I want to create a wine cave in my basement. To do this I want to cut into my foundation (in the middle of the basement area) and excavate enough backfill and dirt to make a small room that will be underneath my foundation.
Any tips on how to do this?
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Hey, I'm all for wine caves. Here in California, we have wine, but don't even have basements. So at least you are ahead of the game.
I'm a little unclear on what you intend to do. The objective is to have a room with a stable temperature around 58-62 degrees that does not expose the wine to light. The basement is an ideal place to do this. Now, why all the extra excavation, and what does your foundation have to do with it? Your foundation is the footer and walls that support the base of the house, including any beams or piers. You should not excavate, undermine, or alter these structures in any way. If you are deepening the basement floor, that is not your foundation, but I am confused why you are doing this. Could you clarify what your intentions are here? How is the rest of the basement used, heated or cooled?
I'm a little unclear on what you intend to do. The objective is to have a room with a stable temperature around 58-62 degrees that does not expose the wine to light. The basement is an ideal place to do this. Now, why all the extra excavation, and what does your foundation have to do with it? Your foundation is the footer and walls that support the base of the house, including any beams or piers. You should not excavate, undermine, or alter these structures in any way. If you are deepening the basement floor, that is not your foundation, but I am confused why you are doing this. Could you clarify what your intentions are here? How is the rest of the basement used, heated or cooled?
Since my basement is a walkout, the steady temp that a wine cellar needs is absent in my basement. With the sun shining in the temp variances are HUGE. So.... I was thinking of creating a "cave" where I can store my wine. Something the I can excavate, create a set of stairs and then wall it in with brick. But from your question, this doesn't seem to have been done before?
I'm certain it has been done before, but I have not seen it. We have some really interesting wine caves nearby. Paul Toogood owns a winery and built a large cave system where the wine is barreled and stored. He excavated tunnels in a hillside and used reinforced gunite to harden the walls. Spent two years working on it. If you happen to be in El Dorado County California, you should check it out. http://www.toogoodwinery.com/
A more practical approach for you might be to build insulated walls and a doorway to enclose a wine cellar in a part of your basement. The wine cellar room can have many different rack arrangements, temperature conditioning and can be a great place to cellar good wines. This approach would be a lot easier than cutting through a basement wall, then being concerned with shoring up ceilings and walls, and dealing with moisture in an excavated area outside your basement. Your wine cellar is nearly built for your, you just have to design and finish it.
A more practical approach for you might be to build insulated walls and a doorway to enclose a wine cellar in a part of your basement. The wine cellar room can have many different rack arrangements, temperature conditioning and can be a great place to cellar good wines. This approach would be a lot easier than cutting through a basement wall, then being concerned with shoring up ceilings and walls, and dealing with moisture in an excavated area outside your basement. Your wine cellar is nearly built for your, you just have to design and finish it.
