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Insulating shed exterior

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Insulating shed exterior

Postby Wood&weld » 30 Nov 2020, 20:04

Hi all , first post on here, hoping someone can help me out.
So , my workshop is a 5m x 4m log cabin style with 45mm thick walls. When I got it about 10 years ago I naively thought the thick walls would offer some insulation, I couldn’t of been more wrong. It’s very cold in there at the minute and come summer it’s equally unbearable as it’s so hot. So I’ve decided I’ve got to insulate it somehow. I’ve seen a lot of information on here regarding insulating inside a shed but I’m wondering if there’s any reason why I couldn’t put vertical battons around the outside, then insulate in between them and then clad over the top. I was thinking of of celotex/ kingsman or similar at about 60mm .
Does this sound feasible, or have I missed something.
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Re: Insulating shed exterior

Postby Mike G » 30 Nov 2020, 20:17

It is feasible, but it will depend on the eaves details and the gable roof overhangs, plus the detail at the plinth. It would be handy to have a photo or two when you've passed the threshold (is it 3 posts??). Whereabouts is the loft/ roof insulation (because that should ideally be contiguous with the wall insulation, and that might be awkward with external insulation)? Also, what is on the inside of the walls? We might have to have a think about interstitial condensation.

You still have to form a void outside the insulation behind the cladding, by the way, so you'll be adding some thickness to your walls.
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Re: Insulating shed exterior

Postby Wood&weld » 30 Nov 2020, 20:32

Thanks Mike, my roof overhangs by about 200mm at the sides and rear but extends about 1 metre at the front.
For the roof I was thinking I could rip the roofing felt of, put battons on the roof and then insulate between them and board over with osb and then refelt. Reason for insulating outside was mainly because all the electrics are run in conduit using single core wiring and I didn’t really want to have to redo it. Plus I could do without loosing any space inside. I did think I would need a ventilation gap but didn’t really know where it should be.I was also wondering if I need a vapour barrier and where it should be.
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Re: Insulating shed exterior

Postby Mike G » 30 Nov 2020, 20:55

Yes, ideally you'd have a vapour barrier on the inside face of the walls. If you have really tight joints and thus effectively a solid 3 or 4 inch thick timber wall structure then it's less of an issue, but I just can't see the long straight joints between "logs" being vapour-tight. I'll have to have a think about this one. Maybe one of those bathroom-type paints and judicious use of a paintable caulk might be doable as some sort of second-best alternative to a proper vapour barrier.

If you're going to rip the felt off then replace it with EPDM, and you'll never have to go up there again.
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