Insulation ideas for steel frame shed?

I live in an area short of tradies in normal times. I have bought a property and will build a home when builders have time. There is a shed already on it that someone else has given up on. Photos attached.

The shire have approved temp accom only, due to septic, electrical and water tank and filters attached to shed.

The shed has a bathroom and toilet, but i suspect inaccurate waterproofing but will have to tackle that redo later.

I have to live in it as of nxt wk. I have tried getting assistance from the closest bunnings store for cheapest option for insulating shed properly. Helpful (said sarcastically) people have told me the existing R2 piles left in shed wont be enough but no advice on what will be.

There's a tin ceiling put in what was going to be the bed and open plan living, this appears to have already had the R2 put in place. The walls have nothing on them altho frame work at 450mm appears done, no sarking on walls altho does appear on the tin roof inside.

Hot and cold water taps appear to be where they were going to put kitchen sink thru shed wall.. I'm trying not to get pneumonia again during this process. My urgency is get 1 wall complete with what? So i can find a split sytem installer asap and have it working overtime while i tackle the rest. Help please! Any advice is something ill throw around to my capabilities and availabilities.

Sick of standing in bunnings with blank looking staff or they say they'll be back an don't return. 3hr drives wasted many times.

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haveago

Just had a look at salties earlier start on his shed. He's had a split system installed and then boxed in. Think I'll try for availability of ordering that and a sparky. Also looking at a woodfire and installation. Hoping to work around them on fixing insulation and walls. Bonus i spoze is I'll see rain leeks from instal of these.

Jason

Thanks for posting @haveago.

Let me tag some members who have completed large shed projects: @Brad, @Seaton, @TheSaltyreefer, @DIYgals.

I'm sure the ever-helpful @EricL will also be keen to assist when he is back on the site on Friday. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Jason

haveago

Cheers Jason

Getting mighty confused here with other issues like wetbacks on wood heater and hot water systems and solar. Multi tradies and is it even worth it.

TedBear

I would be considering rigid foilboard insulation rather than batts for the type of installation you are tackling. Batts will sag , making heat leak gaps after installing and will need much support. They are best suited to already lined walls and ceilings where they can be sandwiched in the wall cavity or held by gravity between ceiling joists. Rigid foam will go up faster and give a better r rating if installed correctly (a small air gap between it and the tin) than saggy batts will.

JDE

Haveago

Can you clarify what you mean by subzero temperatures. I live in Tamworth so odd morning in negatives or are we talking regular minuses. I have lined a few sheds here my wife feels the cold. Yes glass bats need to be supported so if you use them on walls you will need to line the inside. And yes the trick is to leave no gaps. In Tamworth I have used R2 and R2.5 in the walls and lined one with gyprock the other with 12mm nonstructual ply (can be screwed straight to steel frame and split aircon can be screwed straight to it). In the last 2 I have put in a ceiling and put R3.5 bats above it (overkill for here, wife really feels cold). When you buy your bats foam or glass remember they come in different widths so match them to your frame it saves a lot of cutting and wastage. Heat rises so once you line the walls most of your heat will be lost through the roof and any gaps it is important to insulate the ceiling. If you are not putting in a ceiling I would look at insulating under the roof you can get fibreglass bats with foil on one side or foam this is where you will loose most heat. I would suggest R3.5 on ceiling or under roof. Quickest way to get a start point where you are ring someone local who fits insulation and enquire ( or go to a display home in nearest town and enquire) or failing that I have been known to rock up to a building site and ask.

JDE

DIYgals

Hi @haveago ,

In our shed and studio we have used a product called aircell on the ceiling, and batts in the walls. Although we haven't had temperature sub zero we believe they are doing a good job of maintaining a more comfortable temperature than without.

Good luck with the project!

EricL

Hello @haveago

I'm glad you got excellent advice from @TedBear, @JDE, and @DIYgals . I'm so sorry you did not get the assistance you were after at the store. The conditions for placing the batts include the provision that there must be a gap between the wall and the insulation itself. This is to prevent getting mold on the insulation.

I agree with @TedBear's idea of Foil board. If you are currently in NZ it will have to be purchased from a third-party supplier. You will have to run some timber battens on the steel framework and glue the Foil board onto it. this would be the quickest way to insulate the area. You could also sandwich the current insulation that you have between Tunnelcore 2250 x 1220 x 2.5mm Black Double Walled Plastic Board also known as Corflute.

I suggest cutting the Corlfute into a rectangle that fits into the gap between the steel framing, place the insulation in, and then place another Corflute panel to the front. This will prevent the insulation from sagging and keep it away from the steel wall. You can run zip ties through them to keep them together. It's like making a stiff insulation sandwich. Please note that these are just suggestions and a more permanent form of insulation will be required.

If you need more information and advice, please let us know.

Eric

haveago

Cheers for that. Our closest town is literally has fridges decorated on roads and a is known as Fridgetown. It's colder where the block is an half way down a gully. So regularly as in, 6wks at least will be lucky to max at 10 during the day and 0 at night. I've spent yrs working in the Pilbara so anything is cold to me. Yes madness. So far I've found the local handyman. He's said the prior owner has gone for over kill and put 4.5r bats in battons above the decorative tin ceiling. The 2.5r bag was left for walls we assume. I got him to put them in behind where my kitchen will go and then buy some 3.5r bats for the rest walls of. The battons in the frame work of shed walls has been packed today. As for the ceiling we are simply leaving the tin decorative and hiding it in gyprock strapped in cross ways as the previous owner did with the tin. Split system gets installed tomorrow arvo and hoping it'll take the edge of for me. Struggling to get anyone to instal a wood heater before summer. Which now seems so cruel when i need at least 20 trees cut down and there's been 20 cut and left on the block we guess from last winter. These are all on the entry road and placement of shed so calm down greenies it wont be stripped completely. I just had to buy bag of wood from the servo for the last night in the rental because wood supplies are running out in town. Move in tomorrow either way.

EricL

Hello @haveago

It's good to hear that you've found a solution to your insulation needs. I'm sure the split system should help with bringing in much-needed heat. I suggest adding a thick rug to your floor to help retain the heat in the room. We would love to see a photo update once everything is in place.

If you need further assistance or information, please let us know.

Eric

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