Tyrek - inside and outside?

[nicnic35]

Hi,
I am new here. Apologies if I am asking a dumb question here. I am German residing in Canada. So building houses/sheds are quite different than in my home country. Last year, I hired a handyman to built a 7x14 ft insulated shed which can be used as a pool change room/storage for 16.000).
After a down payment if 2500, I was supposed to pay the rest at the end. He didn’t finish but asked for another 6500$ which I paid. So far only the outside framing structure /without roof) was done. The guy never showed up anymore.
Because I saw all neighborhood shed’s with this tyrek wrapping, I insisted to do the same. He said no need. So he didn’t care much how good it was done.
Inside I have plywood walls which I started to insulate with green rocketwool and the clear plastic on top of it.
As the guy didn’t show up as promised before the winter, I had to put a plywood roof on and I put that black roofing paper and the shingle sheds. I put 2 vents on the roof and 4 outside. Inside the shed, I noticed on ceiling and walls , I noticed a lot of moisture going down the inside of the plastic getting the wool almost wet. So opened the plastic up a bit. I tried to figure out, what I did wrong and on other videos I saw, that they used that Tyrek paper (on the other side?) also for inside.
I also used foam to close gaps on the ceiling. Shall I re-do it and put the Tyrek also inside the walls in the shed or that moisture is normal or this is a sign of bad ventilation?
Further, the outside of the shed wasn’t built well, a lot of gaps (you can see the Tyrek foil on the corner). As a woman I am quite overwhelmed with this task.
I also noticed the plywood floor to get wet (he didn’t put it on a proper gravel or concrete bed) so I put a waterproof insulation schluter kerdi board on the floor followed by the schluter ditra board to make sure, the tiles don’t crack. On the ceiling, I just put the wool and the plastic without that baffle. Is that my mistake? So water can run down that baffle? If so is it only on the ceiling or also done at the sides? What else am I missing for a proper airflow? Any help is highly appreciated! Thx Nicole

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Tyvek on the outside (under the siding). Poly on the inside (over the insulation). On the inside all the seems and staple holes should be taped.

 

[P0234]

Wow, so much going on. Let's start with the Tyvek. Usually it's only used on top of sheathing but when people build sheds with T1-11 siding they don't always use sheathing. I can't tell from the pictures if there is sheathing under the insulation.

If I'm reading correctly, the floor is really going to make a mess if it's wet from underneath and you put a membrane on top.

 

[Walkers]

I think you need to call the law on that guy! $2500 should have been enough to build that shed twice.

 

[nicnic35]

that’s the way he built it …

 

[jdm5]

I think you need to call the law on that guy! $2500 should have been enough to build that shed twice.

OP is in Canada…CAD $

But still seems terrible

 

[MovingAlong]

that’s the way he built it …

It appears to be built incorrectly for your area. You should not be using a vapor barrier but rather a vapor retarder, no poly required anywhere. (the traditional thinking has changed on that) Your ceiling batts should not be plugging up the soffit either, air should be able to enter through the soffit and exit through the ridge. Germany and Canada are not that different in weather. (I've worked outside in both locations in January) If you know how to design a house in Germany, you can design one there.

Moisture on the floor is a separate issue that needs to be addressed of course.

Call your local city building/code department. You may find that the licensing (knowledge, skills, abilities) required of a "handyman" is not sufficient for your job. Insulating a shed correctly is no different than a house... And while the city can't recommend a specific company, ask them what licensing you should be looking for and what permitting is available - even if they are not required. The permits will ensure that the shed is designed correctly for your area...

 

[Fav Onefour]

Bummer.
The contractor was a real slap together guy.

I get the idea of trying to fix water and condensation problems, but it's time to stop. Stop cutting holes to let water out. The flooring idea is interesting, but the water is coming from underneath. It's going to speed up the wet wood rotting. The remedies are only aiming at symptoms of the building problems. They are not going to give you a building that will work and last.

Cold climate construction and insulation isn't too complex but you do need to follow basics. In simple terms, the location where hot and cold meet should be tight. Cold portions need to stay cold and conditioned space should remain conditioned. Crossflow between will create condensation.

Think of the entire building as a unit. The term building envelope is often used. Look into how the whole "envelope" is supposed to work. Trying to fix broken parts isn't going to work.

I'm not sure if it's possible, but if you want to save the structure, go to the basics. The Canadian Govt. has quite a few resources on proper building science. Start reading and studying their guidelines and stop treating symptoms. Treating the symptoms will not give you long term solutions.

I'm not sure if you have any recourse with the contractor? The whole thing is an overpriced crappy deal. He screwed up for sure, but you have already modified the building. It wouldn't be an easy battle. You are stuck playing a money game with someone that probably isn't going to shell out if he loses.

 

[MovingAlong]

Bummer.
The contractor was a real slap together guy.

I get the idea of trying to fix water and condensation problems, but it's time to stop. Stop cutting holes to let water out. The flooring idea is interesting, but the water is coming from underneath. It's going to speed up the wet wood rotting. The remedies are only aiming at symptoms of the building problems. They are not going to give you a building that will work and last.

Cold climate construction and insulation isn't too complex but you do need to follow basics. In simple terms, the location where hot and cold meet should be tight. Cold portions need to stay cold and conditioned space should remain conditioned. Crossflow between will create condensation.

Think of the entire building as a unit. The term building envelope is often used. Look into how the whole "envelope" is supposed to work. Trying to fix broken parts isn't going to work.

I'm not sure if it's possible, but if you want to save the structure, go to the basics. The Canadian Govt. has quite a few resources on proper building science. Start reading and studying their guidelines and stop treating symptoms. Treating the symptoms will not give you long term solutions.

I'm not sure if you have any recourse with the contractor? The whole thing is an overpriced crappy deal. He screwed up for sure, but you have already modified the building. It wouldn't be an easy battle. You are stuck playing a money game with someone that probably isn't going to shell out if he loses.

Not sure how it works in Canada, but there is often a fairly wide gap between contractor and handyman... both in terms of licensing requirements and the scope of work they can perform.

You've offered some great advice. Will be curious to see if the OP follows up on how things turn out.