Insulate/Upgrade Existing Pole Barn/Shop

[2manyrocks]

Although you lose a minor bit on interior space by attaching interior purlins /rails to the posts, this is probably the fastest method. OSB or metal would be good for the interior walls. If the only purpose of OSB on the ceiling is to hold the insulation in place, I start thinking about running furring strips and 1/4 plywood instead of adding trusses.

Anyone care to venture a guess about material costs? Are they going to come down (like most 401k plan balances) or stay up?

 

[EddieWalker]

I haven't priced it out for myself lately, but...
For the walls, you might price out foam panels to nail to the existing purlins, followed with osb.

I think this is the most cost effective way to go. You already have the purlins in place, so there is no need to buy any more lumber for your walls. 3/4 inch foam is $12 a 4x8 sheet at Lowes or Home Depot. 2inch is quite a bit more, but with allot better R factor. Nail the foam up and then covering with OSB will give you everything you want in one quick and easy step.

As for your vent in the peak, this might cause some problems as it is. From what I understand, you have just a cap over your peak and the ridges of the roof are creating the vent space. This is fine for an open roof as it allows air movement out of the building, and if any water comes through during a storm, there's no damage because it goes straight to the floor.

Installing a ceiling will change this. Water that comes in from a storm will destroy the insulation and eventually rot out your trusses. You can either seal off those gaps with rubber foam designed for this, install a ridge cap that does not have the air gaps, or come up with something on your own.

Then either install a new peak vent that is water tight, or gable vents at both ends. Venting is very important and needs to be done before you get too far into putting in the ceiling.

As for the ceiling, I wonder if you could just put the foam panels up onto the purlins already in place? I hadn't thought of it in my own shop, but after reading Bungee's suggestion and agreeing with him on using it for your walls, why couldn't you do the same with the ceiling? I'd probably use screws with fender washers, but otherwise, you wouldn't need any OSB or anything else. You would still have your ceiling height and the ease of running anything across your rafters in the future if you needed to. If you put in a ceiling and insulated it with blown insulation, or even rolled fiberglass, it would be very awkward and difficult to add wiring across the shop if you decided you needed it in the future. With foam panels, you could do this easily any time you wanted.

The more I think about it, the more I like that idea. I'm gonna do some checking on this, as it has allot of merit.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[survriggs]

Whoa! that's an idea for the ceiling. I just call my local lumberyard and 2" x 4' x 8' styrofoam is $32/sheet that equates to $864 for the walls and $864 for the ceiling. Kinda pricy!

1" is $14.79/sheet that would take it to $800 for both walls and ceiling. That would certainly take care of my weight concerns for the ceiling! Only problem I see leaving the styrofoam exposed is accidently poking a hole in it....and also the cost of 2"...

I'm going to have to do some figuring on my other options but this may be the most cost effective and quickest.

I'm on my way to the lumberyard and will post comparisons later.

 

[BungeeII]

I think you should stick with metal for the ceiling and cellulose for the insulation there. It's the walls you may want to simplify with foam & osb.
(Or, that's at least what I have pseudo-planned for my own older pole barn. Plus, I've had 2" exposed foam insulation on a new pole barn. That barn had an osb ceiling and cellulose.)

 

[MarkV]

I believe Eddie is saying to run styrofoam below the roof metal and attached to the purlins supporting it leaving a vaulted ceiling. If not, I would not run 8' spans of styrofoam between the bottom cords of the trusses unsupported.

MarkV

 

[survriggs]

OK, here's the scoop:
Insulation - 6" openface for ceiling 864 sq. ft......................................$370
Insulation - 3-1/2" w/vaporbarrier for walls, 864 sq. ft...........................$263
OSB 7/16 for ceilings and walls $6.60/sheet.........................................$356
Studs for purlins and walls 24" centers & plates....................................$140
Labor............................................................................................Free
Total .......................$1129
I have a contractor friend that does several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year with this lumberyard that will purchase for me and should save me some off of this price.

I have the end vents and enough metal to replace the skylights, so adding the "Oh No! I forgot to figure that" allowance, if I can get by less than $1500 I'll be happy.

I plan to heat it with a Schrader airtight wood stove that I have.

 

[survriggs]

As for the ceiling, I wonder if you could just put the foam panels up onto the purlins already in place? I hadn't thought of it in my own shop, but after reading Bungee's suggestion and agreeing with him on using it for your walls, why couldn't you do the same with the ceiling? I'd probably use screws with fender washers, but otherwise, you wouldn't need any OSB or anything else. You would still have your ceiling height and the ease of running anything across your rafters in the future if you needed to. If you put in a ceiling and insulated it with blown insulation, or even rolled fiberglass, it would be very awkward and difficult to add wiring across the shop if you decided you needed it in the future. With foam panels, you could do this easily any time you wanted.

Eddie: Sorry, I didn't read this post very well, MarkV brought it out - it's a great idea - now I'm back to the drawing board.
Ralph

 

[MarkV]

Ralph if you decide to go with the flat ceiling you should price the option of blowing cellulose insulation into the ceiling cavity. You can often gain a greater R value at a better price. It will be readily available at most lumber yards and they normally have the blowing machine available to rent at a reasonable rate.

MarkV

 

[dodge man]

I have seen metal buildings insulated with a material desinged for them. Kind of has a heavy vinly coating on the side that shows. I don't know how much this stuff costs or how easy it is to work with. It wouldn't be as finished looking as the OSB or similar material. By the way, I'm a land surveyor in Illinois.

 

[Conservation]

The foam would work great if you don't need a high R value.
I missed the part about the ridge vent. Is it a purpose meant ridge cap? They use those on homes also. It is very important to vent the attic to get mosture out. If you let the air up there get hot and moist, it will ruin insulation and eventually the wood. If you need high r value, osb and blow in has been the highest bang for the buck from what I have found. Steel is nicer, but more expensive.