Pole building, insulation, walls, and so on..

[doatopgun]

I have a metal pole building I have had mainly for storage, but now I'm turning it into a shop. I need some expert advice. First off..

Insulation, I live in Southeast Missouri and it's hot humid here in the summer and cold in the winter. Should I go reflective or just standard insulation? I'm looking for ease of installation vs cost.

Walls, being so wet and humid here, should I stay away from drywall? I won't have hvac out there.

Floor, I had hoped to do this last, but should I epoxy the floors before I do anything else?

Lastly, should I try to fill in the gaps shown in the picture before doing either the wall or the floor? What would you suggest?

Thanks for any help! Nice boards btw!

 

[neblinc]

I am a believer in the reflective foil. I could not even touch the metal it was so hot in the summer, and you could just feel the heat radiating. After putting up the foil I noticed a huge difference.
I stuffed the gaps with small pieces of insulation prior to dry wall.
Have pics on my link below.

Randy

 

[anojones]

There are some good threads on insulating a pole barn if you do a search on this forum. The main issue with your climate is condensation forming when it is humid. As moisture in the shop from the humid air condenses on cooler surfaces (i.e. the metal siding, windows, doors etc). When this happens you don't want your insulation to get wet behind the walls. I would think the best insulation would be spray on which seals against moisture, but it's expensive and has to be done professionally. I used fiberglass with a 6 mil vapor barrier over it on my outside walls, but I'm in a much less humid climate. I would think the reflective insulation when installed correctly (with air space in between the wall and the insulation) would work fairly well and would maintain it's insulating value if it got wet (but still be a mold growth risk). It might not be the best R-Value but is inexpensive and easy to install. Not sure what to tell you about the walls, without HVAC you may get condensation on the drywall and that could end up being a mess.