Need your help again AHR. In my basement the exterior block wall in the unfinished rec room has a rectangular bump out (about 5' wide x 2' deep, and from floor to just about level with the bottom of the floor joists) where a chimney and fireplace used to be. The chimney was removed a while ago. The builder capped the top about a foot above ground level with a concrete cap (poured on top of a PT piece of plywood). It has proved to be weatherproof. I was originally intending to seal off the void in the basement, by building a stud wall level with the walls either side. A lot of the old firebrick is still there and I had no plans to touch it.
If you're with me so far you can probably tell where this is going... I am contemplating clearing all the masonry and using the space as a wine cellar. Ideally this would be sealed from the rest of the room (walled off and maybe with an exterior door). I live in the MN and the temperature down there is ideal (with the heating and cooling off) year round (in the high 50's to low 60's). If I do this I guess I would have to waterproof the interior with drylok or something similar. But probably not insulate (the idea being to use the constant temperature of the earth). Maybe I'd need to insulate the ceiling (underside of the concrete cap) and maybe actually the first couple of feet of block down from the top with pink/blue board (just to avoid it getting too cold in the winter).
Any thoughts anyone? My main worry is creating a breeding ground for damp and mold. It does not need to look pretty. Would appreciate any thoughts!
Cheers
Cub