Do it Yourself: [DIY] Re: Insulating a shed

18 July 2014

[DIY] Re: Insulating a shed

Posted by: "carmen" mom2mini@bellsouth.net

> We are insulating a Home Depot shed to be able to use it
> as a hobby-related area.
> We live in North Georgia so we get high humidity in the
> Summer and the occasional freezing days in the winter.
> I am hoping to be able to keep the windows open as
> much as I can when the weather allows.
> The shed is covered in a resin based siding

Hi Carmen;

Whether you are using extruded vinyl or molded polypropylene,
a conditioned space (as opposed to an unheated/uncooled storage
shed) the ideal insulation would be to first (under the siding) wrap
the exterior with rigid foam insulation, taped and sealed at all edges.
But, for your climate, house wrap would suffice. You have not told
us how much this space is expected to be heated and mechanically
cooled, or how. If it is to be continually conditioned, I recommend
using a mini-split heat pump. Shop for someone who will do the
installation for you, then buy the unit online, so you get the best
price. As for wall insulation, while cellulose is definitely better
(and usually less expensive) than fiberglass, it requires more
knowledge to install, and will not make that much difference
in your mild climate, for what may not be a fulltime occupied
structure. If it has an attic (instead of cathedral ceilings) blow
in cellulose (easy to do yourself with a blower from Home
Depot)

IMPORTANT: DO NOT install a polyethylene vapor
barrier under the drywall. Doing so could kill your building
by turning the walls into a mold farm. The warmer the climate,
the more important it is that there is not a vapor barrier on the
inside, especially if you do any mechanical cooling.

> will eventually have sheet rock walls. It is over a concrete
> slab with a good vapor plastic under the cement.

That is all good. While it is ideal to have good perimeter
slab insulation (ideally on the foundation or running outward
as an insulation "umbrella" so it would bring deeper ground
temperatures up to cool the slab in Summer) the uninsulated
foundation will have to do.

-Laren Corie-
Natural Solar Building Design and
Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
www.ThermalAttic.com (many new
photos and pages, coming soon)

Read my Solar house design articles in:
-Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter-
http://www.dongrays.com/essn/

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