Off-Grid DIY Underground Earthbag Pantry, Root Cellar, and Storm Shelter | Full Build Documentary

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you for watching! If you have any questions about this build, please feel free to comment. We respond to all of them. There has been so much we have learned since this build and we're happy to share what we've learned.

[@johnking1137]

aaaaaa

[@smckay6438]

Look to iran ! Put a dome on top of celler roof with a pan 2 inch deep 5 ft by 20 that comes out the door ! Fill pan at night with 1 to 2 inch of water so it freezes! Scope the ice in to dome chamber early in mornings and seal the door ! The cold will go down and you will have ice courtesy of mother nature ! And you can put shoe laces on the entry for style !😊

[@ws4860]

@@smckay6438 Very interesting, where can I find out more about it? In the past, large blocks of ice were stored in deep cellars. They remained frozen there for many months, only having to make many of them on freezing nights or sawing them out of frozen water surfaces. A second door (with ventilation) at the top of the stairs would also help keep more heat out, in my opinion. Btw. Have you ever heard that you can manually wash warm air cold? Simply take a wet towel and slowly wave it back and forth like a large sheet of paper. Not only does it remove odors from the air, it also significantly cools the room. A tiny electric motor that drives a small water pump and some sort of flywheel, a timer as well as a towel and a few ropes, hooks and a bamboo stick... it doesn't take much for alternative cooling.

[@smckay6438]

@@ws4860 u tube , Iranian freezer, Iranian refrigerator!

[@ivettelama2184]

what bags do you recommend for earth bags? I only see hyperadobe on your site

[@shaunhall960]

I love the fact that you just went for it and learned as you did the project.

[@TerraformTogether]

Welcome to our page 😉 we now have 3 1/2 years of going for it, learning as we go, and sharing weekly videos so hopefully your build can go a bit easier!

[@raycecil4643]

You need to vent the staircase, not the lower level. Dig a trench and throw some vent tube in the trench to extend the intake tube. The result will be lower intake air temps. You will exhaust the hottest air out of the highest point, thus resulting in a deeper cold sink. Also, shade the immediate area around the intake tubes to lower the ground temps around the intake opening.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'm going to play with opening and closing the tubes this summer to see what happens.

[@karensprings4237]

@@TerraformTogether Be very careful about closing the vents off as you could create too little oxygen in your root cellar. Certain veg out gas with very hazardous gases.

[@raycecil4643]

@@TerraformTogether No problem. Out where you are, you need to think about shading the ground. Huge differences in temps can be made with a little shade. I'd build a cover like a gazebo overtop that cellar, have sage brush shading the ground over top a buried vent tube, and use the concept of heat exchanging. Think "geothermal" but in reverse. You want to supply cooler air to the cellar, and let the heat in the cellar move into that colder air, then move that warm air out into the ground. The ancients use evaporation. They'd dig a pit, put a clay vessel in the pit, fill the pit with sand and wet the sand and earth around it. The result was an evaporative cooler effect much like a refrigerator. Not as good, but same basic thermodynamic concept.

[@suzettehenderson9278]

Might want to repaint a lighter color...reflect heat.

[@karensprings4237]

@@raycecil4643 zeti pots or something like that, lol are wonderful! Charcoal works for evaporation cooling too. I made a veg keeper using hardware cloth filled with charcoal and drip tube and a solar charged fan. If you have a prevailing wind, you don't even need the fan.

[@shalometyson9862]

Amazing build. I especially appreciate the useful comments from your viewers. This was a dream of mine that never happened. I am getting up in age and will become difficult for me. Now I enjoy and appreciate you guys doing it. Awesomeness ❤

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you :) You're always welcome to live vicariously through our channel.

[@ShalomShalom-d5c]

Same here. Tick Creek Ranch is really good too.

[@BlackBitsBananas]

definitely inspirational. I was thinking about building a house over that celler

[@TerraformTogether]

That's the loose plan for our main house.

[@rogerredden1079]

Building a mechanical shed for machinery and general tools might be useful ; partition the shed into both an open and locking structure....

[@rebeccaboudreau7589]

Great job! I have wanted to do a root cellar for years

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you! We're about 3 years into owning ours and I love it. Especially now that it's getting hot!

[@Zincchromeshema]

It's also an art piece. You're doing wonderful work that really inspires me and gives me hope!

[@TerraformTogether]

Yep! You should check out our Pump House Full Build. That is my favorite architectural art piece we have on the property. We used recycled glass bottles embedded in the wall to create a spiral design, then put Christmas lights in the back so they light up at night.

[@DT-ob6ce]

Amazing! Keep up the great work for all of humanity :)

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks :)

[@edcglassworks5771]

I picked up the hole bunch of 39”x24” poly bags last year and should be building a few 10’x 12’ berm cabins this year. Great video very informative.

[@TerraformTogether]

If you're looking to build something like this I would recommend you check out our Hyperadobe series. This is how we build out here now days and it's so much easier to work with for similar results.

[@edcglassworks5771]

@@TerraformTogether I’ll for sure check it out. Thank you 🙏

[@TerraformTogether]

@@edcglassworks5771 sure thing. If you have any questions on that process just let me know.

[@christopherkinney7414]

Nice! Ive just started on my build (reinforced earthbag semi underground on the oregon coast) and am inspired by your stairs entrance and will totally use this idea on mine too. Thanks for sharing!

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad we could help!

[@paulawagner6058]

What a great pantry for protecting your foods. It would also provide a great place to nap when the heat of summer is great.

[@TerraformTogether]

It is :)

[@susangriffith9818]

You could build a playground around it and make the boot part a slide for your kids and it would help camouflage it

[@TerraformTogether]

Fun idea. We're so far down rough roads with security cameras that I'm not too worried. There's a lot easier places to steal from than us.

[@h.rutten2187]

Some old scrapyard shipping container or farmers silo could have saved a lot of working hours building all those walls etc. But it’s all a balance, getting stuff bought from a scrap dealer or private seller and getting it out there or use what you have and build it all by hand. Me personally having worked in demolition, there is so much good quality lumber, steel, doors, windows, kitchens, insulation, bricks etc. going to waist you could get it all for free from any old building they’re gonna demolish or strip on the inside. You can pick it up if you have the time and transport to get it. A big flatbed trailer securely loaded with pick up truck or two of them, or a big old box car with trailer collectively owned could get you out on a building/ demolition site to get you all you need and more for the price of some diesel and the initial cost of the transporting vehicle. You just talk with the owner and they’ll often let you strip it just to bring down the landfill costs of them having to dump it at a facility. There are some investments to make but once you have big transport capabilities it can be a very affordable and even very efficient and financial lucrative way of getting your building materials and possibly some extra money for furniture, copper, brass, stainless etc to be sold nearby at a scrapyard after taking out building materials for your build. When local demolitions go on you could make a deal to drop materials like just wood, just brick, insulation etc. at your place, maybe pay a reduced price cash or a small fee for them going the extra twenty miles or whatever out of their way for you. But be sure you get what you asked for and don’t get mixed waist instead of recyclable materials.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the comment! We definitely don't use the individual bag method anymore. WAY too much labor. Now we use Hyperadobe which is still earthbag and inexpensive but WAY quicker. Do you have any advise for finding places that are going to be demolished? I do have a 16' trailer and truck and would love to get more into the scrapping scene since a lot of our homestead is about reuse and recycling. I haven't found anything locally, but I'm probably not looking in the right places.

[@marcothehammer]

@@TerraformTogether @h.rutten2187's comment brings up some interesting ideas.

[@prepperbr]

awesome project, congrats! ive been looking for something like that forever

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you! If you do decide to do a cellar, look into our hyperadobe videos. That is the technique we use now, it's WAY easier!

[@prepperbr]

@@TerraformTogether thanks again

[@drunkwoodswyllia4885]

Wow this is amazing information!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!!

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joewamsley8004]

10:30 Bloody Build... I still to this day remember the look on my wifes face when she first saw the tiny house I built and I had used a red chalk line to snap a lot of the lines for things and the drywall was bare... She though it was all blood, like I blead all over the interior.

[@TerraformTogether]

Haha that's great. I find it important to have an appropriate amount of blood into any project.

[@creedsixteen891]

I like it and appreciate the work involved. Good job👍🏼

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank You!

[@bearnaff9387]

One potential thing to possible add to your root cellar would be a couple of small sandboxes for root vegetables, like carrots and radishes. Storing these veggies in sand or soil can seriously increase their longevity. Of course, this is dependent on how often you go into town for supplies, and is more usually done by people who grow their own produce. It may not really be sensible for your situation if produce does not sit around for extended periods at any point.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the advice! I did not know that.

[@akiglesias]

Thanks for all the info! This was so well done. I'm looking to make a small storage area for garden goods. This info is so great. Blessings

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad it was helpful!

[@larrybulthouse455]

If affordable you could have the interior spray foamed that would add great strength and insulation. Im a carpenter and building contractor. Kool deal bud. Id just once like to do an English mud house and incorporate some foamcrete into it for insulation and rigidity

[@TerraformTogether]

We are pretty insulated being 10 ft underground. I'm curious on your comment about adding strength to the build? I haven't heard that foam could add strength.

[@HobbitHouseHomestead]

I would recommend using a solar collector with fiber optics to bring the sunlight down to your growing shelves if you decide to try that. It will be less or no maintenance and no need to use electricity.

[@TerraformTogether]

Interesting. I haven't thought of that.

[@marcothehammer]

@@TerraformTogether This IS a fantastic idea! I imagine the fiber optic tubes would carry the full light spectrum.

[@terriegym]

Any good links for this. I'm looking to do a bug in cellar. Had the idea for light tubes but no idea how to create them.

[@dinkvjr]

I love this!!!! Excellent job, idk if you guys get tornados but I would think that this is a safe place to bunker down in a severe storm or tornado as well!! I've seen the other Adobe method and you are right, it looks so much easier!! And just better! Great video!!

[@TerraformTogether]

It's a bonus for sure!

[@gcnewd]

I am glad I stuck around, you have awesome pros and cons. Stuff I need to remember for when we build ours. Thank you

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad to help! Best of luck. You may want to check out our hyper Adobe videos before you build. We've switched from earthbag to that.

[@texascheri8445]

I think it was smart to make your build blend in the way it does so if you did get an immigration of people going through the property, they would not notice anything out of the ordinary to 'investigate'. I disagree with people saying build a deck or covering. Keeping it low key keeps prying eyes or future drone searches from finding it. Great video!

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks! Most people think it's a tool shed or an outhouse XD I try and keep things looking inconspicuous from the road.

[@tburke64]

Great project! I am sharing with my community for a how-to vid. I would paint the outside like a tennis shoe or dinosaur, or something. Kudos.

[@TerraformTogether]

@tburke64 awesome. Glad it was helpful! Be sure to check out our Hyper Adobe series as well. We've switched over to hyperadobe in our newer builds and have been really happy with the results

[@Rae-cf7tb]

I enjoyed your video. Thank you.

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mrspleasants8529]

In the plaster, you can also add animal hair instead of straw and a bit of chalk. Both provide flexibility and thereby less cracking. You can make art on it as well, in England it is called pargetting. Great video.

[@TerraformTogether]

Good to know. I've used my hair when I shave my head, but it tends to weird people out haha

[@mrspleasants8529]

I buy yaks hair, but horse, dog, peplum all work. The more barbs on the hair the better.@@TerraformTogether

[@thebeardedone1225]

Perlite makes a great roof insulation. I just stacked bags on the roof decking between 2x4 framing, then another layer of plywood, tar paper, 4 mil plastic, then dirt and grass.

[@TerraformTogether]

I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for the suggestion. We ended up putting straw bails and a bit of dirt over it. So far I'm happy with that.

[@marcothehammer]

@@TerraformTogether The perlite is a really great idea, provided it's kept dry.

[@Tanks-Link]

We have a great idea for doing a round underground storage and still being able to do shelves with a little bit of forethought. You could put two by fours in the sandbag wall sticking out that way, the sandbags make the shelving stable and it's really easy to cut plywood in a circular curve to make shelving

[@TerraformTogether]

Circular is always more structurally sound. A little harder to build things in that are off the shelf. If you check out our other buildings after this build we have moved to more round structures. Thanks for the comment!

[@Sepia36912]

Amazing I'm moving in. ❤

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks! It's a little dark down there.

[@trevormerivale7210]

I know others have touched on this but building a roof would be hugely beneficial. Make the roof much wider than your root cellar and put some rain gutters and several painted IBC totes. Once youve done that then build some raised garden beds. I'd consider building SIP's which is basically bottom watered but uses far less water and there is less evaporation due to the bottom watering. It will help lower the temperatures again by keeping it extra shaded, but gives you an opportunity to grow some veggies in full sun and then also some that are significantly shaded. You could even extend from the roof with shade cloth to lower the temperature even more but still allow airflow creating a small microclimate. Keep the beds a couple of meters/yards away from the walls at least. I'm not an engineer. You'd need to look at how far to have your raised beds away from your walls for safety. Also ive never used self watering garden beds, but from all of my research they are very good for many reasons although nore expensive immediately, it means less time watering for you, more efficient and consistent watering, and that keeps the plants happy too. Yes it would be expensive but would be well worth it, in my opinion. More efficient temps in your root cellar, more vegetables to harvest, more water to catch to have water right where you need it. I'm now just wondering if you couldn't rig up some sort of float device so that you could have your IBC top up the water bed reservoirs up automatically. I havent heard of that but would be good to look into.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the ideas!

[@elizabethphillips909]

It's cool to see this done!

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks! We're glad to be finished.

[@marcothehammer]

@@TerraformTogether EVERY job is best when it's FINISHED!!! LOL! Especially the challenging ones.

[@pucketts57]

. Thanks much for all the info you provided in your video. Looks great !!!

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad it was helpful!

[@genegreear4183]

You could put ridgit insulation on the roof. You can get it two inches thick. Four or six inches would really help the temperature in the Boot. That was my thought when seeing it done. You could also plant bushes around the sides. The shade would be welcoming if it didn’t take a lot of water to get them established. Later

[@TerraformTogether]

We ended up putting rigid foam insulation in the roof then covering the top with about a foot of straw covered with a light layer of dirt. I think that's going to help a lot this summer.

[@davidpetker8475]

You can build a low trellis over the area your roof is, and then after seeding your green roof, you can also grow vines on the trellis to shade green roof during the worst of summer.

[@matthewstone4097]

Great build, like the used motor oil idea

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you! I learned it from an old school homesteader!

[@GLBScruffy66]

I think it great! I would love to build one personally on my property! I don’t need it to be as big! But your dedication is admirable!

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for being along for the ride. I really love our cellar and can recommend them :)

[@dallasareahabitat3917]

Great to see it all together

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks!

[@bettyechristain9711]

Those stones around the outside will attract rattlers. Learned much from you.

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it. And we haven't had any snakes there, but we are aware of our slithery neighbors.

[@nicholasnapier2684]

Wow, you put a lot of energy in time to the test sat and watched it today on a Sunday just giving me a little bit of ideas. I mean, I like a lot of trees I live in East Tennessee so it kind of gives me a little ideas. I got one that goes down to the back on 4.5 acres but you have to build things into the wall of things down there which I would like to do that which I thought was pretty interesting. Go to KZbin for everything anyway pretty interesting ideas specially where you’re at I noticed you put screens over those you have all that out there….

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad you enjoyed. I don't know a lot about Tennessee but I would make sure you don't hit the ground water table if you decide to build under ground

[@andrewrobinson2869]

Could you build a large shed over the top of the cellar part so then that would stop the sun from heating and it also gives you a storage shed for things you use in the cellar but not at that time, ?

[@TerraformTogether]

Cool idea. We put straw over to insulate and keep weight down. It helped a lot.

[@t-jeffthetraveler4744]

Thanks so much for posting this. Good stuff too learn

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@desireebritt8643]

AWESOME AMAZING I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS 😊

[@TerraformTogether]

I'm Glad :D - Be sure to check out our other earthbag buildings! We've gone bigger and better!

[@kenman200]

Nice job guys🤙

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks! 👍 Glad you enjoyed it.

[@MrInnovativeEnergy]

Running experiments here to the north of you in Show Low, it looks like you may be able to do this cheaper and much faster with thin shell shotcrete. I will post some videos soon on the process, but it's simply digging a hole in the ground, lining the walls with "cattle panel", and shooting them with shotcrete to about 1 inch thick, then making an arch shape with the same panels and shooting them as well. Single day with two people, and strong enough to drive the tractor over when it's set.

[@TerraformTogether]

I'll have to look up that method. Sounds interesting.

[@terraformtinyhouse1832]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TerraformTogether]

You bet!

[@Jhovan33]

I think having a second way out would make it also a survival shelter. I would be nervous only having one way in and out. Maybe a pipe with a ladder for a second exit?

[@TerraformTogether]

I like that idea. Fortunately we don't really get tornados and stuff like that around here. If we did have to use it as a shelter, there's not anything around it to fall over the entrance. But it's always nice to have just incase.

[@FREE_WILL_AAHhhhhhhhhhhhh]

earth bags are a great idea but they are quite labor intensive..... a bus, van, car, that needs mechanical work is often cheap and can be buried easily to provide sub terra space. An excavator is your friend for shaping property and installing features you'd like to see.

[@TerraformTogether]

We have a half buried bus as well. This was super labor intensive but also very inexpensive to build. Time Vs Money Situation.

[@ObamaoZedong]

Busses and even shipping containers collapse underground. Don't do that without heavy reinforcement. At which point you may as well just pour a normal concrete bunker.

[@edwardcisneros1884]

Great build, now that it’s been on your guys’ land for a bit, would you guys ever consider tiny living in a earthbag shelter dug in just like this? Maybe a possible sunroof of some sort to bring in some light

[@TerraformTogether]

We are currently working on the main home (videos to come) that has a 15' diameter underground basement. We've switched from earthbag to hyperadobe construction because it's a LOT easier to work with. So short answer Yes, and more to come :)

[@nancyeberlein7357]

Without an exterior door, I would have concerns about critters down the stairs! Javelina, snakes etc. they love to go down into cool places.

[@TerraformTogether]

We did eventually install a second door. Never had issues with javelina or snakes down there... but had a full blown war with mice at one point. The problem is solved now :)

[@Jerry-ko9pi]

A better way to sort dirt might be to use a "A FRAME" Basically build a square frame with the screen and hang it from a frame like a swing set. You just keep pushing and pulling it as someone throws dirt on it. The finer particles get sifted out and afterwards, you "TOSS" the rocks and what not forward. The Philippines almost always use this method to sift the gravel when building house.

[@TerraformTogether]

That's similar to what we do now. And hire a neighbor with a back hoe to come help sift :) MUCH easier and quicker. More information in our hyperadobe video series. Thanks for the comment!

[@mary-annfrayser8811]

Wow. I didn't know that we are somewhat near you. We live Hereford.This looks great. Alot of ideas for maybe our little Homestead.I am originally from Maine and would really like to have a root celler. Maybe one day we can get together and chat a bit.

[@TerraformTogether]

We love our root cellar, but would do a few things differently if we were to build it again. Happy to answer any questions ya'll may have.

[@drifter50038]

A little thing that occurred to me, as far as keeping the cellar cool; electric refrigerators &/or kegerators generate heat. When they operate they are pumping heat into the space as they are running... you might fabricate some kind of simple plenum enclosing the cooling tube's on the back a d plumb that into the vent tubes... and vent as much of that heat outside as possible. Your effort gives me some good inspirational juices for applying to my own little place.

[@TerraformTogether]

They do generate some heat. It's not detrimental to the space and nice to have them down there since they pull less electricity when they are in a cooler space on our little solar system. Trade offs for everything.

[@solosailorsv8065]

Great Build & Comments too. Just gotta say, the boot by CATERPILLAR, the "Alaska" looks very much like your 'Boot Cellar'. Maybe they could Sponsor a lace-up finish on the cellar... and donate an Excavator too

[@TerraformTogether]

Haha I would totally sell out and throw some branding on here if it came with a free excavator :D

[@POSMhorsefarmer7]

BOOT CELLAR! :)

[@TerraformTogether]

😄

[@G._-]

You guys should have made it in the shape of the sphinx 😂

[@TerraformTogether]

Haha It's never too late!

[@davidjondoh8671]

Nice build and very creative! If it hasn't already been mentioned, as far as the cellar "roof" is concerned, maybe a shed built upon a raised truss floor system to prevent weight on the cellar "roof" could provide shading to help keep the cellar a bit cooler. It could create additional storage as well as water diversion which could double as a water catchment system.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you for the suggestion

[@terrylutke]

Add a handrail to the stairs. (a broken tail bone isn't fun). Use reflective white wash on the on the boot exterior. Provide a shaded air gap above the cellar during the hot season (like saw horses and reflective plywood, or something similar to decrease solar heat gain to the earthen cellar roof). Adding some R-value to the interior roof surface would be helpful of course.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@anthonyromero2605]

If you could pour a small slab over a couple inches of foam insulation you could then put it in the shed roof that would also help you would also have a little place for people to hang out in the shade

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you for the thoughts. I think that could be cool

[@jamesedwards9610]

Thank you.

[@TerraformTogether]

You're welcome

[@sarcasmo57]

I think it's great.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for joining us and the kind words!

[@bernadetteosantowski9778]

Great Job it looks like a foot not a boot I think.👍

[@TerraformTogether]

Haha, it needs some toenails painted on.

[@poerava]

So cool. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you :)

[@jaredcolahan759]

Have you tried rammed earth walls sub-grade?

[@TerraformTogether]

I haven't tried rammed earth forms at all, though I'm super interested in playing around with it. My favorite building technique at the moment is hyperadobe.

[@joecombs7468]

Wow. I'm shocked. Vegetarian. Total surprise.

[@TerraformTogether]

I know, right?

[@joecombs7468]

@@TerraformTogether good video, you have a good night.

[@rw3572]

So Good :)

[@TerraformTogether]

Glad you think so!

[@jgren4048]

Watching all the folks you have on the build really reminded me of the saying “ if you build it they will come” 😅

[@TerraformTogether]

4 years in and we've hosted over 300 students! More than I ever imagined

[@Andreath3d]

❤great job

[@TerraformTogether]

Thank you!

[@jackferguson2491]

Spray foam the ceiling to improve the insulation

[@TerraformTogether]

We did end up foam insulating the roof and it helped.

[@stevenlaguna5446]

Will you be creating water catchers on the property from for the monsoon season?

[@TerraformTogether]

We do have a few small systems set up (around 1200 sq ft and 4000 gallons of tanks). I would like to get to 4000 sq ft and 10,000 gallons eventually.

[@joelb360]

Cool video! Is this near Terlingua by chance!? Sure looks similar...

[@TerraformTogether]

Southern Arizona. Similar ish enviornment.

[@drivestorage1779]

brilliant! I do wonder how come there is no leak though. subscribed/

[@TerraformTogether]

Welcome. We have it nice and sealed up. 3 years in and no leaks down stairs :)

[@zeketheone7393]

Congrats on your project How has it held up with the monsoon rains? Has it flooded? Thanks for your time

[@TerraformTogether]

It's gone through 3 monsoon seasons now and had zero issues.

[@omaeve]

I always put 2 L bottles full of water in the freezer to take up all the extra space when I need space I take them out and set them on the floor. This could also help keep your room cooler. Eventually I started putting my goats milk in them but not completely full and freezing them then when I make my fresh goats milk which is always 105° and you put it on the stove on medium heat, I would add three bottles of the frozen milk into it and it aloud the milk to warm up very slowly. Since I lived alone and had 20 milking goats, this was an important part of using the freezer I originally started to keep colostrum in the freezer in case of a baby goat birth that needed the colostrum.

[@TerraformTogether]

Interesting. I haven't thought to do that.

[@DjTumbao]

love it

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks!

[@nasanction]

Keep in mind that adding all these electrical devices that you want in your cellar will increase the overall temperature.

[@TerraformTogether]

It does a little bit, but we still keep a pretty good temperature down there. Thanks for the advice!

[@kimcooper1451]

Great build. Enjoyed content.Why didnt you go deeper and go thicker in roof to insulate

[@TerraformTogether]

This is what the backhoe we hired could do. Since this video we started adding straw and thin layers of dirt on the roof and that has helped.

[@yurguinslack4852]

I just subscribed. We are moving to Arizona in like a year or 2. To holbrook arizona, can you recommend any metal scrapyards

[@TerraformTogether]

I really like Tucson Iron And Metal. The guys there are always really helpful. They tend to have a good junk section that's fun to rummage through and it's the best price I've found for roofing metal anywhere around (including going to mexico)

[@SgtSkrog]

Have you thought about hyperadobe with more like a 3 foot roof of earth to also act as a fallout shelter? Was thinking how strong the roof would have to be for that. I was thinking about that route. Odds are never needed but I also wonder if depth would make it cooler. My water is down about 200 feet so I can go deeper hole I think for a cellar.

[@TerraformTogether]

I believe it's around 6 feet down that the earth temperature levels out. So as long as you get 6 ft above you should be golden. This building has survived a lot of big storms and I think would make a great storm shelter. Luckily, we don't get tornados/hurricanes out here.

[@nickendymian1]

If you want to add 6 more inches of dirt on top, install 2 double 2x6s posted crosswise to the roof trusses equidistant to the walls. It's a little bit more money but worth it after all the work everyone put in.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the tip! We ended up putting old straw over top with a little layer of dirt. Insulative but not heavy :)

[@kenknutson1598]

Have you been to Carchner cavern out but Benson AZ? It’s not really cool there. In fact it’s about 80 degrees and really humid.

[@TerraformTogether]

I have not. But I've wanted to check it out

[@jamesjustice859]

Suggestion on a natural AC. Dig or drill a hole for a tube. About 16"+ then run 2 pipes about 2-3" in it. Fill with 3" river rock. Run water down over rocks and pump air down too. One small pipe is to pump water back up and the other air COLD air comes up.

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the suggestion, We are doing something similar on our main house.

[@ChrisMilton74]

Great video, I’ve been thinking about how to make living in Telingua, TX possible. Unless I build underground I don’t see how I can afford to cool a place

[@TerraformTogether]

I've been through Telingua, I would agree! Underground is the way to go. Have someone excavate (in a hill side if possible) then use the dirt to make an earthbag home. South facing windows with proper overhangs. You'll be set!

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

I always wish folks had a thermometer at the entrance and one down in the root cellar so you got a legit benchmark of the temperatures. After using hesco walls I would be really inclined to do something similar. Erect the boxes fill with excavated dirt a debris, erect next layer, fill till the height you need. Things are legitimately bulletproof.

[@TerraformTogether]

I'll have to try putting a thermometer in two spots

[@Sea-cucumber1151]

Oil mixture are you talking about creosote?

[@TerraformTogether]

Used motor oil.

[@Sea-cucumber1151]

@@TerraformTogether I think creosote used to be used on horse fence posting, it was made from a distillate of tar. Now it’s only used on commercial products like railroad ties and telephone poles. It’ protects from fungi and termites etc. but they found it causes cancer. 🤨😣 so same idea.

[@balamchannel]

a double door maybe help you great work!

[@TerraformTogether]

We have put one in now :)

[@marieouellet8946]

A suggestion is add another door at the top of the stairs and insulate/seal around the door to keep out the heat and cold. You will need to add at least one light with an on/off switch at the top, remembering that even an LED light makes a noticeable amount of heat over time, so if you're going to be in it several hours, a two way switch to turn the light on and off from the top and bottom may be a good idea.

[@TerraformTogether]

We did add a door at the top later on. And yes we have a switch on a timer at the top of the stairs. Thanks for the suggestions.

[@8ank3r]

It looks like a high top sneaker. maybe you could paint it like a converse all star (chucks)

[@TerraformTogether]

It's our boot-cellar

[@mautri7465]

Fascinated by these adobe buildings...would you know the various areas in the U.S. where this is permitted

[@TerraformTogether]

Permitting is going to be county by county, so it's hard to say. Cochise county is permitted. I've worked on them in Taos NM and near Joshua Tree, CA. I think in general you're going to have a better chance of finding places to build this type of structure out west.

[@RandomsFandom]

Make an ice house under ground, use geothermal to pre cool the air, then have it pass through the root cellar before the house.

[@TerraformTogether]

I've seen the cooling tubes! Super cool ;)

[@ml3110]

So were coming into spring 2024; how are you still holding up? Would y'all do anything different? Thanks for sharing!

[@TerraformTogether]

Love it. We've had no issues. No leaks, no flooding, no issues. The only things I would do different are switch from individual bags to hyperadobe bags. You can see those in our more recent videos. I would have also gone deeper and added more dirt on tope.

[@marcothehammer]

OR... you could'a made it look like the Spinx! LOL! I had to take a look at ALL of the comments and every one of them offered interesting ideas and/or observations. I'll try to share the image that resulted when I stopped your video near the start. (0:03) And... last but not least, I would have found a way to use more nails!

[@TerraformTogether]

Haha Thanks for the comment

[@Nilafila76]

You might consider burning Flopsy next time!

[@TerraformTogether]

If we find another one and don't have a big hole, that's a good option. He's got a good resting place in our cellar though.

[@PeggyYoung]

What keep the sides from crashing in later

[@TerraformTogether]

The bags are stable at this size. The barbed wire holds it all in place. We also use what I believe are called ironically "dead mans bags" which lock the walls into the outer dirt. Location was an important part of this as well. We're well out of the way of any sheet flow water which may compromise the walls. This thing will be around for a good long time.

[@patrickrussell1888]

How well is the hydrated lime holding up to the rains and is it cracking?

[@TerraformTogether]

So two answers... The way I did the plaster on this building was not correct. I didn't slack the lime and had the wrong mix. So it's held up okay, but there are noticeable cracks that do leak into our stairway. Not ideal, but not a huge deal. The lime plaster on our Pumphouse (you can check out that full series) where I hired a professional to come teach us has held up great for a few years now. I used lime plaster again recently on our little tiny house build and it's looking really nice through a few months of monsoons. I personally like cement better, but lime works well over cob where cement wouldn't.

[@louiseswart1315]

All the root vegetables we could buy at our general dealer once a week when I was in middle school, was usually already wilting. We always laid carrots, beets and turnips in damp soil to recover and stay fresh. The suggestion of sandboxes to keep them fresh is a good one. What is the door to the cold room made of?

[@TerraformTogether]

Interesting!

[@ai4313]

Great built, great video! Two comments to the roof structure: Laying the rectangular steel on the shorter side might have given you a little more rigidity for more weight/coverage. Better than the rectangular steel would have been I-Beams. Just my 2 cents...

[@TerraformTogether]

Thanks for the tips! We used what we had avaliable at our local steel yard

[@okeechobeejoe2868]

I was wondering would it be beneficial to install a door at the entrance to keep hot air out??? I think I would've use about 4" of blue board insulation over the top of the cellar.

[@TerraformTogether]

We have done that since the publishing of this video :)

[@ModernPioneerHomesteader]

Could you have gone bigger if a rectangular shape? Would like to do a 30'x15' root cellar. Can something like this be build using your method? What state are you in? How do you handle low rain? Thanks for sharing.

[@TerraformTogether]

You could go larger yes. You would want to put in buttressing ever 10 ft or so. Also, one thing I wish we did was slowly step the walls outwards to add more strength. Here is a SUPER helpful book that I use as my earthbag building bible. It'll go more into the structural design components if you are interested. amzn.to/3LI0s3P

[@floridaprepper598]

What is a rough count on the bags

[@TerraformTogether]

Around 1400

[@marcothehammer]

@@TerraformTogether WOW!

[@dannylittlejohn1136]

I may have missed it somewhere, but what is the celler temp in the hottest season? You all did an incredible job. Thank you.

[@TerraformTogether]

Upper 70s since we have put hay over the top.