Precast root cellar kit
FMV-1608-H08-S-UTB
16 ft long · 8 ft wide · 8 ft clear height · stairs · utility building
A buried 16 × 8 ft room with a walk-down precast stair, an insulated door and passive airflow — cool, steady storage for food and harvests that needs no power. You walk in standing up: it is 8 ft clear inside, and it grows 4 ft at a time.
Tell us about your project — another size, a question, or a site to check.
Built for
- Harvests, canning and bulk food storage
- Homesteads and farms
- Cold storage that runs without power
- Outside size
- 16 × 8 ft
- Clear height
- 8 ft
- Wall section
- 9 in reinforced
- Design
- PE stamped design · sheets published
Every part in the kit
Every line comes off the Freestone price list, with the quantities Freestone has set for this kit.
- Wall panel, 4 × 8 ft8 × $1,298$10,384
- Precast lid, 4 × 8 ft4 × $1,380$5,520
- Floor section, 43½" × 78" × 3"4 × $786$3,144
- Stair landing, 3 × 3 ft1 × $296$296
- Wall cap, 48" × 9" × 5"5 × $191$955
- Corner panel, 4 × 8 ft8 × $1,352$10,816
- Precast stair kit1 × $2,696$2,696
- Door lintel1 × $166$166
- Stair handrail1 × $4,680$4,680
- Insulated fiberglass door1 × $520$520
- Airflow pipework1 × $416$416
- * Transportation to your site is an additional cost, quoted separately.
- * Kits are supplied for assembly on your prepared site. We can install if needed — ask us for a quote.
Options
- Exposed aggregate finishFinish for above-ground utility buildings.On request
- InstallationKits are supplied for assembly on your prepared site. We can install if needed — ask us for a quote.On request
How it goes in
No poured footer below grade
A buried vault sits on a bed of crushed, compacted stone — no footing to form, pour or wait on. A building set above ground requires a poured footing, so frost can't shift it.
Sealed and watertight
Every panel seam is sealed with polyurethane and through-bolted. The structure is watertight once the last seam closes.
Grouted, then backfilled
On a buried kit, the precast floor sections sit inside the walls with a small gap all round. The gaps are grouted solid before any backfill goes in.
If your building department needs stamped plans, our engineer seals your layout once you have signed off on the drawing, with the structural calculations attached. His stamp covers the states he is licensed in — tell us where you are building, and we will say what your soil, frost depth or seismic category adds.
Questions about this kit
Why isn't a root cellar waterproofed?
It needs its humidity — around 85% — to keep food. Every other buried kit can take waterproofing per panel.
What sits on top?
The model number ends UTB: a utility building over the stair entry. The building itself is quoted on request.
How long does it take to set?
Most kits are set in a day. The root cellar, with its stair and handrail, can take longer — we'll go through it with your quote.
Can it be taller or longer?
Yes. Length steps in 4 ft panels; 10 and 12 ft clear heights are quoted on request.