Earth-Sheltered Shop

Earth-Sheltered Shop FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 32-5-37 Art Hertz, Fairfax, S. Dak., built an underground shop that always stays at 40 degrees no matter how cold it is outside. "The temperature inside the shop stays at about 75 degrees during the summer and never goes below 38 degrees during the winter, even when it's 30 degrees below zero outside," says Hertz. The shop is built into the side of a hill and measures 48 ft. long by 32 ft. wide, with 14-ft. high sidewalls. There's a 24-ft. wide, 16-ft. high bi-fold door on one side. The walls are poured concrete. The back side of the building, as well as the roof, are covered with 4 in. of insulation that has a plastic tarp over it, with a 2-ft. deep shell on top of that. "I built it in 1990 and it has worked great," says Hertz. "The only time I use any heat is when I bring in a cold piece of machinery that's covered in snow and ice. In that case I bring a space heater inside the shop. There's a bathroom inside and the plumbing has never frozen. There's also a 12-ft. long by 5-ft. wide deep pit in the middle of the building for servicing trucks and tractors." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Art Hertz, 36717 Quarry Road, Fairfax, S. Dak. 57335 (ph 605 654-2250).

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