FARM STORAGES FOR APPLES 11 



Remodeling a Barn Basement 



The first operation in adapting a barn basement to storage use is to clean out 

 the space thoroughh-. The earth floor should be removed to a sufficient depth 

 to eliminate all foul soil. It is desirable to excavate to at least 12 inches below 

 finish grade and then fill with gravel or other earth. If a concrete floor is to be 

 laid, gravel should be used for this fill. Advantages of a concrete floor are that 

 it can be kept clean, which is impossible with an earth floor, and that it gives a 

 solid, level surface on which to stack and handle the fruit. 



It is desirable that the height of the room be not less than 8 teet. Many of 

 these rooms have been built less than 8 feet high and have proved satisfactory, 

 but 8 or even 10 feet is a convenient height for filling and for air circulation. 



Many old basements have walls that do not extend down to the desired grade, 

 and in such cases a retaining wall of concrete or stone should be put in to hold 

 the earth beneath the original wall. 



Holes in the wall should be closed, either by troweling mortar into the crevices 

 or by pouring a concrete face over the whole surface. If there is a probability 

 of sometime making the room into a refrigerated storage, the latter method is 

 better. The concrete face should be thick enough so that no stone in the wall 

 projects into the room. 



In most old basements many of the posts that support the ceiling will need 

 resetting on new piers, which may be large stones or poured concrete. The piers 

 should be carefully set with tops at floor level. 



Most old barn cellars have three walls and an open side. In developing a 

 storage, it is necessary to build a wall on this open side. This wall should have a 

 concrete or masonry foundation extending 15 or 18 inches below the established 

 floor level and high enough above the floor grade to prevent the entrance of surface 

 water. The wall itself should have l" x d" studs covered on the outside with 

 wire cloth, paper, and weather-proof material, and on the inside with paper and 

 sheathing. The wall is filled with insulating material, either planer shavings, 

 granulated cork, or one of the many prepared insulation fills. 



In building the new wall on the open side of the cellar, it is necessary to give 

 consideration to the matter of doors and ports. Individual preference and condi- 

 tions will determine the number and location of these openings, but it is desirable 

 that they be few in number and small in area. In a storage with a 50-foot wall, 

 one 4-foot door and two ports each 24 inches square for loading and unloading 

 will be adequate. Doors to ports and entrances should be insulated. 



The ceiling of the room should be insulated and made rat-proof. This is usually 

 done by covering the underside of the joists with wire cloth, paper, and sheathing. 

 It is possible to combine two of these in the form of steel sheets which will shut 

 out rats and make an excellent carrier for the fill between the joists. Steel sheets 

 are usually less expensive than the combination of wire cloth and sheathing. 

 The space between the ceiling joists is packed with fill insulation: either by taking 

 up the floor above the joist and re-laying it after filling or by putting on the 

 ceiling and packing in the fill a section at a time. 



No additional frost-proofing will be necessary on the underground foundation 

 walls. Walls which are not fully banked should be regraded to the top of the wall. 



Remodeling an Aboveground Structure 



In making a storage from an aboveground structure, the first operation is to 

 clean out the space and take up the floor unless, as sometimes happens, the build- 



