New Shed/Garage, A Couple Questions

[Bob5150]

Hi everyone, my name is Bob, I'm from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. I've been reading through the forums, and you guys seem like a good group. I hope to be able to contribute as I learn.

I have a 10'x20' shed being delivered in a few weeks that will serve as my workshop.

This shed will be used as a workshop area (mostly just tinkering around, pulling the cars up to it for maintenance work, little projects for the house, stuff like that).

I will also be using it to store stuff like paint and car washing products. With that in mind, I want to insulate it and put in a heater so I can work comfortably in the cold months. During the summer, I'll be able to keep the heat off, but I want to be able to work in there during the winter and keep my paint/car detailing stuff stored out there year-round. I'll also be putting lighting and electrical outlets out there.

I currently bring all of those type of supplies inside and store them in totes during the winter. Our house isn't very big, and this takes up valuable closet space, so I'm looking forward to not doing that this year.

I've been reading up on insulation, and there is a ton of (sometimes conflicting) information out there. Probably best to talk to the guys who have experience setting their garages up.

-What R-Value insulation should I be using to keep this shed warm enough for the winter months? It regularly gets into the teens here, and single digits overnight is not uncommon.

-Also, any general thoughts are greatly appreciated. This is a 10x20 shed used for general garage putting-around and storage of temperature-sensitive material.

Thanks a lot for reading!

 

[AirgunSavant]

I did a 12 x24 shed and I planned on putting heavy objects in there so I doubled up the plywood
on the floor. It would be a good time to do that now if you need it. I'll let others talk about insulation. Good Luck with it!

 

[sciphi]

What are the walls framed with? 2x4? That will allow about a R13 level of insulation to be installed.

More important will be the ceiling and floor. If there's going to be a flat ceiling, then insulation can be rolled out pretty thick before installing the roof decking. If there isn't going to be a solid ceiling, then that means the amount of insulation that can be installed will be less since it will need to be installed up in the rafters.

For the floor, it depends if it's a wood floor, or if the shed is going to be installed on a concrete slab. Insulating a slab is pretty straightforward, and can be done during the site prep. If it's a wood floor, making the area underneath as airtight as possible might be a way to do it.

If you haven't already, check out the garagejournal forums. This sort of question is right up their alley.

 

[supton]

Is this going to be heated all winter? Not just occasionally? If so, the roof will need proper ventilation--ridge vent or gable, with vents in the eves.

 

[IndyIan]

What are the doors and windows like? If they aren't reasonably air tight the rest of the insulation won't matter that much.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I wouldn't use anything other than closed cell foam. On a space that small the cost difference isn't that much, and there are some significant advantages including higher R value, it acts as its own vapor barrier, it adds to the structural reinforcement, deflects water and rejects bulk water, accommodates seasonal changes and shifting, and it is suitable for both interior and exterior use. It can even be used under your wood or concrete floor.

 

[Donald]

Your garage door will be a huge issue. I agree with spray foam for insulation. I would use oil or gas for heat. Electric will be expensive.

Run 100amp at 220 for power.

 

[JC1]

If you want to store a cabinet full of products and you don't want them freezing maybe you can build a cabinet and insulate that with rigid foam board making it sealed tight to keep the cold out.

I'm thinking of a box within a box where the rigid foam is sandwiched between the plywood. You would also need to insulate the door and make sure no drafts come in. Trying to keep a garage warm all winter will be expensive.

A 2 inch thick piece of rigid foam is r10. I would start with that. Thickness.

 

[2oldtommy]

To insure that there is no surprise, be sure to check to see if a building permit is required. Takes a minute, but prevents the headaches later. FWIW

Oldtommy

 

[Schmoe]

I'd go spray foam as well once you got you infrastructure in place. I use conduit for the electric lines. To save some coin, get a flammable locker to store your sensitive stuff in. They are already pre-insulated. Definitely get an insulated garage door....always amazes me when folks skimp out on that and wonder why their garage is always so cold in the winter. Also, over size the electric if you can....you never know if you'll want to weld in the future....200 amp minimal and then you could run a 220V window AC unit in the summer time if you need it or to keep the humidity down......

 

[JTK]

Bob, unless I'm missing it somewhere, you left out a lot of information on the shed constrution that would make recommendations a lot easier. Is this an Amish built shed? A 10'x20' is a pretty big pre-build drop off. They'll typically insulate with foam board for you on request.

I know my FIL bought a 10'x16' rough cut hemlock Amish built shed this past spring with a metal roof. We had them drop it on an old concrete pad that an old structure once sat on. Really nice shed for as relatively inexpensive as it was, even with delivery. His was $2864 which included some basic upgrades like an extra man door, a 3/4" treated plywood floor, etc.

 

[firemachine69]

Doesn't philly have lots of HOA's? Your "shed" might be too big, if that's the case.

I can also state, virtually every place I've ever researched required a permit on any structure over 10x10...

 

[ryansride2017]

I just had a 12' x 18' shed delivered a few weeks ago. What kind of sub-grade preparation have you done? Please don't just put the shed down on the soil surface (as my in-laws did) or you may have warping in a few years even if the maker used treated plywood. I enclosed a 14' X 20' area (1' on each side of the shed) with 2" X 6" boards and filled the area with 2B stone. Took about 10 tons of stone but it made a good sub-grade for the shed to sit upon. Be sure to push stone up against all sides of the shed base to prevent critters from getting underneath.