Need suggestions for converting Barn to shop?

[troy fab]

I want to weather proof my barn and make it into a heated shop. The issues are It is made of rough cut pine with just ferring covering the spacing of the boards. I used 30" centers when I built it thinking, hell, it is just a barn. Floor is a cement slab that has been there for 50 or so years, it has cracks thoughout, again I built on top of this thinking , hell, it is just a barn. I already talked to a concrete guy and he said without ripping the existing floor out and repouring it will just crack again ir he skim coats. I have already ran 100 amp service to it, so power is under control. My main concern is sealing off the existing barn board and not creating a haven for bug, bees, mice ect. Looking for what to use for this, should I plywood of some other type off weather proof material,on the inside and restud? any suggestions would be helpful.
thanks an advance,
Steve

 

[troy fab]

Anyone...help...suggestions...anything...please....

 

[jim hallman]

Neat barn, not sure where you are located, but one way would be to spray foam the inside of the exterior barn boards and then vapour barrier and cover the inside with whatever you choose, probably at least half inch plywood considering the span of the studs.

 

[dirttracker18]

Nice thought Jim but I would not do that unless you cover the exterior from the inside. Otherwise you will have spray foam oozing out of every crack on the wall. That would be a big mess to clean up.

On the other hand, foam panels cut to fit would work.

Interesting to see some of the creative ideas from GJ.

 

[countrytech]

I love that building.

Before you do anything, I'd put a bug bomb or fumigate it proper to make sure you kill off any bugs that may have taken residence. In my old building the spiders and all kinds of crazy looking critters crawl out of the woodwork...

Because you have such a tall roof, it would be a good idea to put a ceiling in there w/attic access. This will help with heating it tremendously. My shop doesn't have a ceiling and all my heat escapes to the top and it's hard to keep it warm down where I am working.

For the floor, you could do something like racedeck to cover that concrete but that can get expensive.... so it depends what your budget is for the project.

It's too bad you have to cover up those boards to make the inside usable and insulated. but if you do, I'd for sure use 1/2 plywood for the walls because of the wide spacing between studs. It will make hanging stuff on the walls so much easier and more secure. It should help shore up the building for the long term as well.

Keep us updated with pictures!

 

[Herb]

Well, this is what I would do. Strip off all of the batten strips- they should be 1" thick? Turn them horizontally 24" apart and glue & screw them back on fastening into the studs wherever possible. Next, apply some 1" isocyanurate insulation panels between them, wrap with Tyvec and re-side with your choice of siding. I think I would use t&g boards or 1/2" plywood covered with cedar shingles. If you went the plywood route you could skip the tyvec over the insulation and use it over the plywood. I would not give up the look of the inside as it is by infilling and covering it up.

 

[T.Low]

Nice thought Jim but I would not do that unless you cover the exterior from the inside. Otherwise you will have spray foam oozing out of every crack on the wall. That would be a big mess to clean up.

On the other hand, foam panels cut to fit would work.

Interesting to see some of the creative ideas from GJ.

Couldn't you Tyvek the inside of the exterior walls first (tightly following the contour around the studs, too) , then insulate?

Do the doors fit tightly enough to keep critters out?

Can you take a grinder to the floor cracks so the slabs meet evenly (feather them in), then crack fill?


I have similar issues with an outbuilding, but I still can't decide if I need to enlargen it first. (I have two garages and my 4x4 van won't fit in either one. ****.)

 

[4Tool$]

If you live in the snow belt, Just one word of warning.

I have a very nice pole barn. When it was built they didn’t
accommodate for the building being heated & didn’t use
the proper roofing underlayment / “ice guard”.

Hence, when the pole barn was later insulated & finished
the roof was not correctly set up for heating & it caused
premature rotting & roof failure.

This problem was corrected when I had my roof redone.

 

[1949 caddyman]

I would add studs to the walls. One in between existing studs. Also put one on center to accomadate future 4x8 interior wall boards.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Right off the bat- I'd say spray foam it. All the boards look pretty tight and the batten takes care of the seam (so I wouldn't worry about "oozing").
But. Yeah, there's always a but. Is the cost of the spray foam worth it for the amount of time that you would actually be in it when heated? Most likely not.
Other alternatives? Rigid foam board- less expensive than spray. It would be a DIY.
F/glass batt- much less expensive than spray foam. Also a DIY. However, unless the sheathing is airtight you won't get the full R-value of the batt insulation- it'll act more like an air filter than an insulator.
The trick to the rigid board- use 2". Cut to fit every cavity as tight as possible. Fit it to the cavity flush on the inside, leaving an air gap between it and the B&B siding. This will allow the boards to breathe and not hold moisture (especially since there appears to be no sealer on the exterior due to the severe silvering). Caulk or foam gaps, cover with d/wall and/or other material if you have no restrictions for out buildings.

Trying to use a vapor barrier/retarder within every cavity is just self defeating- there'd be so many holes/seams that it would serve no purpose at all.

 

[bobadame]

If you do foam it (I would) don't worry about oozing through the cracks. A couple of years of exposure to the sun will cause the oozed material to turn into dark orange dust.

 

[troy fab]

Thank guys, i. Do want to mention that i want the outside to look as is. Heat would be set at 45 degrees most of the time, just to keep motorcycles warm in the winter months. Heat would go up to 55ish when i work in there. I will read through all of these post again and let them sink in. Thanks for all the ideas. I will post my game plan And look forward to your future input.