DIY cellar tanking project - how much work?

[d000hg]

I've a cellar in our new Victorian house, not massive at about 1/6 the footprint of the house but still about the size of a largish single bedroom and a very usable space; my idea was to use it either as a gym or brewery as I do a lot of home-brew (hence the need for a gym )

It has a solid concrete floor and rough plastered/painted walls which are a bit crumbly. It is not actually super-damp or mouldy, just a slight hint in the air, but I figure there's little point decorating it without addressing this first?

I'm aware of the idea of 'tanking' such a room by essentially putting in a plastic sheet and building a self-contained room within a room. On first glance it seems relatively simple but is it? I've tinkered with various DIY projects and grew up watching my dad gut houses but it doesn't come naturally to me. It seems like it could be a good learning experience as we have no current use for the space so I can afford to balls it up, but if it's a hard-core task I probably want something easier as a project!

 

[^woody^]

I't a bit more than putting a plastic sheet up. Any system will fail, no matter how good the workmanship or materials used, the only difference is the time before failure. So in addition, you need a back up drainage or pump system.

And building regs should also apply for ventilation, fire safety and escape and such like.

 

[d000hg]

It's been there 140 years without flooding (to my knowledge), my interest is simply keeping the air dry since the brickwork is not damp-proofed. Although for brewing purposes a floor-drain might be useful, I was thinking a secondary floor so I can sluice buckets out, etc.

At what point do building regs apply? I have no intention in re-classifying it as anything other than a cellar, I just want a cellar that isn't damp andy musty for my own personal use. If I decide to have a tanked cellar is that notifiable, or only if I want to call it a room?

Thanks for pointing out those points.