This is my first time in this forum. I’ve enjoyed the little lurking I’ve done, and come to you all for some guidence. We are about to move to Amherst, MA where I will have a small barn (20’x24′) for my workshop. It is “new” construction of several years old. The inside is stud walls with no insulation. The floor is ply over joists. The whole thing is set on piers about 2 feet above the ground. The barn is already wired for 110 and 220. As fall arrives I will insulate inside with fiberglass and cover with sheetrock. The ceiling is framed at 9 1/2′, but I intend to insulate at the vault, and use the frame for storage. My questions involve the best way to insulate and close off outside under the floor. Paper backed insulation with 1/2 ply as a cover? Exterior grade ply? Is ply necessary? Also, what would be the best and/or most economical way to heat? I’d like to keep the temp. from fluxuating greatly when it’s really cold. If winter returns to the NE.
And, (this is the last), are there flouesent bulbs that are closer to the color of incandescents?
Thanks all.
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Replies
Langsdal1
Sounds like a nice place.Q1 can you crawl under the floor with out hurting yourself.If not you may consider tacking treated or cedar strips to the sides of your floor joists as low as you can,than cut treated 1/2 ply to fit between the joists being careful not to spread them apart as you go keep you joist lay out true.Now fill with your fiberglass insulation and sheet with your floor plywood.
I used OSB ply wood on my walls and ceiling in my shop(rough side out)this stuff is around 5to7 bucks for 7/16 and paints up great it will allso take a hit and won't dent like drywall, if you do not mind the seams its a great deal.I bought a Senco Duraspin to hang the walls and ceiling,this wonderful little tool paid for itself on the first day.
I would allso recommend putting hardware cloth(1/4x1/4 wire mesh) around your building to allow air flow and not critters.
Yes they do make a warm tube flouesent they cost a bit more but I have them in my shop,there nice .you local Home Depot or Lowes can point you in the right direction on this one.Hope this helps Rick ADESIGNS
I allso picked up a floor model furnace from my local heating contractor it is natural gas high eficiancy.I did all the ducting my self had the pro's hook up the gas.At 55 deg's it was running me about $40.00 to heat about 900 sq.ft.
Edited 6/12/2002 11:10:44 PM ET by ADESIGNS
Thanks Rick, Seth, and Don. I can work under the building with out hurting myself...well, let's just say there's enough room. There's always an element of the unknown when a tool sits in my hand. I will investigate closing off the space between the building and ground after insulation. This seems a good idea. The OSB ply and the warm florescents sound good, too. Radiant heat is my dream, but the cost may do me in. I'll talk with a heating pro to go over your ideas and costs. It is good to have some others to chew the fat on these things. Now,....what's a Senco Duraspin?
Keith
Keith.........
Using a forced air furnace in you shop has another plus.It will clean the air during the heating season pulling dust into a secondary filter.I have a accordion style filter near the furnace as my primary filter and a throw away filter mounted on the wall to catch most of the dust ,this works very well for me.You can enclose the underside (skirt) of your shop but I would recommend allowing air through with some vents this will allow moisture to escape,You can also staple plastic to the underside facing the ground as a vapor barrier.A Senco Duraspin is a auto feed 14.4 V screw gun,It is in my opinion one of the coolest slickest tools ever.After screwing one sheet of plywood,OSB,or drywall on a wall you will be hooked.This is no joke weekender tool this is a real work horse.The Senco company produces some of the finest air tools on the market today.
Take care.................Rick ADESIGNS
Regarding heat, the most economical heaters are unit heaters. These are the units that hang from the ceiling with a built in fan and remote thermostat. You see them in many commercial and garage settings and are available in electric and gas. Install is very quick and can easily be done yourself or installed professionally for minimal dollars. You've got the ceiling height so this may be a good choice.
Beyond these there are many, many option. Maybe a direct vent counterflow unit if you have a wall you can vent from. Also you can run a froced air furnace under the floor and returns in the walls before it's all closed up, but this'll cost bunches more for the labor. Hydronic is an option but big bucks.
Good luck.
Seth
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
It might be worth closing the area between the bottom of the building and the ground, to prevent wind and cold from being able to freely circulate under the floor (even if the floor is insulated).
With current open access to bottom of the floor, consider also radiant floor heating. More of my neighbors using that now in new outbuilding construction with concrete floors. They think it is more economical and comfortable.
Recent article in Fine Woodworking on workshop lighting that addressed not only how much light is needed, but the different choices in florescent fixtures and ballasts.
Bought two F96T12HO bulbs from Grainger's for $33 to put over the area where I spray. Didn't see the need to pay that much for full spectrum bulbs over other areas.
I like the in floor radiant heat but, hear it rebounds somewhat slowly. Consider what you do in your shop. If you paint in there and vent it well, you're pumping your heat out with the fumes. Radiant may be better than a forced air that will run incessantly and puts the heat out high. Heat rises, for this fact, you may be more comfortable if the heat is generated lower in the elevation and can be more evenly spread than coming from one concentrated heat source.
The bulbs you're looking for are around $20 here in the midwest. I believe they call them high efficiency or soft white. However, if you find yourself in lower temps, this is important because for flourescents to work properly it needs to be fairly warm or you get half lighting (for lack of better terms). The bulbs for lower temp environs may be bright enough if you keep things warmer to cover the problem you have.