Inside
Building the inside of the Shed
Insulation
The first step is to fill all the timber battens with insulation. I used 50mm mineral wool loft insulation, it came in easy to cut slabs, I wore a mask and gloves as it is quite itchy. To help keep the cut pieces in place, I strung some string and stapled in place.
The roof insulation was much harder to get in place - gravity. The solution was to buy some cheap (£7.99) garden netting - used for vegetables to grow up. I cut then put the insulation in place and stapled the netting to hold it.
The floor was easier to do, as I was just laying the insulation flat and not working against gravity - I used a loft insulation that came in a long roll not slabs (cheaper).
Physics
Now we have insulation, inside the shed I have hot air! Outside the shed I have cold air. When humid air hits a cold service, condensation occurs. So we add a vapour layer - to keep the water vapour inside the shed. So the layer I have in the shed are:-
- Cladding - final outside layer - keeps most of weather out of the shed.
- Breathable layer - aka housewrap aka brand name tyvek - waterproof, but breathable - think wax coat for house.
- Insulation layer - keeps the warmth in
- Vapour layer - keeps the vapour in stopping humid air hitting a cold surface.
Vapour layer - (Green)
Easy to install - just staple and more staples. I did not do it exactly perfect, I am sure there are leaks - especially where I cut around sockets. However the only time I have noticed condensation is a small part of the single glazed windows (See Physics), even with a large temperature differential. Note the floor was not covered, based upon the logic that hot air raises.
Boarding
Nothing functional about this layer - apart from to look nice, thin pliable hardboard to cover all the layer. Just quick stable to the timbers. A lesson learnt is to thin ahead about fixing this boards, as there is not a timber aligned with the end of the boards. Also I am not sure if overlaying the boards, was or was not, the best approach.
Partitioning
I wanted two areas in the shed, one for storage and one area for man shed. Simple stud wall - with insulation fitted, (insulation not strictly necessary).
Wallpapering
Decided the main part of the shed needed some improvement. The Brick style wallpaper was £10 per roll and five rolls was enough.