Earthbag Root Cellar Build | Off Grid Food Storage (Part 2)
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2019
- We complete the underground earthbag root cellar and review the cost to build an invaluable structure on our Alaskan homestead as well as head down to show you the inside.
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As someone who has had a root cellar for years, I have one tip.
When your jars have sealed, remove the rings and dip the tops 2-3 times in wax. It will prevent the lids from rusting in the high humidity and then having the seal fail.
I recently thought of the rust on the lids . That’s a good idea thanks
How do you get the wax off later?
Just scrape it off
can you not use lids that dont rust?
If you can find stainless steel lids, they would not rust as quickly. I don’t believe the expense would be worth it, if you could find them.
also, bend the corners of that tin lid, cause at night or walking past you will bump into it and slice your legs in a instant, i work with the stuff every day and is razor sharp
True, and foam is a much better thing to use as it is lightweight and insulates.
It should be hinged without an overhang at the hinged end and add a large rubber weatherproof seal to prevent any water running back under the metal.
Or, you can let it rust first, then the cut will get infected etc . .
I built a root cellar in northern Minnesota. To battle the cold I built a greenhouse over it. Use the greehouse to regulate temperature and pump out your incoming water directly into a holding tank to water from. This also helps prevent accidently driving over your roof.
Smart.
It does my old heart good to see a young couple working together like this nowadays. Best of luck to both of y'all.
Altus Gaspard thank you very much we appreciate your support :)
Son I think you got a keeper there treat her nice !
Indeed he does. She is a hardworking woman.
Suggestion 567,231: An overhead bar above entrance to use pullies, rope and bucket to safely raise and lower goods with.
Them bags don't hold up to the elements that well they will Rot out probably within a year or 2 I've been in the construction business for over 30 years
@@robertsantiago4329 without SUNLIGHT, those bags will last a lifetime. hehe
but as the bags gets weaker, the stampd earth will harden,, ONLY an earthquake ore the roof beams rotting would destroy that structure
@@robertsantiago4329 We have a 25 year old 5' high sand bag retaining wall that was stuccoed to keep the UV off them. We're in Michigan.
Great idea - something on the side opposite the ladder top to avoid passing jars up/down one at a time, or trying to carry crates-fulls up and don the ladder.
Add two more elbows to vent and no worries about rain getting in, just screen for pests and a cap for temp.
Earthquakes will vibrate the soil into a paste-like liquid which will push inwards on the sandbags. A flood can do the same. This problem can be reduced by sloping every sandbag and the entire sandbag walls at the natural angle of repose \__/! Readers, please also consider building your cellar in a round (and conical) or at least polygonal shape to strengthen the walls into tangential compression.
I have seen hundreds of retaining walls made of concrete, block, or ties that have *tilted out* after construction because they were _not built _*_tilting into_*_ the earth!_ Of course, frost heave has some to do with that as well...
When I have seen this style of build in the past the walls were internally braced or built slanting outward (like this: \_/ ) rather than vertical to prevent the wall from collapsing in on you over time. Especially in Alaska where you have a major freeze and thaw every year which causes lots of soil/ground movement. Stay safe.
This is the only thing I could think of watching the video...
"they're doing the bracing.... next... right...?"
I'm surprised they don't use the tires as a stabilizer.
You two should be really proud of yourselves. Not everyone can do this stuff
There are a lot that is able! They think they are disable because of a disability! We let our disabilities define us. Where some ppl won’t let their disability define them.
Take the bark off to slow down bugs from eating the logs
@@lindanwfirefighter4973 hardwood is different than birch/pine. Any birch/pine should be debarked. Pine especially.
Yeah a bit late but you are right
They left the bark on fence posts on other videos also. I was a bit shocked.
Yes in that high humidity mold will form between bark and logs.
Fungus
Great Job!!! You are not NEARLY afraid enough of a chainsaw!!!! Eyes, Ears, feet, and legs are hard to grow back!
I noticed the foot pushing down on the log she was cutting, and I was waiting for the chainsaw to bind. Then there was a video jump cut. :-) I learned the same lesson about binding the hard way. Experience is a good teacher.
This is FAMILY! Peace to your home! 👍
I love watching young people work! Great job! And the young lady is a true blessing to you young man. Don’t ever take her for granted. It’s hard to make it through life without a good partner. I’m happy for you both.
Amen to that!
And the young man is a true blessing to you young woman. Don’t ever take him for granted.
Why him why not both ?
Put "hinges" on the access roof so can just lift one end and prop-up easily.
And possible a simple inexpensive i guess they are hydrolic arm like for a hood lift and hold usually $20 or less online! Lol!
that's a good idea. the ones for the tailgate of a full sized truck would work. best part is you can just drop it and it can be set up to automatically close slowly and careful.
and a door, so you dont have to climb over that wall all the time
I have been in industrial construction for 47 years and there is nothing I would have done any different than the job you all have done. Beautiful job.
You would have probably offset the sandbags more, like bricks.
Un treated logs with 90% humidity? Buried under 2 feet of dirt?
Agreed, except for probably using spruce logs instead of poplar.
You wouldn't fix that ladder?
Depends what he used for screws. You can get screws that are plenty strong and won’t shear. But, I’d worry about the wood splitting maybe. Better to have blocking under the steps.
Neat build, but just a couple of ideas. First, you should have peeled the bark off the trees for the roof. Insects love bark and it will rot. Second, the seams on several of the bags line up vertically. You would get more strength by staggering the bags so that the seams do not line up. To late to do anything about that now, but for future use, there you go. One more thing. That you guys built that in a week and a half with just the two of you says a lot about how hard you work. Great job and I hope it serves you well for a long time. Thanks for sharing your journey!! Peace.
Also, tape the seams around your house wrap. Tar works wonders for weather proofing as well.
Agreed. Peeled logs repel bugs and rot. Sandbagging dirt is hard work. A 90 degree elbow on the vent will serve as a rain cap. stuff the vent with a bit of mesh screen to deter bugs.
They also make longer bags you can fill on top of the row once established. They did a great job in my opinion though.
Watch “My Self Reliance” channel to see technics for preserving logs from rot and insects. He burns/torch’s the log for earth contact. Also, secure your shelves and jars from earthquake damage. We enjoy your channel and amaze ourselves at how much you know.
Great vid, I was raised in Alaska from 1945 (still a territory). We built our cabin{s} over a root cellar, witch also doubled as a safety room should a bear get in. The part with power tools....... My GOD! Saftey, Safety, safety, even the smallest injury could fester, infect and become life threatening. But, thanks for the memories!
Realy like your videos. As I was a carpenter I just wanted to let you know that if you put small blicks under each tred they will be more sturdy. Especialy the the ones you plop down on. If they go from bottum of tred to top of the next one down they will WAY stronger than you will need for some time. as they are, I,ve seen those fail easily so i had to mention. Wish yous the best in filling the celler. Jon
1. Bend at the knees, not the butt & back if you want your spine to last, I'm old, I know. 2. Aspen isn't the worst wood for rot resistance, but it's close, especially if it's in contact with earth, so you'll likely be replacing the roof regularly. 3. The barbed wire imo is useless. If there is enough sidewall pressure to push the bags you'll see the wall bulge. 4. Your best protection against a lot of moisture is excellent surface drainage control sending runoff well away from where it will infiltrate near the cellar (one reason a root cellar works well under a house w/roof on it). Best of good luck, you two are tough!
Yes I seen another video using barb wire n I could see how it wood help
For someone that lives in urban environment all my life, the build is obviously very impressive. What strike me more is the true partnership between the two of you, it's much more impressive than any of the projects I've watched you guys took on over the last 2 years. Hats off.
It's not much different than the urban life. It's a little more physical but you have to work to get anything.. You have to work to get anything.
Maybe add a pipe that runs to the floor and out to the same hight as the other vent pipe. Convection in the cellar will keep fresh, cooler air, going down this pipe as the warmer air escapes from the pipe you have already installed. That may also lower the humidity
Please do this. In addition it will pump out the gasses that your potatoes and such will produce. I remember reading of a family that died because they were overcome as they went in to their cellar, one by one, by the gasses. They kept going to check on the previous family member and none of them made it out.
The other pipe really needs to be in the corner where your shelves are. Putting them in the same area does you no good. The ventilation pipes really should be galvanized as PVC is easily breakable in cold weather.
Great job guys.
I think their trying to keep the cold air from pouring in!
It’s SO refreshing to see both of you working so hard! So many channels I watch, has only the men doing the work. Y’all rock as a team. I’m female, by the way.
You'd like the "My Little Homestead" channel then. The 4 women (mom, 2 daughters, and a daughter in-law) definitely do their fare share of the heavy work. (except the very complicated carpentry like roofing, cabinetry, and so-on) So far the family has built something like 4 or 5 earthbag structures on their property... Plus a remodel on the main house was done with earthbags. They also built an earthbag cabin on another property they own in the mountains near their main property. All the children have their own individual earthbag building for a bedroom... I liken the entire desert property to the summer getaway for Santa's elves... You'll see what I mean if you check out the channel. They are pretty creative people (the bedrooms are top quality) they have the earthbag system of home building almost down to a science. Take care. sincerely, Dean O. :-I
alison webster And methinks you took it out of context. I’m talking about partnerships, don’t pull your feminazi junk on me; I don’t believe in that.
Dean O. I will definitely check them out! Thank you.
You'd like the "My Little Homestead" channel then. The 4 women (mom, 2 daughters, and a daughter in-law) definitely do their fare share of the heavy work. (except the very complicated carpentry like roofing, cabinetry, and so-on) So far the family has built something like 4 or 5 earthbag structures on their property... Plus a remodel on the main house was done with earthbags. They also built an earthbag cabin on another property they own in the mountains near their main property. All the children have their own individual earthbag building for a bedroom... I liken the entire desert property to the summer getaway for Santa's elves... You'll see what I mean if you check out the channel. They are pretty creative people (the bedrooms are top quality) they have the earthbag system of home building almost down to a science. Take care. sincerely, Dean O. :-I
Benaiah Ahmadinejad I hope this is a joke.
the snow load on top will help insulate the cellar, i have the same metal racks need rubber mat on shelves and a edge to keep jars from sliding of during shakers, we had a 5.5 where my jars hit the floor , i built the shelve boarder and it saved all my stuff from that last 7.1, nice job on the build, the $50 solar motion light from lowes would work awesome in cellar, i have 5 of them on my property.. again awesome job..
I was thinking the same thing about earthquake safe shelves.
Two things I have not seen mentioned in the comments already,
1) earthquake strap those shelves ASAP. Y'all get some whoppers up there, and losing all your hard work would be a crying shame.
2) make yourself some charcoal & keep a basket down there as a mold inhibitor.
3) find if you can wax the jars as a rust inhibitor. I live in 70s% humidity and my lids rust like crazy. I am switching to taddler lids with mixed success.
Okay, that was three things not two.
The sand bags got the straps built in👍
I hear you. I live in near 100% humidity (tropics) and I have gone over to stainless steel. Nothing else works.
Ulfgarius Hello, who do u get stainless steel rings from? I never knew they existed. Thank u
@@joybickerstaff194 Walmart, Amazon, etc. Google 'ball jar stainless rings'
@@Ulfgarius yep, Im in florida, plenty humid. Basic cans rust.
I have a small farm in Utah I know what kind of work this is and I have to say you all are just amazing
Joseph Mars thanks! It is hard but we couldn't imagine it any other way :)
Great videos, both of them. As others have noted, you do want a bend in the air pipe so that the opening is facing down, and you will want to put 1/4 inch mesh over it to deter rodents.
You may want to fit this for a storm/fallout shelter also (hammocks, water, waste control and hygiene, air pump, fallout meter), just in case. You could have all that ready to be taken into the space in one go. Sheltering from fallout for two weeks after an event halfway around the world could mean the difference between life and death. Small farmers and subsistence should also consider having covered topsoil reserves in case of contamination.
The sump is a wise idea.
Good work, you two. This is how we do it.
I've been building earthbag root cellars for 37 years and one thing you really should have considered is to have a shot of whiskey when you finished
Hahahah I'm just watching this today. I was gonna get mad, then just started laughing. Good joke!
You two have to be awesome people to give dirt bagging some respectability. Hope this endeavor gives many good returns. Thank you for sharing your story.
I'm loving your channel! You two are the perfect match and team and helping others with ideas! You mentioned it requires 2 people in order to fetch food. That's the one that got my attention because I'm planning to live off the grid with my wife and build our own cabin with a basement for food storage. I'd definitely make that lid something one person can open and close that is bear proof. Using a hinge or something should make it easier. If one of you gets sick or is out of town or something, you must be prepared to take care of each other or yourself.
Should put some angle iron in the corners of the steps (underneath) and bolt them. The shear strength of those screws are next to nothing. They are not meant for that type of work. Just a thought
Even 2X4's nailed flat to the stringer below the steps would help provide strength.
Or cut a notch with the circular saw and hog out the waste with a chisel. Anything but what they did
My dad was in construction and braces everthing.
I'm so impressed and can't wait to see how it does during the winter and spring thaw.
Informative video, great job!!
One thing I urge you to do is invest in some protective gear when using a chainsaw!!
I spent over a decade in SE Alaska with the USFS doing trail work and tree thinning and a chainsaw will mess you up in a blink of the eye!!
Chaps, hard hat with protective screen n muffs, leather boots and leather gloves are a must operating a chainsaw!!
We are all on a budget, but I guarantee you one visit to the ER will cost you 10 times the cost of protective gear!!!
The pros use it for a reason👍
Ronald Petetsen Oh chill out!
You’re just a wimp! 🤓
Gearjammer sooner a wimp with all parts present and correct than a he-man missing a leg, deaf, or blinded.
My friend had to save her dad's life when he had an accident with a chainsaw. She was 12, now she's a nurse, which is pretty cool.
Better safe and hot than bleeding to death in a matter of seconds. Because ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.
Her dad lost part of one of his arms. It was a serious accident...and they lived 15 min from a hospital.
Yay for girlscouts! Saved his life.
I watched a guy using a Chainsaw to trim tree branches. He was standing on a ladder reaching up with the chainsaw! The branch broke and came down on him, he dropped the chainsaw. The chainsaw hit his arm on the way down! Chewed his arm up good! I was 18. I learned many lessons that day about chainsaws.
1. Don’t do dumb stuff with a chainsaw.
2. Protective gear!
Very cool build!
I agree with Ron. The saw can't tell the difference between bone and wood.
I do appreciate the work you have done.
1.5 weeks! Wow! You guys are awesome! Oh to be young again! It really looks good and I'm sure you;'ll learn alot as you use it and you can teach us something. Thanks so much for sharing!
That's what I like to see in a young couple. Teamwork. Great Job you two! It looks awesome.
I love that you really talked about how much time this project took and how tedious it was. It is such a functional and straightforward type of build, but I have often found those to be the most time consuming and somehow exhausting. We just finished a huge plaster project in our cabin and it was also similar, mix the plaster and apply to the wall, not too complex but repetitive and at times seemed never-ending. Really enjoying your videos, thanks for sharing!
You're living the life i wish i could of had. At least it makes me happy knowing other people lived well.
Maybe you and Eric could figure a tripod over the opening where you could lower a box to move the canned goods in and out and it could sit to onside when not in use. As for keeping the snow off the top, a grow mat that is 3 feet wide and whatever the distance is from the steps to the access point. Now about the ladder, I suggest some mineral roofing or shingles on the tread for traction. Snow and bare would equal bruised shins. As for your vent pipe, in the RV world, they have these weather vain caps for the vents they are covered and direct the gases in the direction of the wind just like their woodstove cousins direct the smoke in the direction of the wind. They are made of plastic cost about $10.
Jeff Strong thanks for the tips!
Simple Living Alaska I would love to know how the walls hold up in the long run ie leaning. I’m starting my water cistern here shortly and then the root cellar for the house. I was worried about outside pressure on straight walls from the weight of the dirt. Where we live now doesn’t have the freeze that up there does but similar soil composition and our wet is from rain season not thaw. I look forward to your update. We should be totally off grid in a few yrs.
Herbs can be dried and sealed in Mason jars with Boveda packs.
Or recycled glass jars that are dipped in wax after the lid is on. The wax, jars and lids can be used over and over.
It works for Maker's Mark.
Now why would you waste a perfectly good jar, lid and wax on dry herbs when it could be holding Makers Mark? 😉
Watching the teamwork between the 2 of you makes my heart happy, reminds me of good times with my ex. NEVER let go of that, ALWAYS remain a team.
Yeah, my ex too. What ever happened..
You guys seem to be a positive and energetic couple. Its great how you share the responsibilities of the project. Don't ever stop doing that, if you can help it. It will keep your relationship bundled up in positive energy. I'm normally a loner, but now I'm envious of your dynamics.
Wow what a laborious process.
Lots of worthwhile ideas and suggestions from the comment section. I hope it works well for you and i look forward to the updates.
Best suggestion- reinforcing those steps, the screws wont last long enough.
I would attach fronts to the shelves, Incase of earthquakes and think of making the shelving more secure just in case
We use Bungee cords for Earthquake mitigation. Just string them over-half the way up the jars on that shelf!
i think they can just flip their shelves over for a lip.
@@cynthiahurry-asoulsearcher729 I have the shelves and turning the shelves over may not work due to how the shelf, plastic bushing thing, and the vertical leg connect, but hey since I never tried it it may just work!
@@MaximusCommodus the biggest was 9.2 on March 27, 1964.
@@MaximusCommodus so you are operating under the premise that it can never happen again?
This makes our hearts so happy! It is awesome to see you two work so well together. It's the most beautiful thing to flow with your partner and create something together.
Everyone else :helpful advice
Me : Did you find any arrowheads or cool stuff? Fossils??
🤣🤣🙌🙌 same
I was looking forward to part 2 :) that was amazing.. I loved everything that you did.. Wondering about the chute and how much cold that will bring in.. but I guess time will tell. I thought the metal shelving was a good decision. Cinder block takes up a lot of space. Many people have a "refrigerator" hole - sending stuff down by a pulley to keep food cold. I can imagine that your little cellar will be that same temperature. Fantastic job.. you two.. I admire people who aren't afraid of a little work.. You will be so happy for it, and you should be proud.. thanks for taking us along..
Thank you for sharing this project. Lots of ideas, lots of work etc.
Two things though:
1) House wrap = waste of your time and money. The house wrap is not water tight : it has small holes and water will pass through. It is designed to shed water if sufficient drainage and open space is provided. It will not work against a backfill of earth or in direct contact with wet/humid substrate. Breathability is not at all under discussion because there is nothing to breath into. Thick plastic is a better choice in this case. Combined with a good vent it should help with humidity control.
2) Humidity control is a real issue in these types of builds. Metal shelving may or may not be a great idea: it can rust really fast. Hunt for plastic shelving and replace when you can.
3) Raise a vent higher and put a glue-in(not threaded) P-Trap on a vent with a mesh: prevents rodents from entering the vent and avoids the elements, including snow from getting in and blocking the vent.
Awesome food cellar, when some people hear off the grid they haven't a clue the work involved, it's all about the quality of life, great job, and you gotcha yourself a awesome hard working lady there.
So many comments on what people think should be done different... wow. Seriously guys, I just stumbled across your channel and I think you did a really great job! Never seen a built like that before. I think your general approach is very straight forward and effective. If you ever feel the walls might start to bend inwards you can still reinforce from the inside. Same goes for the roof.
Keep going and greetings from Austria!
You guys need to insulate the hatch walls more. That 1.5” of wood only has an R valve of 1.88. Incase the hatch in at least 2” of foam that you can buy anywhere in 4x8 sheets, then incase that with plywood or OSB drilled through the OSB, through the foam and secured to the 2x4’s. That’ll give your hatch along with the way you did your roof an R valve of about 13 which is like any 2x4 home. Last add some siding to the OSB like a house to protect it.
No insulation will help. Root cellars should be built below the level of freezing in the ground (in Alaska it can be as deep as 2-2.5 meters, i don't think they live in the permafrost area), otherwise it is just a basement. Root cellars need to maintain constant temperature and humidity, which is what helps to keep root veggies from sprouting. I can keep one in mine for almost the next harvest (just to clarify, i live in a pretty cold area, so i have only one harvest per year). In a cellar like this one they will probably start sprouting by the spring.
Nonono with no insulation it’s no different than digging a basement and not putting a house up. The hole you just dug has assess to the ambient temperature which will make the hole the same temp. The sides of the walls will heat up and will not be ground temp anymore. Throw ice into a cooler and leave the lid open. Same affect. Ice will melt a lot fast. Put an insulated lid on and the ice stays ice for 4-5 days. In the summer that cellars gonna be a hot mess.
@@neckofthewoods24 i meant as in "no amount of insulation will help since it is built within the freezing zone of the soil". I live in a similar climate, so i had experience with stuff like this.
You can see in their new video that the walls have frost on them too, so insulation from above will not help noticeably, since the frost will spread from the sides as well. The only thing you can do is build below that level and since they have high water level in ground, tehy need to do some drainage or barriers for that if they want a good root cellar. Or build a mound.
So yes, like we both said, it's not much different from regular basement without the house. And yes, when the snow thaws, i am not sure this little pump will help much.
It is also pretty dangerous since ground in climate like this has habit of bulging and that cellar will eventually collapse, i just hope it will happen when they are not in it.
P
Plant grass seed and build up a thick turf or put thick wood chips. Build a couple of steps on the slope.
Got to give you guys props on all of the hard work you are willing to do for your homestead.
A good meant advice for your next shovel session from a guy who dug a big amount of holes preparing foundations (Garages mostly). Put the handle of the shovel on your thigh to use your bodyweight thrusting it in the dirt. I am getting serious elbowpain looking at the way you fill those bags :D. It is as well better for your lower back because you can use your thigh as a lever to pick up the full shovel. Hope the explanation made sense. Greetings and keep up the good work.
Ladder steps only held by screws, need blocking under each step or in time will loosen...Ouch!
What an awesome root caller. I've just stumbled onto your videos, and am so amazed at what the two of you are accomplishing togeather. And talk about interesting! I love watching. You must have such good energy from all the healthy food you eat and the good clean air you breathe. Thanks for letting me in.Karen from Canada.
It's so great to see a husband and wife working so well together! I loved watching you two work.
That being said, you really didn't have to dig into the ground like that. Using earth bags, you easily could have build it above ground or just gone in 4 feet and built it closer to the house and away from your greenhouse. So long as, you make the walls a good 2-3 feet thick you will gain that same constant temperature and you could then have a much larger space to store food with. You would also not have to worry about flooding from it either. Lastly with it being above ground you don't need stairs to get in with potential ice slips as you can just go in through a door. Just build your sandbag structure, use the same machine to just bury it and make a mound. Then once it's done plaster or cob against the bags for a better looking finish with less risk of tear on the bags. I mean I would hate to have to go down those stairs when you get older...
Still I wish you guys great luck and success!
What a project! I have been binge watching video under videos in order - brilliant idea. One of my favourite things about your channel is that you both do everything and communicate so well. You work incredibly hard. Thanks for sharing your life.
Thanks for making my dogs and I Friday night. Great video!! We always love seeing big happy dog and the other animals.
Cheers from Arkansas!!
Wow you two, wow! Bless your hearts, that was the hardest thing I've seen Y'all do so far. No wonder you said what you did. But! Your hard work and dedication has paid off. This is a great build and looks amazing and yes, a true earthen root cellar, totally off-grid. I so hope it continues to do what you want it to do, it looks to do exactly that even if you have to do a few nip tucks along the way. Can't you put LED battery lights down there? I have a few of those that you press as needed to turn it on or off, you can attach them to the stairs and put one on each shelf. So proud of Y'all!
Sojourner we do have a few extra battery powered light switches for down there ☺
That's an incredible amount of work for two people to do in 10 days! You two rock. Thanks for sharing and best of luck in the future! Mike
I love all your meals! I would love more of these recipes that you guys whipped up, available online!! The potato and soups look so good and all the veggie/herb/spice mixtures!
Awesome earth bag project. Just found your channel and I am loving what I see.
Good job, two 90 degree bends on the vent, don't forget to protect it against critters.
Right! A bent over piece of hardware cloth held with a large arrow seal ought to do it!
Right. A piece of hardware cloth bend over the hole, held down with an arrowseal ought to do it.
You guys work so great together, and that's a lot of hard work.
I respect your opinion. This is wake up call.. all i ever wanted in this life is peace... good luck and be safe...
You should also put screen over the air vent to keep mice out. Nice job.
Love the channel and what your doing. GREAT JOB! Ignore all the know it alls that have never built a root cellar.
You folks are beyond awesome. I am a bachelor in Minnesota and people tease me on my 823 so ft home. Love the chickens.
You guys are awesome. If you start getting mold down there, you can install a cheap bathroom fan on a timer, on that vent, to circulate fresh air in a few minutes a day.
Put a screen over the vent as well to keep out rodents
that's an extra potential food source!
Yep just skin it gut it and salt it then hang it...🤔🤣😂🤣
@@ambertracks kook alert
honestly, most rodents are quite capable of digging tunnels through earth and indeed (in my experience) seem quite happy to chew through 1/16th inch plastic bins to get to food, so a couple of plastic bags aren't going to stop them getting into this thing anyway.
Here's the plans to build that root cellar www.trackdok.com
very cool. no suggestion, I live in Houston and I've (edit-never really) worked w my hands. U guys r Awesome
I so admire you young people doing projects like this by you're selves. It's a lot of work but it's way worth it. From the looks of your green houses it won't take any time at all before you fill the cellar up. You may wish you had made it bigger. Sometime when you have time I'd love to see more of your dogs and cats. They look like fun animals to watch. Good luck to you both.
Beautiful, way of living remember me of my childhood in my grandparents country home, and very healthy way of eating . Of course is a lot of work but it worth it.
I think the root cellar was a wise decision. Thumbs up!
You guys rock! Awesome job! I’m sure you’ll be enjoying the storage for years.
What I learned from the comments on this video:
If I ever want to learn about building, I should make a video about something I'm building and all sorts of folks will come out of the woodwork and tell me SO MUCH about what to do and what not to do.
Y'all are amazing! Cool video. Thanks for sharing and helping the rest of us learn. :)
Excellent! It reminds me of when Alaska, was a budding state and everyone was homesteading in much this fashion. If I might suggest if you store bags of dried goods, put parchment or butcher's paper, even paper on a large roll bolt will do, between the layers of good to keep moisture from accumulating around and between them; this can bring on mold, which you don't want to try and clear out later. The only thing I see missing are the neighbors, who came together for a new build and celebrated with a potlatch when it was done. Your fur babies are adorable. Great work you two!
All the hard work is paying off
Used some 1/2" hardware cloth as shelf liners so the jars set even.
Oooo! I love this Idea!!! I also have some shelves that need a stronger and smaller grid shelving! Can attach with magnets if worried about it needing to come off regularly, otherwise wire it down or use the little clips one gets to build rabbit cages or traps out of the hardware cloth to attach!!
@@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639 Just the weight of your goods will keep it down. Without fastening the hardware cloth down it can easily be repurposed when needed.
I now have a plan . Thank you very much . I’m not looking forward to the labour but what you guys did is amazing.!!
I wanted to add I love this video.
So much helpful advice might be taken as criticism, but I really hope you look at the big picture you got our attention and kept it.
Congrats on the completion of your fabulous root cellar. I think the summer temperature of the root cellar will probably go down a bit in future. You've built it with warm dirt in the summer heat which is stored in the mass now until the winter will cool it down. Then the natural flywheel effect will settle in.
Hmm, interesting on the humidity and very important, thanks!
Still going through you guys vids from lastnight. I think this is my favourite! I'm in awe!!! Shocked as well. You guys are amazing
What an enormous project you two did there. Mostly bare handed! Impressive! There seems to be enough room in there to store a LOT of cans and other stuff! Great job once again!
Very well done. Might be worth putting a pulley/dolley/dumbwaiter in right above the stairs. Or even a simple bucket/rope to help carry things up and down.
Put some blocks of wood under the ends of each step to strengthen them.
Your choice of music is so much fun. Dancing around my kitchen while watching this. Thanks guys!
Awesome job. A lot of work but very inspiring. Thank you for posting the video. God Bless you and your family.
Just a few tips from a old guy that I learned from my grandmother when I started out.
Don't wash root vegetables before you store them.
Store root vegetables in sand to prevent rot.
Store last years ice and you will never need a refrigerator again.
Hope these tips help you with your storage.
Robert Z thank you!
My back hurts just watching you. I guess when you are young and healthy, you can do things like that. It looks great and I hope that it works out the way that you plan.
I love your guys projects! You bring sustainable living to reality and show us how it's done, beautiful!
Holy cow! Great build. I built a root cellar and enclosed it with lumber. Mine needs more vents, as it gets moldy. I have used coats of mold killing paint to try to remedy the situation. It took me all summer to dig mine out with pick axe and shovel. The cabin will eventually be over mine, so as to add more insulation, and better access during winter months. Dang ol' earthquakes play havoc with jars migrating. I also built a dumb waiter into mine to access the goods when I am even more of a blue hair! Thanks for sharing!
I mean just a killer effort guys rootin’ fer ya!;)
Widen the hatch wall and insulate it or cold air will pour off the wood and displace the warmer air, pushing it out the vent.
I was scrolling through the comments hoping to this suggestion. Now I'll depart, bye.
This ir really team work, lot of us must learn from them, thanks for the example !!
You can connect another small piece of pipe, going up a bit and connect like a knee curving down and have the rain or snow problem solved. Great work guys ! Congrats!
Great job, teamwork really pays off ! I don`t think you have to worry much about things freezing down there....once you get below the frost line (probably around 42-46 inches in your area), the earth`s temperature usually remains pretty constant, somewhere between 45 and 55 degrees F, which should suit your needs quite well. Temps will probably be a little higher on the lower shelves, so you can arrange things according to the food product`s requirements. History shows that wine stored under similar conditions has lasted for a LONG time ! :-)
For topping off the top of the dirt mound in order to keep a snow load off of it, maybe think about a slant-roofed "dried" foods storage "shed" Make it 4 to 6 feet high on one side (away from sun side) and Zero feet on the opposite side. This would give the roof a very severe angle (4-6 foot drop over 8-10 foot length) to keep snow off of it (or at least making it easy to sweep clean). Bonus is to put barn doors on the 4 to 6 foot side wall...that opens up to hanging racks inside for herbs and other things that will freeze dry from the cold but will be out of the extreme drying wind). Since you never store anything on the floor of this "shed" it will weigh next to nothing on the cellar roof but will have walls and a roof over it to store things hanging from wall-to-wall rods, etc...
Keeps moisture off if the cellar roof, is easy/fast/cheap to build out of framing and cladding, and serves a second purpose...more storage of a different type/need.
Thoughts?
Matt P that really is a great idea, we lined the edge with rock and will be putting a liner or tarp on top to help with erosion for the time being. I considered clover next year to help with that and moisture absorption but we are concerned we may be replacing the logs we used in the roof in the near future (a few years), also there has been a recent development in the water table rising. We will do an update soon, I think your idea is great and we do need extra room to store dry goods, what we have also considered is coming up a few more feet with the build and building it half under and half above type deal. So far it is working well for our canned goods and potatoes ☺
@@SimpleLivingAlaska Don't forget to put a thick plastic between the earth bags and the earth when filling in around the earth bags, so water don't come thru...
@@SimpleLivingAlaska Boiled linseed oil is beast and works well...
@@SimpleLivingAlaska AND ,, I would hope to think you have pounded re-bar down thru bags to keep walls stable when the EARTH MOVES... Just thinking ya know...hope you thought too...
@@SimpleLivingAlaska think about a root cellar under the cabin floor for easy access thru door in cabin floor, when the weather is not so pleasant...or if you got snowed in one winter night. That way if you were inside for let say a week, you would have food and your compost toilet with you...just thinking....
Ohmygoodness, every time I see your videos, you’re working so hard!
Fantastic job folks....no water leakage.....excellent
I’m sure the cellar will fill up quickly with the food harvest
you had.