Best way to insulate a shed in mountainous Qld -- 40 to 0 deg C

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Best way to insulate a shed in mountainous Qld -- 40 to 0 deg C

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Started 8 years ago by MaxG
Latest reply from Morbo

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MaxG
Member

I am going to sign a contract for a Colorbond clad shed on Monday.

I found this thread: http://www.ata.org.au/forums/topic/580 which goes in all sorts of directions.

What is the best way of going to insulate this shed, which I will be living in for a max. of 2 years while building the house?

The shed is an American Barn, two lean-ons, each section 4m wide, the lot is 8m deep, wall height is 2.7m, the middle section is 2.7 + 2.4 = 5.1m wall height with mezzanine floor. All outer walls and ceilings will be closed with plasterboard.
In case the questions about colour comes up: despite Surftmist and cream being the best to keep the heat out, we have decided to use Pale Eucalypt for the roofs, and Sandbank for the walls.
Expected temperatures are 40+ in summer and (up to 10) frosty nights in winter, with many single digit nights above 0.

From what I have gathered:
a) put reflective foil laminate (RFL) on the roof
b) put batts under the roof, and into the walls

The questions:
1. Where exactly does the RFL go? a) under the colorbond roof panels, or b) under the batons?
2. Should RFL be put into the wall as well?
3. What R-value of batts do I need to use in the wall and roof to achieve a comfy climate.

Many thanks in advance, Max.

Posted Saturday 20 Jul 2013 @ 6:02:50 am from IP #
Morbo
Member

your colours are not that bad, Pale Eucalypt is halfway between black and white in terms how hot it gets and Sandbank just a few more degrees.
Foil underneath the batons may be somewhat better, air gaps both sides. Wont hurt in the walls either keeps heat in in winter, too.
Can you put a false ceiling in?
Insulation would be same like in Melbourne I guess, ceiling R4, walls R2, same temperature range here.

Posted Saturday 20 Jul 2013 @ 12:47:14 pm from IP #
MaxG
Member

Thank you... I can plasterboard the slope of the ceiling or hang 'em horizontal. Why do you ask? Would this be better to lay the batts on the horizontal ceiling?

Posted Saturday 20 Jul 2013 @ 12:51:32 pm from IP #
Morbo
Member

5m high ceiling, and 0° in winter, you can heat not just till the cows come home, but till they get back to work to get that one warm. Seems beneficial in summer though.
Suspended horizontal ceiling, 2.7m is what we got, up there its 25°, down here 20°, floor 15°. Floor gets worse when it gets colder, house sits on stumps.
Batts on that. Foil under the roof, so the less heat gets into the roof space. Plain old foil does the trick, don't fall for that bubblewrap stuff, think its not worth the money, but everyone is pushing it. Ridiculous expensive.
Then again, you could do sections with this and sections with that, see what is does and then use the winner in the real house. Will be hard to measure with an IR gun initially since it has low emissivity, so the gun says something like -3°. For some off reason after a while (year or so) it measures other results. Dust? Emissivity going down? But the foil still works its majic, still get about 10K differentials.

Posted Saturday 20 Jul 2013 @ 11:22:14 pm from IP #
MaxG
Member

We only use the lean-ons to live in; the middle section won't be heated or cooled, and will be used as storage and laundry, with the mezz floor providing more storage.
The left lean-on has the bed and living room; both low traffic / low use areas... only heated when occupied; e.g. living 3 hours, bedroom 8 hours.
The right lean-on has contains bathroom, kitchen, dining, and office, heated 15 hours.

From what I gather, I will insulate all roofs (R4), and have also decided to insulate all walls (R2).
All outside surfaces (walls, roofs) will get a RFL cover.

I am happy to report one day, whether this worked out as envisaged at a comfortable level.
I also have to bear in mind that we will be using this space for no longer than two years; meaning, I have to be reasonable with the money I spend on it all.

Posted Saturday 20 Jul 2013 @ 11:43:43 pm from IP #
Morbo
Member

-can use the batts on the new one
-we don't heat the bedroom, as we have blankets. But I insulated the entire house anyway, helps in summer as well. 16 batts are $43 or so, 80m roll 1.35m high sisalation about $90. Just fish around, whats cheapest, maybe R1.5 wall batts? For just 2 years it would not have to be fancy, but still better than a container.
-can you score some materials from freecycle or demolitions
-would it be better to try external colours you would use for the new house, so you could measure the heat gain

Posted Sunday 21 Jul 2013 @ 2:44:56 am from IP #

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