional space is most lacking in your home. Don't be afraid to combine several spaces in one - if you install cabinets along the basement wall to store seasonal items or winter tires, this will not prevent you from turning the interior of the basement into something else, for example, a laundry room. The basement in the house does not necessarily have to be dark and damp. Pay attention to the proper design of waterproofing and ventilation of the basement, and the temperature and humidity conditions will be the same as in the main rooms.
Semi-underground cellar
A semi-underground cellar is built according to a similar principle, only the walls in such a structure extend beyond the boundaries of the pit in height and the passage into it will be located in a vertical plane.
It is best to make the roof in such a basement gable. Tiles, polycarbonate, and slate are suitable for this purpose. The roof of the building must be waterproofed and insulated. Afterwards, the side walls must be diked.
Above ground cellar
The construction of this structure occurs without digging a pit. The soil for the bottom of the room is dug out, after which the construction and installation of ventilation follows the same pattern.
The roof of such a structure must be strong and pitched in order to withstand the weight of the earth with which it is necessary to embank the resulting structure.
Further work
After the construction of the cellar, it is necessary to begin its interior decoration. It is best to whitewash the walls well - lime has a disinfecting effect and prevents fungi from developing. This will also give the room a neater look.
First of all, you need to purchase or make your own wide, comfortable ladder, which will be easy to climb up and down with heavy buckets, cans and baskets.
Next, you need to get wooden shelves and storage boxes. Shelves that do not directly touch food must be treated against mold and rot, otherwise they will not last long.
Make sure that wiring, lamps and switches in the basement are well protected from moisture. It is best to purchase lamps with closed sockets.
What not to do in the basement
People who are accustomed to small-sized apartments try to squeeze the maximum out of every centimeter when moving to a large house. But this is a fundamentally wrong approach to organizing a comfortable space. Yes, on limited meters, ergonomics are really important. But when you have more than 300 sq. m, the basement may not be used.
If you still don’t have enough space, then you can move some things to the ground floor. But regardless of the options, some rooms definitely don’t belong there. Among them:
- Rooms for receiving guests. Few people enjoy spending time in the “dungeon”. Therefore, do not place living rooms, billiard rooms and lounge areas there. Even if household members agree to put up with spending time in the basement, taking guests there is not the best solution.
- Baths, saunas, hammams . If a person becomes ill, then due to lack of air, he may simply not have time to get out into the open space. For the same reason, it is unsafe to set up a gym .
As practice shows, even if gyms are organized in the basement, almost no one works out in them. Sports lovers prefer outdoor activities.
- Workshops. A small machine for mass production can be installed there. But the basement is not suitable for needlework. It is not advisable to sculpt, draw, or paint products under electric light. The author needs to see how his work will look in natural light. In addition, the basement is always poorly ventilated, which makes it impossible to varnish, paint or plan anything there.
- Office premises. It is not customary to place kitchens and laundry rooms in houses where housekeeping is carried out without the involvement of servants. The owners will have to move between floors, which only increases the time for all housework.
A basement is suitable for cleaning rooms where all kinds of equipment, brushes, mops, vacuum cleaners, unnecessary equipment will be stored if the house does not have a separate service building for servants and storage of household items.
Design
Even such a purely utilitarian room, if you have some imagination, can not only blend well into the surrounding environment, but also become its highlight. For inspiration and searching for original ideas, you can look at photos of cellars for summer cottages on thematic websites.
Using beautiful tiles and doors, you can decorate a semi-submerged cellar, and by planting flowers on the roof of an underground basement, you can completely hide it. From an above-ground basement planted with lawn grass, you can make a real “hobbit house”.
What is more profitable: making a basement yourself or hiring a specialist?
If you are confident in your abilities, of course, do the basement renovation yourself! This is not only more profitable from a financial point of view, but also much more interesting. Use your imagination and turn a non-residential space into your new favorite room. If renovation is not your thing, the help of an expert will help turn your dreams into reality without unnecessary worries. Browse photos of finished cellar, basement and basement design projects from leading architects and find what's right for you! If you are just looking for ideas for renovation and arrangement, or already know for sure that a basement is your option, we have collected for you 109,155 photos from real projects of interior designers, decorators and architects from Russia and around the world, including such proven professionals as Bearded Builders and Classic Cottages LLC. The beautiful basements in our photographs are the best examples of competent design and layout in different styles and colors. If you like any design option, for example the basement from the second photo, you can contact the author and order the ideal design project for yourself. See our photo gallery, look for inspiration and professionals, and you will see why Houzz is the best resource for apartment and home interior design, renovation, home construction, architecture and landscape design.
