Insulation

[Designated Dave]

I am building my 24wx32lx12h pole barn and used shingles on the roof and vinyl siding on the outside to match the house. I have been debating on which type of interior matieral to use on the walls. I really like the looks and light reflection of some of the pvc panels that look like the metal siding but cannot afford those. Therefore I think I am going to use white metal siding on the inside walls and cieling. I will actually be two toning the walls ; gray on the bottom 4' and white above. That being said, If I run perlins (2' oc) on the inside of the posts (which are 8'o.c.) and hang the metal siding on those can I just blow in insulation from the top to insulate the walls? I wasn't sure if there would be too much settling with such a large space..(basically 6" x 8' - 12' high). I do not want to cut corners but working within a tight budget. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[DESTRO]

I wouldnt go the blown insulation route. I have a similaiar style pole barn and if I could do it all over again I'd stud a wall inbetween your posts [2ft OC]
and put up the 2ft wide rolled insulation on the walls and cover it up with whatever you want. I will be doing this down the road one day but now I will have to pull all my stuff down and redo it. I just put up foam board when I did it but now I wish I would have put more in there now that I'm using it more in the winter than before.

 

[Junkman]

Insulation is one of those items that doesn't cost as much as it can save you for many years to come. I wouldn't skimp on the insulation, because with rising fuel costs, it is just going to keep getting more expensive to heat the building. I would use spray foam in place insulation. I realize that it is the most costly, but it is also the best that is available today, bar none. The additional cost over fiberglass insulation will be realized in heat savings in less than 5 years, and probably less if the fuel cost continue to rise at the rate that they have been in the last year. After you have recovered the additional costs by saving fuel, you will start to realize the true savings for many years to come.

 

[Blade]

Why are you running perlins on 2' centers, I also put white metal on the inside of my garage with 10' walls and screwed them at the top to the header, bottom with a 2x4 and one in the middle with a 2x4. Just a thought. Saved alot of money on 2x4's.

 

[DESTRO]

Totally agree on the spray foam but it is $$. You will recover that $$ eventually. If ya have the cash go this route. I like the fiberglass route because I can do it in stages as time and cash allow.

 

[SteveU]

I ran 2x4's horizontally on the inside of my poles and stapled 6" fiberglass insulation between them. Then took 1/2" insulation board & attached it to the 2x4's with plywood or OSB painted white covering that. Gives me a reflective surface so it lights well and it holds shelves for storage. Only place I use blown in insulation is overhead where there is about a foot of it. Was annoying to blow in, kept getting nasty static shocks from the metal wire in the hose.

 

[carrerakid]

Cost per R-value of foam is very high. the primary benefit over fiber glass is that it seals the envelope in one simple step. Pole barns are metal and sealing the joints is quite easy and more cost effective. Destro's method along with a proper sealing& calking will perform every bit as well as foam for a lot less money.

 

[6768rogues]

I have 6x6 poles on 8-foot centers and framed between them with 3-2x6s. Then I used 6 inch batts. My sidewalls are 14-feet tall, so I cut 14-foot pieces of insulation and put them it, so easy. I covered the inside with 7/16 OSB and painted it. I bought 5-gallon cans of paint cheap at Mr. Seconds and rolled it on. The OSB soaked up a lot, but 3 coats went on quickly and it still looks good 7 years later. The bottom 3 1/2 feet is dark gray floor paint, then a 6-inch bright red stripe, and the rest is white. Electrical receptacles are every 8-feet in the center of the red band. It is very durable, things can be hung and removed, and since I screwed on the OSB, I can take a piece off if I have to change anything.

 

[Designated Dave]

6768....any pics?, I have 12' cielings and have been thinking of going with almost the same thing you did...I have a good idea of what it will look like in my head, but if you have them, that would be sweet

 

[Kevin54]

I wouldn't skimp on the insulation, because with rising fuel costs, it is just going to keep getting more expensive to heat the building. I would use spray foam in place insulation. I realize that it is the most costly, but it is also the best that is available today, bar none. The additional cost over fiberglass insulation will be realized in heat savings in less than 5 years,

I know that if I had it to do over, I would go with the foam. But it does have it's drawbacks also. Once it's foamed, there is no running more wirs unless you plan ahead. And foam will fill all voids, whereas batts will not. And with the way fuel cost are going you will recoup the extra expense fairly quickly. Think it over good so you don't kick yourself later. I also would NOT blow in insulation. For one, it will settle over the years so you will be doing it again. Secondly it is a messy process. Thirdly, if you put any metal on the inside and the insulation settles, then you have the opportunity for things to start to sweat. And with that either comes mold or rust. But that's just my $.02 on it and that won't buy you anything. LOL!!!

 

[SRS]

I also would NOT blow in insulation. For one, it will settle over the years so you will be doing it again. Secondly it is a messy process. Thirdly, if you put any metal on the inside and the insulation settles, then you have the opportunity for things to start to sweat. And with that either comes mold or rust. But that's just my $.02 on it and that won't buy you anything. LOL!!!

Kevin, here is my opinion regarding blowing in insulation. I have a Morton building and what they do is put a plastic vapor barrier underneath the ceiling trusses/cross members, then blow a fiberglass insulation above it. Below the plastic vapor barrier (what you see while in the building) is the metal ceiling, drywall, whatever. In thousands of buildings that they build per year I haven't heard of any problems. This is what I plan to do and hopefully I won't have any problems.

 

[rcozzo]

I'm just finishing a similar pole barn upgrade. 12 yr old 26x36x10 building. 6x6 posts, 8' O.C. Trusses are pre-fab on 4' centers. Exterior sheathed in vinyl and shingles over OSB. For the ceiling, because of the 4' centers, I used steel. Vapor barrier applied to bottom of trusses, white steel ceiling, and R-38 cellulose blown in over it. Needed to make an access door on the rear of the building, to the attic, to blow in the insulation. For the walls, vertical 2x6's on 2' centers, with a pressure treated 2x6 tap-con'd and glued to the concrete floor. R-19 unfaced batts and a continuous vapor barrier. I decided on 5/8 fire rated drywall, it was not much more than 1/2, and I didn't want steel on the walls. I can repair dents in drywall, not steel. I did the framing, wiring, and wall insulation and barrier myself. I farmed out the ceiling and drywall. Just finished having a Reznor 60K BTU unit heater installed and it's running very little even with the chilly Ohio weather.