Shed insulation

[alexjb1989]

First of all... sorry if this is in the wrong catagory, but i coudlnt quite place it anywhere else...

I have a cabin ( well its a glorified shed really)
http://www.jpcorry.com/uploads/a5dbc0e9-79f7-4a7d-873a-e111d6891bd1/ff log cabin1.jpg

I sleep in this place next to the house, basically i need to insulate it, and want to start with the roof.

Would it be suitable to just place some polystyrene insulation in beween the joists to the same thickness as the joists.... so basically when i look up i see the insulation not the wooden ceeling anymore.

would this be ok, or would there be problems with damp between the ceeling and the insulation??

Thank you in advance and sorry if i have not made sense!!

Alex
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P.S very sorry i also appeared to accidentally duplicated this post in the worng catagory, and cant manage to delete it!!

 

[foxhole]

You would need planning permission for it if it's used as a habitable structure.

 

[wreckedit]

I would have thought if its on your property and its only for yourself then you can stay in anything you like. I.e. a tent even.

 

[foxhole]

I would have thought if its on your property and its only for yourself then you can stay in anything you like. I.e. a tent even.

No, or you could build another property behind your own and live in it while renting your existing property, defeating planning regulations.

 

[wreckedit]

I would have thought if its on your property and its only for yourself then you can stay in anything you like. I.e. a tent even.

No, or you could build another property behind your own and live in it while renting your existing property, defeating planning regulations.

Many people do that, it's called a garden room, or a caravan. You're not trying to defeat plan.regs. by doing this it's accepted by them.
I do believe there are restrictions about there use but as long as you don't over do it. Upset neighbours etc., it's not a problem.

Some while ago on the news they featured a lady who lived in her shed so that she could let out her house to holidaymakers.

If you go to the Chelmer Canal, Heybridge you will see many people living in sheds. I did for a while. They used to call mine the Heybridge Hilton. The original got blown/exploded apart when somebody opened the door during the 1987 storm. REF: Michael Fish.

Loads on here
http://www.readersheds.co.uk/

 

[big-all]

you are simply not allowed to build a structure you can sleep in without planning

yes people flaunt it yes neibours say nowt if they arnt bothered by it

and yes councils dont notice or choose to egnore butt

iff they find out or choose to notice you will have at minimum make it not habitable [remove sleeping bathing and eating facilitys]

total removal
or some measure inbetween

 

[alexjb1989]

its literally a shed i live in in the garden on warmer eveninnig as my room in my house gets relly hot!!

 

[wreckedit]

A very good idea to do what you want to do in your shed.

You should have a look at previous posts about insulating it. There are several ways and any one of them is okay.

Also, look into the idea of a roof vent or a high wall vent to let out the heat.

 

[wreckedit]

It's literally a shed I live in in the garden on warmer evening as my room in my house gets really hot!!

If it's a top room in the house the sun can make the loft space very hot and without adequate loft insulation it will get into the room.
If it's the window letting sun in then use lined/insulated curtains and keep them closed all day. You can also get a sun reflecting plastic that sticks on the glass.

 

[alexjb1989]

cheers guys, is 75mm insulation much better than 50mm? is it worth twice the price?

 

[JohnD]

With insulation, you get diminishing returns. So if for example the first 100mm save 50% of the loss, the next 100mm will save 50% of the remaining loss, and the next 100mm will save 50% of what's left (these figures are made up to illustrate), and different materials have different insulating properties)

So suppose you lose 10kW of heat through your roof.

A layer of insulation cuts it by 50% to 5kW and saves you 5kW
The loss is now 5kW

Another layer cuts 50% of the loss (which was 5kW) so it save you 2.5kW
The loss is now 2.5kW

Another layer cuts 50% of the loss (which was 2.5kW) so it save you 1.25kW
The loss is now 1.25kW

Another layer cuts 50% of the loss (which was 1.25kW) so it save you 0.625kW
The loss is now 0.625kW

Another layer cuts 50% of the loss (which was 0.625kW) so it save you 0.312W
The loss is now 0.312W

and so on

BTW 75mm thick insulation should not cost you twice as much as 50mm. A common thickness of rolls sold today is 100mm or 150mm.

The current recommendation is for 250mm (ten inches) of insulation. The material is quite cheap, so if you are going to put in the effort of installing it, you might as well put a thick layer (or two layers, one at right-angles to the other) as it is not much extra work, by the time you have got your stepladder and dust mask out, and shifted the boxes of old rubbish in the loft.

Subsidies or free installation are available to older people, or those on some benefits. Check the website of your gas and electricity supplier and your local council.

 

[alexjb1989]

cheers for the adivice, unfortuneately i have to use use 75mm or 50mm as it is going inbetween joists in a shed, any bigger and it will look silly overhangig the joists. and im using polystyrene insulation

 

[RedHerring2]

Fire Risk!
You're sleeping in a 'one-roomed shed' with the roof full of uncovered polystyrene????

Have you ever seen it burn?

 

[JohnD]

isn't the modern stuff fire-suppressed?

 

[ajstoneservices]

I hope so You could plasterboard over the insulation.