Basement ideas?

[Mortblanc]

Why on earth would anyone dig a 700 sq/ft cellar with no access and only 5 ft hight?

One would logically dig out enough to stand in and have easy access even if it were only intended as a root cellar.

This sounds like a good plan that ended badly, a full basement that was never finished.

First thing to do? Buy a long utility cord and drop a light down there for a thorough inspection. If it is simply a hole in the dirt you will probably have problems with damp, as BP commented.

I would not want to see you go to jail running a "grow house" but you might have the start of a good mushroom farm!

That 1.5x3 foot access is going to present problems no matter what you try to use it for.

Is that access a trapdoor inside the house or a crawl space foundation opening?