Get an IBC tote as mentioned above. You can get used food grade ones on Craigslist for a fair price. At least around here. That is what I have been planning.
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(Pardon the mess) This is the project area. As you can see, I have about four feet in elevation to work with. The gas line is going away once my electric stove arrives this Sunday, so no worries with hitting utilities. Yes, I have done a one call for this spot in the past; No, I will not be digging deeper except possibly for the water setup but it would be less than a foot. The gutter to the right would be my water source, it currently runs under the walkway and to the left along the base of the wall to the road. I’ll plan on plumbing so overflow still goes to the road.
Also you can see below, I have a good amount of drop available. I was even considering a small pond like object like those posted above underneath the heat pump as I obviously don’t want a large amount of vegetation growing there. I’ll be re-building that retaining wall soon too, the single railroad tye in the middle is beginning to fail (why would someone build a block wall with a railroad tye in the middle?).
Honestly I’m overwhelmed with the amount of work I am creating for myself, but the only way to do it is to start one step at a time! I’m looking forward to the end result.
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That railroad tie must be an artistic signature. You can go around town and see every wall the artist did because there will be a rotting railroad tie right in the middle.
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Hate to be simplistic here… But I would suggest getting some gutter pipes and just angle them down towards the 55 gal barrels, you could probably cut holes on the top and connecting tubing with an old hose, and seal it with some glue and plumber putty, that way you can equalize how much water you have in each barrel, control overflow etc. I’ll link a video from EdibleAcres on their water catchment systems; really simplistic and functional.
Rain Water Catchment - Neat Trick for threading garden hose fittings - YouTube hope this helps! 
BIG rain - Collecting and redistributing - YouTube
Water System Upgrades!!! - YouTube
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I think it was the previous homeowners. They also graced me with flathead screws in most fastener situations.
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Sometimes simple is the best way to go. I’m putting a lot of time and effort into transforming the dirt pile into a fancy timber tech deck and natural stone wall (free is the best price for the stone from my job site). That said, I don’t think I can convince my wife to install an obvious rain barrel setup right beside our new outdoor area. I’ll be pushing it already with all the potted trees along the edges. I might be able to do regular barrels on other downspouts that aren’t as front and center.
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A singular 1,000 tank takes a lot less space than almost 20 55-gallon barrels, and makes the logistics of filling and drawing all that more simple. But if you have no need for that volume then it is not really a gain.
You could keep an eye out on CL or FB marketplace for one at half price or less.
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You also need structural support UNDER the barrels. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, so 55 of them weighs 440 pounds.
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It is perfectly legal to store rainwater in Pennsylvania.
It’s even encouraged.
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The porch suggests it was at one point hollow. With access to the backside. Is there a way to access that?
Not really. Plain dirt can easily support 1,000 pounds per square feet, my inorganic sand and rocks could probably hold in excess of 2,000.
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I saw that as well. The issue was originally with local ordinances, similarly to why I have to effectively build a patio underneath my deck to avoid permitting. Those regulations have since been adjusted.
Well, it might be hollow partially still. I can confirm the part by the gas meter is filled in because we had a leak repair a couple of years ago. I will be removing the top concrete portion of the porch to replace it with a 10x20 floating deck. The top layer of block will have to come off to accommodate the joists. I’m hoping to salvage some of that block to make the support structure for the rain catchment system. Stairs are cracked so they go too. Have I mentioned I didn’t go to school for this? 
The portion of the existing patio that is under the roof is an old coal room in the basement, so that part stays. We are considering that we want to do with that, obviously do not want to remove that concrete entirely. I’ve seen videos of people chipping away the surface and re-facing it. We may go that route and hire someone to stamp it.
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Anyway you could put a large cistern made of concrete below the porch and divert the gutters to it. The porch could literally be the cistern.
Where is the other gutter? Why not use some of that cheap plastic corrugate underground and dump all the water in there as well? Im suggesting the porch because had i built that porch its what i would have done. You would be hiding your cistern in plain site. Not to say there is anything wrong with you having a cistern. rather saying if you dont want everyone knowing its there who looks behind a hollow staircase for water? Even if you were looking for it what could anyone say? Its still the exact thing you already have more or less with a few modifications. Consider a liner or pool paint unless you dont care as most dont have that. Swimming pools work great too and you can swim in them as well speak of plain site.
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IF the porch wasn’t also the structural part of the wall of the house, I would consider this. The thought to do it did cross my mind at one point. Plus the block is beginning to crack, hence the main driver for the deck project in the first place.
I’m skeptical that above ground rain barrels are prohibited where you are. I’m pretty sure, though, that burying a rain barrel would technically fall under any drainage/catchment ordinance and thus require a permit and inspection though it would not be illegal.
Burying the rain barrels is a bad idea for other reasons.
The first and most practical reason is maintenance. I’ve got eight barrels above ground, securely mounted and properly plumbed. I drain them seasonally yet have had cracked valves and leaky seals for no apparent reason. This is without the added forces you’d be imposing on the barrels and plumbing by burying them. Even a little bit of torque on the underground plumbing could cause leaks and cracks in pvc pipe. A crack underground would allow dirt to penetrate the tank though that might not bother you for irrigation purposes.
Another reason is something much less obvious. Soil is a hydraulic medium. By this I mean that it acts as a fluid even when it is bone dry. For that reason a water tank buried underground actually wants to float to the surface.
When you go to a gas station you can usually identify where the underground tanks are buried because they have a concrete pad over them. That cap is there to hold the tanks down because they are buoyant in the soil. It’s worse for petroleum tanks because gasoline and oil are less dense than water and way less dense than soil.
The same goes for a buried plastic tank filled with water. It is still much less dense than soil so it will always want to float.
I like to keep things uncomplicated.
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why would someone build a block wall with a railroad tye in the middle?
That’s a really good question. It looks like there are actually two ties? There’s one almost at the bottom, two courses of block, then another tie?
If they are actually rail ties then they were hardwood soaked in creosote and tar. They might have been a pretty good choice of material in that case. They don’t appear to be rotted even now and that house looks to be closing in on a century old.
You can see how the soil hydraulics have been at work on that wall, though.
My pap poured a foot-thick concrete retaining wall across our back yard to terrace it when I was just old enough to hog the mud out of the footing trench.
It wasn’t a high wall, you could roost on it and your feet would nearly touch the ground. By the time I graduated college that wall had pitched forward enough that you couldn’t sit on it any more. Nature is a powerful thing.
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Maintenance is the one sticking point with my current plan. IF I put it under the deck, I need to re-design it for the boards in question so I could take off some pieces to access the tank for possible repair. Joists would have to be moved around a bit from the current simple design. Sometimes simple is better.
If they are left outside, with plastic components you might have enough freeze thaw with residual moisture to caused expansion and damage your seals. Even plastic ball valves will break sometimes and they are pretty simple. You could try burying them with a valve box to reduce the chances of that happening.
I’m familiar with the concept, I’ve backfilled (and had to re-dig) enough pipes and structures at work. Best to put 2B stone around the pipe to allow groundwater to drain as well as reduce compactive effort on sensitive components.
I understand that there is moisture within soil, but I don’t think I’ve heard it described as a “hydraulic medium” before. By definition, the terminology is correct for sure. I don’t know that I would agree with your statement about floating tanks though… Sceptic tanks function in a similar manner to what I would be installing and I don’t know of any that require a concrete cap once buried. If the area drains well enough, a floating tank will not be a concern. Now if I was putting it in heavy clay soil near the water table, I might have concerns, but I’m not.
Yes soil weighs more than water per unit volume. However I don’t see this as a concern unless the tank is completely empty. I’m not sure that I will be doing this with the tank buried, I’m still trying to work through the details. I do greatly appreciate your input. Encouragement is great but I want to know what could go wrong, because it always does.
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From the deed I believe it was built in 1956.
You are correct. The upper course is beginning to push out.
Nature is powerful. The big thing is trying to angle the wall slightly inward and providing adequate drainage on the back side to limit the effects of freezing. I already have a 50 foot long flagstone wall I built at the bottom of the property. It’s in good shape still after a few years.
Soil would not push a tank or barrel out ever, water in the soil would. If you dig and hit the water table that should give you reason to pause and ponder. Most soils never get that saturated even with torrential rains.
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