You two are most excellent partners. I am 68yo and when I grow up, I want to be just like you. Your distribution of labour and responsibilities is better than the United Nations. Looking forward to following along as you continue this build. You give a grouchy olde sailor and my man, a high mark to work toward. From western Tennessee, USA

Isn't it nice to get the collective knowledge a comment section provides? I look through the comments, and it is great to see so many people willing to give good advice and share their experience, like a team. Also, your work is impressive, and you deserve the compliments and any helpful comments.

You 2 kids are amazing.

I do a lot of geo-engineering and glad to see your spoils pile so far away from your pit - many people will put the pile adjacent to the pit, which can overload the soils and cause a collapse into the hole. Very dangerous! The soils look like silty sand or sandy silt, which has some cohesiveness, but I cringe when I see you squatting down at 9 ft depth with wet soils on the walls - this is a very common collapse scenario that would be the end of your adventure. A 1:1 layback would be much safer with these soils, although not to OSHA standards (this is private land/Alaska!) Yes, water table will almost certainly be higher in the spring - what I've seen in Tok is water perched at the surface during meltoff, then it all disappears into the subsurface in one day, raising the water table for a time. Building on top is a very good idea if walls have some reinforcement so they don't collapse....lateral earth pressure in these soils might be around 0.7 of the soil weight X depth. So, around 700 psf at the 8 foot depth. Maybe more if it is wet soil. Great presentation.

I feel like I should pay for this production! The physical labor you guys do is impressive, but to add all the filming and editing is amazing! Thank y'all for filming and sharing your journey!

Love your videos and your energy. Because of you I've retarted my home garden again and making my own sausages. Us old people love your videos because we get to watch and feel young again. Thank You both.

You guys are fearless and you don't do anything small! Very inspiring!

I like your supervisor! One of your dogs on the big pile of dirt watching you. Lol 😆

Y'all are one of the hardest working couples on KZfaq!!

Wow, that was the easiest digging I've seen. My area in the Ozarks grows rocks. We don't have dirt per say, we have red clay wedging our rocks in nice and tight. We don't dig holes, we chip them out.

Just like us oldtime scandinavians you have to work hard to survive the cold climate, you will do just fine! Good job guys, I am impressed! Remember to rest, very important so you don't burn out.

If you plant a dense grass on top, it should make for a much better insulator than just dirt alone.

I've seen some great videos on root cellars in Canada which were over 100 years old. All of those had 2 vents to control the moisture. They had vent valves like a wood stove chimney. I guess you'll find out what you need in your neck of the woods. I dream of making a root cellar here in the desert. Those bags seem like a great option. Thanks for sharing!

Hey guys, take a five gal. Bucket , take out the bottom of bucket, , then use it as a birder to fill the sandbags

I just love what you are teaching me. I am 61 just got married again and hubby is 65...your a blessing. We are gonna start ours too

Klamath falls Oregon is watching

I am literally enchanted by you two! I am from a poor southern Virginia farm area. I always thought we worked hard until I watched a few of your videos.. Wow! Your chasing a dream, and making it true. Congratulations. Aerial is so gentle and sensitive. Loved you with the snail and worm..Marilyn in Ohio

Take my hat off to y'all...you don't shy from the work. Good video 👍☮️!

i have filled hundreds of thousands of those sandbags in my life, seeing your funnel / chute for filling in ingenious! Sure beats filling on the hill and throwing them into the hole

That's insane!! Y'all are badass!

Great team work - makes the job so much easier. Good idea backfilling with stone next to the wall. Not only will it help with drainage around the wall but prevent digging critters from tunneling into it. I've discovered it the hard way with my earthbag retaining wall under the house where I tacked on a shed with a different floor level. Also, expose those bags as little to the sun as possible. It's surprising how quickly they start getting affected. I have found that even weeks or a couple months in the summer weaken the bags - at least with the white ones. For anyone thinking of building with bags (especially above ground) and haven't got them yet, try getting black ones. They do exist, and are way more UV resistant (though don't bank on it). I would also strongly second what Evad Repooc said about putting in a float activated pump as an insurance. Small investment to potentially save 1000 jars and what-not. Again, I learrnt the hard way about how dramatic the water table can change. Although I'm in particularly wet west Wales, I think it could happen in Alaska too. I built my house in a 2'-3' deep pit (slight slope), and thought the water table wouldn't rise until well into autumn with plenty of time to dig the drain. One morning I went to do some work on the house and saw water rising in the pit and getting close to the wooden sheepskin insulated floor. For the next twelve hours I spent 50min of every hour frantically hacking a trench through rocky clay and tree roots, and the other ten minutes frantically baling out the water with a bucket (a garden hose syphon took out a small amount). The last few hours I was working in the rain and dark with a head torch. The most miserable job ever. Two brief coffee breaks. When the water finally drained out (and only ever got within 1 inch of the floor) I dragged myself indoors and threw up from exhaustion. Since then I've also installed a ring drain around the house with no more issues for the house. However... Meanwhile I had an opportunity to have a pit for a small root cellar dug by machine. It is not very close to the house, but I thought it might have benefitted from the lowering of the water table with the drain. I was in no hurry to actually start on the root cellar, and I wanted to observe the water table before going ahead. For most of the year the approx. 6' deep pit is dry, but after a wet period the water table rises almost to the surface! Your dog stole the show when he did his own version of "undoubtedly"... great bonus ending :-D

I can't wait to see it done, I've seen earth bag home's before. I've never heard of doing a root cellars like that, I think it's pretty cool.

The out takes is the best part of the video :)

You guys are really inspiring and interesting. Very hard-working couples so far I have seen on youtube, also very caring to each other. Would like to visit and meet you someday..

You guys rock, love seeing a couple work so hard to fulfill a dream, the wife and and I are achieving the same goal only a little later in life than you two. Keep up the hard work and love the videos! Ray and Tammie

I’m so happy I found your channel! I moved from Vancouver to Prince George this year and bought 10 acres with a small ish house. There’s nothing on the land besides a little garden shed. I’m loving the ideas you’re giving me for the future, plus I’d love to be as off grid as possible eventually. I also REALLY appreciate that you don’t have kids, so the channel is focused on things I relate to and want to learn from, and not on crap like “how to entertain your feral child with no cable” like MOST homesteader channels. Really excited to follow your journey and learn from you both. Congrats on this amazing journey, you’re doing great so far.

Wow what an achievement guys. Brilliant!

lol... my doggy toy.. lv it ,,, I still breathing in Alaska…… thnx 4 share ur time.

Probably a bit late for this suggestion, but I would build a storage shed over the root cellar with a wood floor and a hatch. Insulate the walls and under the floor of the shed. This would make accessing the cellar much more user friendly and you wouldn't have to worry about the frigid air/wind getting down in the cellar when you go down for supplies mid winter. Just a thought. My utmost respect to both of you for your hard work.

WOW! That is a time consuming back breaking job but looking good! I’m excited to see how it turns out. Your diligence will pay off. 😊

After Desert Storm, this would be the only reason I'd want to fill another sandbag! Fun project!

You two are very sweet! Your relationship is so happy and joyful to see!

Awesome job guys! My suggestion would be gravel- earth bag - pond-liner- earth bag- flooring on the bottom. Pond liner and earth bags on the side. Water table wouldn’t matter at that point.

ventalation is a major install to stop mold build up from moisture the UAF in fairbanks use to have great info on root cellar builds in alaska, and alot of this should be on the website...there are also a few informative forums with the ventalation topic...awesome project.. keep it up,...

Idk why I enjoy watching these. I think it's because you guys are planning and executing and I like to see when couples make a plan and execute it. I like seeing teams work

I think you are the bravest and you have the most beautiful congratulatory projects. Success

You 2 work so well together real team work. Can't wait to see the finished project. I like your out takes

What a great build. Can’t wait to see how this turns out. I like the chute and the sledge hammer tamper. 👍😁

Wow I can’t believe I missed this video i didn’t think I missed any, it’s funny because in starting a cellar myself what a surprise Thanks Guys

I love seeing how well you two work together.

Really impressive! Great storm cellar too!

Thank goodness you're young & healthy, lots of strenuous muscle aching work. Hope the root cellar stays cool & dry.

Fantastic job guys. I've got a friend who put the walls of his 4000 square foot home on Earth bags and it's been there 10 years so I feel pretty confident that you're doing the right thing. Your shelving can act as a brace for the walls according to what type of shelving you build. Another friend has a root cellar made out of timber but he's got the inside shored up firmly, with the shelving being right up against the walls and all the way to the ceiling. Also there's nothing that says you can't stack dirt from the hole back on top of a ground level roof at maybe two or three feet to ensure thermal dynamics. I'm rambling, I just love watching y'all build. Thank you so much for sharing your homestead with us, Jimmy

I can hardly wait to see the finished result. You all must be exhausted at night and I have a feeling it doesn't take you long to fall asleep!

Great video guys. When we're finished buy a inside outside wireless or wired thermometer to monitor temps. Also and idea recycle old tires for walls or retaining walls. KZfaq Spaceship Earth homes? Looks good guys!!!

This is a great video. You folks are such hard workers! I have a friend I walk with every morning who owned a swimming pool business here in Michigan. He told me one of the biggest problems to address is surface water that fills the excavated volume outside the swimming pool. I was surprised to learn that if a pool is not kept full of water, the hydrostatic pressure will float a massive concrete swimming pool out of the ground! This was such a cool idea and such a beautiful execution. I wish you'd been able to consult with a swimming pool contractor.

Awesome ! Thank you . Very engaging presentation ! Oregon refugees here too ! Bend to Tennessee .

Loving that you are putting these videos up to share!

Nice build.. boy that’s lots of work. But it’s all worth it in the end..!! Have a fantastic day you two..!!

I know someone that layered the floor with concrete then used earth bags then rebar then covet all in concrete, it’s solid and probably last a lifetime.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please keep us updated. This is a great construction method that needs to be experimented with more. Each time someone builds an earthbag structure and shares it, the more likely someone else will build one.

Just stumbled upon y'all. Now I have to go through and watch a year's worth of videos.

Cold climates I've seen put a double door system, small room then into the larger room. Less of the cold gets into the bigger room. Also, that would allow you to insulate the interior door.

I wanted to recommend building a shed on top of the root cellar but I see someone else already suggested it.

Super cool video. Thanks guys! Keep living your dream

You both are well organised,your a good team

Congrats on a great project....you guys are amazing !

Great video you two!!!

I dig the efficiency with which you guys work

I knew it !! You 2 are a great couple !! Can't wait to see the next video.

Dirt chute to fill bags is genius. But then, I'm easily impressed. I assume it's a given with this process.

aw yes the root cellar , and yes i had one and it was about 2 feet above ground level and it work great so you are fine

Love the team effort! I've never heard of this time of root cellar can't wait for the finished product.

A load of hard work but your both young and it will be worth it, looking good ✊👏👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Hello again, love the video, I'm doing the same thing! Only 12x24! One thing, PEAT! it's a great insulation and everywhere up here, when you mound your top put a raised bed filled with peat.. I'm going to build a greenhouse on top of mine to use the space better, stop water infiltration and keep the entrance from freezing up... just a thought! Good luck!

If u put a metal shed on top with insulation and put stairs down u can use the shed to store wood. Wood is also good insulation.

This is ALOT of work jeeze

Sunteti de admirat cît de mult muncii va doresc numai bine ( traducere română/ engleza. ) Succes

Corrugated tin panels on the outside of timber frame then bury, floor big rocks with pallets over. Built many like that, drainage is key to longevity.

A pump with a float switch might be an idea, just in case. It would save you waking up in the morning to find it flooded

Wow what a job!..Looking great!

You guys are having way to much fun over there. Thanks for sharing.

I bet I filled 10000 of those bags, we used them for bunkers in Vietnam. Four or five layers were reasonable effective short of a direct hit.

Love the custom made tamper with the scrap wood and sledge hammer! Looking forward to the finished product, and I like the idea from the comment below on a small shed above to help with keeping cold out and making it easier in the winter to get into the cellar. We have two root cellars on our old family farm with the ground hilled up on them, one being older and built out of field stone, which is a neat way, but using the bags and wrap is really neat and a good way to re-use the material from digging up the ground. Keep up the hard work, and remember to lift with the legs and hips, not the back, lol!

Hi Guy's , I'm from Canada, just wanted to say really liked your video. I love the kinda "Minimalist type " or "back to basics" life style you have chosen. where I come from all you see are 5000 or more homes with 2 people living in 2 rooms of the place, "keeping up with the jones type thing" I find its just such a waste. My climate and yours are very similar and would like to see any other of these type projects you take on. Low cost, environmentally friendly type things. I think a lot of people and our planet would benefit enormously if we all took this approach to living.Keep up the good work.

You two, are crackin' me up...

If I had been smarter when I was your age with just like you do. Love the idea. My house is 100 years old and My kitchen is built over a root cellar. The trapdoor looks nice in the kitchen but it is cold as the Dickens down there

I love earthbag homes. My little homestead ( on you tube) has done several including a mountain home and a basement studio. You can cover the bags with soil cement for longevity. I think traditional theory was clay, sand, and dirt. But they even have people using rice hulls, and all types of combinations. At least you know where and how far if you decide to build a well.

You two are amazing!🥰🥰

I never considered sand bags for a cellar! This is a great idea!!!

Use typer (road fabric) under that rock, so the rock doesn't just work it's way into the dirt. It also means you can use less gravel.

The outtakes are great! 😂 That toot cellar is going to be great! Can’t wait to see the finished product!

What a gorgeous couple! I never tire of watching your videos.

Looks very interesting. I live in Arizona. Whenever we are able to get our house, I think this is the way to go for our canned goods. God Bless You Both.

13:41 I swatted my ear with the headphones on hehe^^

good video. and what a great thing this video will be for those coming along behind you, you're learning - and teaching - as you go. Great Job!

thank you , you two are awesome.

you two are an amazing couple! great stuff!

Those cats: Cat 1: What are those humans doing now? Cat 2: They are making us the biggest litterbox EVER! Cat 1: Yeah, Im not going down there...

There are formulae for mass walls, usually heavy rock, but also brick or block dry laid. You problem is similar. Architectural graphic standards references you may find those formulae, however for an outdoor retainer wall, where the earth must step to accommodate a too steep slope the basics are that the wall will be the thickness at the bottom that is the height of the wall. Further,, for a retainer wall, mass wall, 1/3 or more is buried. A pretty daunting set of calculations considering what you have set out to do. You have some serious benefits of the structure you are trying to accomplish. First, your walls are short, you only have a net span of 8 feet on the length of your walls. Second, the top of the wall will be retained by the roof structure. Important,, when you lay out your roof structure, make sure that some of that structure will resist the lateral moment , the side pressure that will be trying to bend the center of your 8 foot walls inward. The plastic bags have little or less friction against their neighbors in the wall above or below them. And,, you have no method available to truly compact the contents of the bags or the space remaining outside the bags. The undisturbed soils of your excavation, both bottom and sides, are your single best compaction and strength. So utilize them. You erred greatly in over digging, and secondly in refilling with native soils. It requires 20 some years for soils to begin, begin, to re-consolidate. The stone fill is exactly correct, it is a 95% compaction as soon as it hits. I think your best options at this point in the construction are two fold. First, the untouched soils surrounding your root cellar are fully compacted and strong,, stronger than any bag wall you can construct,,, so use them. Get as close as you can. Leave almost zero space between the dirt walls of the excavation and the bags,, and that remaining space, whether 4 inches or one foot,, back fill will your floor stone. It will be at a 95% compaction when and where it hits. It must be able to flow around the shape and material of your bags,,, no voids,,, so you may want to go to an even smaller stone, pea gravel. Second,,, why straight walls? Straight walls are a modern aberration. Nature does not make,, nor even allow straight walls. Arched. So inward forces are turned into a compression ring, not an inward bending of straight walls. AT a minimum,, round corners on your room, and rounded or arched walls. The straight walls could be gently arched toward the outside limits of the excavation,,, reducing the amount of back fill and helping to channel the inward soil pressures into the surrounding structure That would reduce the amount of backfill required outside the walls. Compaction of the bags themselves as the wall goes up. Compact the begeebers out of them. No couple of little love taps to make a flat top. Tamp them until they are concrete hard. Especially the bottom most and top most rows.

What a huge project. Mad props!!!

Wow! you guys are hard working! Great to see young ones not afraid of hard work!

The dog was like "who the he** are you guys talking to?" Then he walks off saying "ah stupid humans".

The dog chewing on a squeaky toy earned my thumbs up.

A lot of respect to you guys, dang !

Jeez, i always need a nap after watching your videos, oh to be young, strong & full of energy, Great job can`t wait to see the finished project !!

this comment is kind of late but if you need to fill more sandbags get a full sized traffic cone and cut off the top at the top of the reflective material. If the cone you find or buy doesn't have reflective material just cut the top down by 6"-8". it makes a great sandbag funnel. if you want to get really fancy make a makeshift table about 3'-4' high cut a hole in the middle to fit the cone upside down to the base. the base of the cone will hold the cone in place. place the bag under and shovel or backhoe dirt into the cone.

Great team work!! And ladies like that don't grow on trees,, take good care of her.

what an impressive project! Great work! We used to have a small root cellar in our house, traditionally, we inherited this culture from grand grand parents. I'm from Uzbekistan!

I have so much respect for you🤗❤. I love when a couple working together and there is so much love and respect between you❤. Is also a good idea for building your own earth bag house.❤❤