New Pole Barn ( Insulation ?? )

[mowerman1193 29]

In the process of building a new barn 24' x 32' with 8ft side walls. Loft is 16' wide and will be my new gym / man cave. The 8' lean-to is going to be our new padio. So I want to at least heat / cool the loft, but eventually the whole building will probably be at least heated as the downstairs parts going to be my wood work shop.

I have been hearing from several people that I should look into the spray foam insulation. My issue is I cannot seem to really find much info on the stuff. I take it that its not for a do-it-yourself type job. But I have'nt yet found any locals that do it either, ( though I have not looked real hard yet but just asked around a little) Oh ya in case it matters or not..the inside will be finished with wall board.

So has anyone here done this or have any info on it.? what about cost vrs regular bat insulation etc.

Anything you have to say about this at all would be great.

BYW, We have the roof done, this is a picture from last week, LOL

Thanks,

Kevin

[CRE1992 135]

Nice garage! my dad had spray foam insulation and it worked out perfectly. Call up an insulation company they might be able to explain it to you better.

[decksetter 50]

We are working a house that is going to have spray foam insulation. Itis more expensive but definitely better. Not sure where you live, the company found ours is Eco Comfort I think. Pretty sure they are out of indy.

[kloe0699 12]

Closed cell spray foam is the way to go. It eliminates drafts, moisture problems and adds structural strength. There are kits you can buy online to do it yourself. I have never tried it though, it looks like a headache. My brother had his downstairs done and while the guy was there we had him insulate 2 ice shanty's. The stuff is pretty impressive. I would check with your local builders to see who they use. Nice barn. :handgestures-thumbup:

[Fun Engineer 859]

Nice barn Kevin. If you plan on heating and insulating, make sure you insulate the foundation with rigid foam, otherwise you'll lose a lot of heat from the floor. I know there are companies in the TC area that do spray foam. Don't know where your located. If I had it to do over again, that's the route I'd take on my house. My garage is also insulated with fiberglass, 6 inches in the walls and 18 inches in the ceiling. I don't need it as warm or comfortable as the house. I think it depends upon how you intend to use the space. It may cost a little more but you will save money and be more comfortable if you spend a lot of time in there.

[wh500special 2,053]

Spray polyurethane is really good performing stuff, but it's not a DIY thing.

The PU is a reactive mixture that uses a little air to help seed the bubble forming process. It's incredibly sticky, reactive with water, and before being cured contains some materials that aren't the most healthy things to inhale. If you get it in your eyes, you're hosed.

Improperly done, it also can swell walls and relocate framing members for you. Plus you'll likely overfill the stud bays and waste a lot in trimming the excess.

Hire a pro.

You may want to consider, and ask your pro first, about installing some conduits or chases in case you want to later run electrical lines, ducts, pipes, etc. Foamed in place walls are pretty resistant to fishing new wires or mechanical runs.

NICE shop space!

Steve

Steve

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Very nice looking barn. Love the "Man Cave" upstairs!

[Hydro 130]

Definately go with the foam. From up here I have no idea about costs but if you plan on being there for 5 years or more it's worth the investment. If anything that product will be cheaper for you than us. More resistent to rodents too which may be something you had not thought of. The reduction in heat loss will pay you back in energy savings. :twocents-02cents:

[can whlvr 991]

im a contractor and have used spray foam a few times,its about 5-6 times the cost of bat insulation,pretty much every thing thats been stated allready is great advice,if you cant afford spray foam you could use rigid foam insulation and buy a good foam gun that can be purchased at home depot for windows and doors,to fill in the cracks you miss,i highly recommend insulating with rigid 2 inch at minium under the concrete floor and down about 2 feet around the perimeter,looks like you have sono tube foundation,or straight posts buried,just dig up around the perimeter and it will help alot to keep her warm in winter,up here you have cover foam insulation for fire hazard reasons,and i agree that batt insulation is not great for rodents,im a huge fan of spray foam,but its very costly,but worth it if you have the budget,if not i would use the rigid styrofoam sheets

[Horse'n Around 22]

Congratulations on the man cave!!! Thats a beauty!!!

[312Hydro 473]

Great looking man cave! Are you concreting the floor? If you do ,you might want to think about in the floor hot water heating(hydronic). You can only do it before the floor is poured and you need to use 2" rigid foam under it. the heat source can be added later but putting the tubing in is the most important.That's a great building! :handgestures-thumbupright:

[mowerman1193 29]

Thanks for all the nice comments and for all the great advice as well. I will call a few contractors and find out about the stuff. When its done the garage will probably heat easier than my house, Hahaha. Like someone else mentioned though, its doesnt have to be as warm as my house....But heat loss is heat loss whether you keep it at 50 degrees or 80 its still money going air. I suppoose that would be different if you only go out in the garage a day or two a week and only heat it for that time with a wood burner or something.I intent to be in it a few hours per day. Though 50 degrees would be fine in there. I think at 50 would be much better than the old barn with no heat or insulation and most times the door wont even shut all the way, lol

Thanks again everyone,

Kevin

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,040]

Cost is the biggest factor for you to consider. The term "R" valve simply means the air movement in and out of the building. Are you planning on pouring a floor? IMO if you are going to rock it you should first staple a decent mil vapor barrier to the studs from the inside. Then put up your rock. This will keep the moisture "outside" the space rather than on the outside of the insulation which if it gets wet will retain moisture "inside" the space. Next I would use a company that sprays loose insulation in the walls through a small hole.

In terms of the spray foam I would stay away seeing as though it is so contractor sensitive and I think the cost is much higher. I am getting permits together to build a similar size barn but I will not be insulating it rather overheating a smaller area with a wood stove. Heating a 24 x 36 foot barn is not something I want to do... Barn looks great!

[shorts 182]

When I built my 32 x 32 x 12 shop with conentional framing we used fiberglass batts and covered it with plastic under the 5/8 drywall. all of my electric is surface mounted in conduit so changes are easy to make as needed. I also have radiant gas heat ceiling mounted.

If I were building now I would have a skincoat of foam sprayed on the inside of the exterior structure and between that and the wallboard with either fiberglass bats or blown in insulation. Put the electric on the surface of the walls for easy acess and to maximize the insulation envelope. I would also insulate and install tubing for radiant heat before having the concrete floor installed, the floors will stay warmer in the winter even if you don't use the infloor radiant heat.

nice building,

good luck

[varosd 1,185]

WOW! nice project now if my wife would only let me build something like that!!!! My brother in law bought a house and since he restores muscle cars as a hobby, he found a house on 6 acres with a detached building with radiant heating in the concrete floor and seperate forced HVAC. the PO had done snowmobile collecting/repair and had the warm floor and drains for all the snow!

[mowerman1193 29]

Well we have to new shop all up...now I just need to get to wiring up the power, insulation, and wallboard.. I still have not decided what I will do with the insulation other than I am quite sure its not going to be the spray foam. Proabably just going to use the fiberglass batts for the lower part and I think on the upper part will be reflective foam sheets..There is not a lot of room for much insulation up in the loft part for this style building and I need a air space for the roof vent air to flow out of.

First two pictures is the front

Then a picture of the lean-to ( padio )

The a picture of the back

I put a lot of ( 7 ) windows for light and for air...maybe even a window air unit since I traded the original slider ( pole barn style windows ) for double hung windows. Man I sure am exited to get moved into this shop since I have been all summer with the power cut off from my old pole barn..

Thanks everyone that has replied with your suggestions for insulation etc.

Kevin

[varosd 1,185]

looks great Kevin! love the foresight to add the covered patio. sit back and enjoy the cold beverages!

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Very very nice...