Access: This may be via a trapdoor in the floor, a door under the stairs, or a full- height door (in the case of a semibasement cellar). Access determines what can be stored according to its size, weight and regularity of use, so think about improvements like rehanging a door the other way round to make it easier to open. Where access is restricted, storage can be arranged around the door so that it can be used like a cupboard.
Headroom: Most cellars are below habitable height (2.3 m), but this only means that they must not be used as living areas. If the headroom is less than your own height, the usage is broadly determined by how low you are prepared to stoop. If the floor joists above are exposed, this may make all the difference through being able to stand full-height at intervals between them.
One way to increase headroom may be to excavate the floor, but seek professional advice first to check if this will leave adequate support for the house walls and foundations.
Size: Together with headroom, this is the factor that most determines how useful the cellar is —obviously, the bigger the better. If the cellar is 2.4 m or more in width, you can significantly increase the wall storage space by partially dividing it along its length with a racking system.
Floor: A smooth, dry floor helps to keep the cellar clean and gives more flexibility as to what can be stored on it. Simple ways to provide hard- standing are to lay paving slabs on a bed of sand around the walls, or to section off these areas with timber and cast strips of concrete. In this way you will not reduce the headroom of the standing area in the middle, and at the same time you will also help to lessen the stooping distance.
Walls: These form a large, useful and easily accessible area. Providing the walls are sound, shelves and cupboards can be fixed to them for a variety of storage. Any timber in contact with the masonry should be well soaked with preservative unless it is pretreated (e.g. Tanalised), and you should leave an air gap behind any cupboard units with a back by mounting them on battens/cleats or simply threading spacers (such as rubber doorstops) on to the mounting screws.
In some cellars the inner `walls‘ will be formed by brick pillars supporting the floor above. The gaps between these should not be filled in completely, as they provide essential airflow under the house, although you can still fix things across them.
Ceiling: Open joists provide a wealth of hanging space for lightweight items in areas where headroom is not a problem. If the floor above is made of bare boards, panels of fibreboard stapled to the underside will help provide a degree of insulation from noise and dust —especially if the cellar is to double as a workshop. They can also be painted white to reflect light better.
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October 14th, 2008 at 4:54 am
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Among our many tabletop wine racks, you’ ll find styles such as contemporary and classical, bottle, bottle, to modular wine racks that can accommodate an entire wine cellar! … Versatile Wine Racks