Mining Cave

Our “mining cave” project is part of the basement of our 100+ yr old the brick bungalow. With all the obstructions in these old houses like a cistern and heating pipes I had to try something different. The photos are only the scratch coat. The size of the cave is 35’ x 15’ plus an entrance area and a “cave” ½ bathroom. Bathroom is simple and rustic. A hand beaten nickel vessel sink and hand pump faucet in a rock vanity. Eventually I’ll add a cave shower room by the cave entrance.

Those 6’ x 6’ timbers are not structural – just for show like they are preventing a “cave-in”. I tied them into the framework due to weight. Later vertical timbers will be added with rustic hardware for the full look.

The floor will be covered with rubber roofing (to prevent paver rattle) and then 4 sizes/2 colors of Belgian tumbler pavers for a stone feel. The floor will be one big puzzle with pieces held together by walls. No mortar. No grout.

The lighting is mostly low voltage except for outlets and “house” flood lights. I converted farmer’s oil lanterns to low voltage. Low voltage LED lights are used to wash the floor and highlight walls and arches. Everything has an amber soft tone. Old style small amber track lights will be over the 1920s bar with copper colored tin ceiling we installed. The bar has to be refinished but still has a galvanized sink and drain boards with new plumbing. And the bar still has vendor tags from 1920.

The glass block basement windows as seen in the photos will be covered with 100yr old weathered boards salvaged from the house so as to look like blocked off tunnels. They can be opened if sunlight is desired. The bathroom door and access doors to other basement areas will utilize this old wood.

The photo of the mining car is in a crawl space at the front of the house. I had to build the car (from old wood) ahead of time and the rail to fit it in the area. Later I’ll frame in the space and turn it into a “gold mine” tunnel.

One photo shows a rock cropping. That will be the location of a big screen TV with cable box, etc. on the rock. It is wired to the smaller TV that will be on a stone column by the bar.

The photo with tools in the background are antique tools we bought cheap to add to the look. Also bought a row of seats from a 1929 theater in Milwaukee to add to the cave viewing experience.

That is it. Hope this somewhat makes sense. It is a claustrophobic artistic experience -- I guess. Friends who have stopped by are kind of stunned. My wife has been helping a lot especially mixing concrete stucco in a small mixing machine and now sees the madness of the project.

Can't figure out how to add captions to the photos but I will certainly add updated photos until the project is done.

Regards and best wishes to all who have expressed interest.

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