How to insulate new home office?

thebakery

Hi, 

I am building an outdoor home office, that will consist of timber frame and will be cladded. As I understand it, I need to wrap the frame in a builders wrap to act as a moisture barrier. 

is there a product that offers this moisture barrier for the cladding and as insulation so i don’t need to purchase additional insulation. Does this product work https://www.bunnings.com.au/ametalin-1350mm-x-60m-silverwrap-md-reflective-wall-insulation-60m_p0810104

I’m based in Sydney the office will be in direct sun-slight with minimal shade. Strucutre is about 2.4 x 3.2 and 2.4 high. I intend on insulating under the colourblind roof 

appreciate your advice. 

Jewelleryrescue

Hi @thebakery

I think the best  insulation is Foil board (below) for sheds as it blocks most heat and is  moisture proof/barrier and create an air gap between the shed wall and inner frames,  The  air gap is crucial to disapate most condensation forming on the inside of a shed wall. Many people put a layer of ply 10mm over the inside of the shed frame work  as an inside wall.

So the shed wall looks like  first the tin wall then ,  air gap,  then foil board between the frames then plywood over the inner walls.   I would  glue  foil board to ply sheets so its one wall piece, The air gap circulates air and helps disapate condensation, The  air gap also insulates, the foil board stops moisture and insulates the ply also insulates.

The frame of the shed will conduct heat from the outside through to the metal inside so the ply over it will help block that conducted  heat too.

Heat transfers in different ways 

1 Radiant heat like when you to close to a heater it burns to the side.

2 Conduction The sun on one side of a metal door will heat up through the metal and transfer on a lesser scale inside.

3 Convection where the air above the heat source warms the air upwards and it circulates around an area and cools until it is reheated from radient or conduction source again

So  @thebakery  the foil insulation you meantion is very good at blocking Radiant heat in the roof and walls where it also has a air gap to slow convection heat transfer.  But it only has a low  level of polyester blocking conduction heat through the middle it dose work to a degree.

I bought and imported a thermal heat shield with plastic it is very similar to what they use in space craft and sewed it into my curtains (it works very well summer or winter.) at the windows as  curtain material creates a thermal break combined  with heat trapping top pelmet and making a natural  closed air gap.   any how thats my little side experiment.

Foil  board comes in different sizes and quantities, 

Foilboard 10mm x 2400mm x 1200mm Standard 10 Insulation - 10 x 2400 x 1200

I/N: 0125954    $29.51

Now  consider Foil  board it has the reflective silver on two sides Keeping radiant heat out and in at winter time (Radient heat stopped)  with a sandwich of foam in the middle that creates a thermal break from on side to the other all but stopping (Conductive heat transfer). 

Because the inside of the foil  remains cool there is low  convection heat.  So it will work better in the walls too. as well as provide a moisture block.