Insulation recommendation

[Richwoods]

Looking for insulation recommendations for my Pole barn in Middle TN. 30x40x14, leaving the ceiling open. I plan to add a split unit. The barn currently does not have any type of insulation on it.

My original plan was spray foam. Then I decided on doing foam boards myself, to save some money. I'm just not 100% on either. Maybe there's a better option out there.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The most important thing to insulate the ceiling/roof. 4" minimum. More is better. Skip the walls short term. Put your money above your head.

 

[ericm]

I like to have a ceiling and an attic vented to the outside. That way the radiant heat from the sun isn't directly heating the insulation. But a "hot deck" roof with insulation against the inside of the roof panels works too. You don't want a gap between the roof panels and the insulation. If there is a gap, the air in the gap that is heated by the panels leaks out into the conditioned space.

The easiest way to do it is spray foam but it is also expensive. There's some question if spray foam against steel panels is a good idea or not. You can cut and place rigid foam, sticking it in place and sealing it with spray foam.

 

[manwithtools]

I have similar question. I'm in middle TN as well, 32 x 48 x 12. I'm leaning towards spray foam and foam boards. I will have a mixture of attic, scissor and standard trusses to deal with.

 

[Hohn]

I'd consider the Roxul stone wool. The product intrigues me and I like the idea of the enhanced fire resistance and acoustic damping. (The have a "safensound" product tailored for the sound and acoustic benefits to the detriment of the thermal properties, but the thermal product also offers some acoustic and fire benefits).

 

[BB_TN]

I have been going back and forth on this for months......still can't decide which way I want to go with a 30x50x12. Sounds like all of us in Middle TN need to just get together to get a volume discount on spray foam!

 

[njk4o5]

anybody use one of the spray foam kits? from amazon, home depot, etc?

 

[dcg9381]

anybody use one of the spray foam kits? from amazon, home depot, etc?

I have, but I just had to do a repair (not a fault of the insulation).
Tigerfoam makes a kit.

But for most spaces, a contractor can do it for less than what you can DIY for...

 

[Scotto]

For my pole barn with trusses 4' apart, I covered the ceiling with 3' wide ribbed roof panels, then blew in about 18" of Atticat blown in insulation. I think it was about $1000 for the insulation and $1300 for the metal ceiling, which is less than it would have been spray foamed and I have an actual ceiling so not heating all that unused space in the winter.
I also have R13 batts in the walls and it's crazy how much it helped. The garage won't go over 80 degrees, even if it's 100 outside. Well worth the time/effort IMO.

 

[Captain_Slow]

For what it's worth, I did a mix of spray foam, cellulose, and fiberglass batts.
Spray foam was to seal around the eaves and truss carriers, make sure the shallow parts of the roof hit a high enough R-value to avoid ice dams.

Fiberglass batts were in one interior wall between radiant heating zones and in the scissor truss portion of the ceiling.
The walls are packed with cellulose, and R49 cellulose on the ceiling. Cellulose makes sense because I knew I was going to have drywall on the walls and ceiling.

Like someone said above, you'll get the most bang for your buck on the ceiling. If you put some kind of actual ceiling in (drywall, liner panels, etc), cellulose should be pretty cheap to have blown in.

 

[BB_TN]

My pole barn has 12” overhangs, lots of gaps due to the nature of a pole barn but no actual “official” venting (no ridge vent, gable vents or soffit vents). Seems like I’d need to consider attic venting options if I close it in & go the blown-in insulation route?

The “closed in” option is the best bang for the buck. What do you do when you want to add something? Additional outlets/circuit/etc. My trusses are 5’ center so it’s not like I could get up there & move around.

 

[Stick-man]

Looking for insulation recommendations for my Pole barn in Middle TN. 30x40x14, leaving the ceiling open. I plan to add a split unit. The barn currently does not have any type of insulation on it.

My original plan was spray foam. Then I decided on doing foam boards myself, to save some money. I'm just not 100% on either. Maybe there's a better option out there.

Thanks for any feedback.

Hello neighbor, I'm in mid-south Shovel, TN (I think you might know what that means)
I have a 35x43 I just had sprayed with 1". I can't believe how awesome that stuff is! I the late afternoon, there is probably a 30*F difference between the insulated area, and a spot I didn't want sprayed. Sorry I can't help you with another method, I just wanted to say how happy I am with the spray.

 

[Stick-man]

I have been going back and forth on this for months......still can't decide which way I want to go with a 30x50x12. Sounds like all of us in Middle TN need to just get together to get a volume discount on spray foam!

I used a local company, he was the best price and he was the only one that told me I really only needed 1" instead of 2". When I conferred with a friend that use to do spray, I think he said like 95% of the effectiveness is in the first inch.

 

[racecougar]

What do you do when you want to add something? Additional outlets/circuit/etc. My trusses are 5’ center so it’s not like I could get up there & move around.

Surface mounted EMT solves that issue.

 

[My Old Tools]

Down here, plastic backed roll insulation is pretty common. Mine had the frame wrapped with 4" before the panels went on. Then I had an additional 8" strapped on the roof. 30x40x12 with a 6/12 pitch roof. 36k MrCool is a bit of an overkill, but works great.

 

[Richwoods]

I ended up going with foam board insulation. 4x8 sheets. 3inch for the ceiling and 2inch for the walls. Still working on it but I can already tell it's going to make a huge difference. I am spray foaming in between gaps (if it's touching I am not) and I will tape all the seams. Will report back when I am done with a review of foam board.

 

[dcg9381]

I used a local company, he was the best price and he was the only one that told me I really only needed 1" instead of 2". When I conferred with a friend that use to do spray, I think he said like 95% of the effectiveness is in the first inch.

For a residence, I target the recommended (Energy Star) values based on climate zone.
For a shop that I'm not heating/cooling all the time, I'll definitely go with less as the cost of insulation won't pay back over time. I'll throw a little HVAC BTU at it.

For what it's worth, I did a mix of spray foam, cellulose, and fiberglass batts.
Spray foam was to seal around the eaves and truss carriers, make sure the shallow parts of the roof hit a high enough R-value to avoid ice dams.

IMHO, this is the way to go. You get the sealing properties of spray foam and you add R value via traditional insulation without the $$ cost for additional inches.