insulating shed/office

[matt73]

hi,

just built a 3mx3m timber framed shed with truss roof. it is made of 50mmx50mm carcassing with 12mm shiplap cladding. my question is :

how can i insulate the shed so it can be used as an office. i am probably going to board it out so it can be quite clean and finished inside. i am concerned about damp coming through the timber frame and damaging anything inside. whats the best way of insulating and preventing damp. there will be electric inside so it has to be correct.

any ideas?

by the way the floor is laid directly onto the concrete base with 2 layers of dpm. the floor joists are wrapped to prevent any damp and there are floorboards fixed to them. i am considering fixing another layer on top of the boards to allow for room for floor insulation (not decided yet)

any help would be great

ta
matt

 

[noseall]

condensation will always be an issue, but you could try and cocoon yourself in a celotex skin. say, 50mm celotex board on floor walls and ceiling and then fix a more decorative fabric to the celotex, ie. plasterboard and skim or painted plywood sheets or plastic panelling etc.

but it will still be a shed with an awful lot of money thrown at it.

have you considered building an extension?

 

[matt73]

the extension is next.....

thanks for your reply.

i have ventilated the eaves. do you think putting a cavity inside the carcass with another timber frame built inside would be of any use? in other words it would be like a shed within a shed with a cavity. then i could insulate the innner frame and add breather paper membrane etc.

wat you think?

matt

 

[noseall]

any form of insulation is going to help. whether it's an air gap, insulation cell, inner stud skin, brick surround etc etc.
but whether you will achieve a condensation free, balmy-warm, snug and cosy office-shed-from-home, is another story.

the shed's outer fabric will deteriorate with time simply because it is a shed.

you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. but yes, you can improve on a basic shed. it will depend on how much money you wish to spend on a temporary project.

 

[matt73]

thanks for that.

i know what you're sayin, i'm not tryin to create a room suitable for living in. just something thats primarily gonna keep out the damp (to a degree)

would an air gap between the outer frame and an inner frame help stop water tanking through the wall or shall i just save time and effort and just insulate the outer framing, board over the insulation and leave it at that. do you think plasterboard would just suck up any moisture and be knackered p.d.q?

if i just insulate frame of shed and board over it what insualtion would i use?

thanks mate

matt

 

[tpj]

Hi i did this last year, I converted an old summerhouse into my home office I used 1 inch polystrene sheets in the wall with paint t&g over. I also used about 4 inches of insulation in the ceiling and the room is lovely and warm even in winter with a small pannel heater. I had laminate floor as well ontop of the concret but used a layer of foof felt a a damp proof course and then laminate ubnderlay ontop of that and its fine too!

I had the full works in there, phoneline, broadband, intercom to the house, alarm, plenty of sockets and tv point, bespoke handpainted furnitre, 4 seater leather sofa. Its great, everyone who comes to the house loves it - so really its NOT just a shed at the end of the day!

Im extending mine this summer again too - with a hot tub room!

Good Luck!!

 

[matt73]

thanks for that.

1 have 2" timber frame with shiplap cladding 12mm all over the outside.

are you saying you just put polystrene sheets inside the shed carcass and then boarded over the polystrene???

did you put in any sort of damp proofing in the walls?

i am basically trying to make myself some space.... the babies are taking the house over...

do you suffer from condensation on the windows, if so have you found a way are sorting it out.

thanks mate,

matt

 

[JohnD]

12mm shiplap is quite good... a pity you weren't able to apply felt under the cladding to make it more waterproof.

If you line the walls with a rigid board insulation, tightly joined, that will keep the weather out of the room but will not protect the frame. It will also add rigidity. I can't see that you'd need an additional frame for the lining.

Have a think about keeeping the bottom of it off the wet ground. If you can jack it up and add paving slabs or something that will help. Rainwater splashing up from the ground will be a problem.

I have a feeling it is not worth spending a lot of money on what is essentially a temporary building.

 

[tpj]

I painted it with some Black Jack Pitch stuff I had lying around to seal it then just polystyrene insulation and then boarded over. Make sure you put a vent in too I had to do that after!

 

[tpj]

As for the windows mine are only single glazed, I did have condensation but fitted an adjustable vent grill near to the window wall. I also bought this film stuff from ikea to make the windows 'frosted' for security as theres a computer, tv etc in there this reduced the condensation build up too. I will be getting a dehumidifier but only because im having the spa room built off of the office. If you send me your email address i can send you some photos if you like?

Good luck.

 

[matt73]

thanks guys.... a real help.


matt