Tiny house efficiency

Might be new to you might not...I'm building what is know as a tiny house, a house on wheels as a way to get around planning.

I was originally going to build the frame from timber but had some box steel so welded it up instead.

that part is done with a few old tipper axels I had in my yard I have my trailer and frame done.

my question is regarding house wraps and vapour barriers, primarily reflective ones.

I want the house to be run off-grid, I will have a rocket stove for hot water and also thinking to run the pipes under the floor for heating the house.

I am doing the internal walls with 12mmply and then external walls with 18mmply, rockwool in the 50mm box steel walls, because its not very much insulation and I have steel against wood I am concerned about condensation build up and release and also creating more 'insulation' past the 50mm frame.

so i was thinking reflective vapour barrier inside and reflective house wrap on the outside of ply. keeping an air gap is important for radiant heat which will help heat or keep the heat in the house right? is there an optimal size? I'm reluctant to have an air gap between my frame and internal wall as it will encroach on my already minimal internal width but if it is going to make a difference with keeping the house warm/cold in seasons and help with condensation on the frames then I will of course do it.

Any help and advice would be really appreciated.

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You could attach strips of an insulating material against the metal before boarding.

Sticky backed epdm foam, or some sort of rigid foam like tilebacker board?

It will provide something of a thermal break, albeit minimal.

The steels look very close together, you could probably get away with 9mm ply in the inside and 12mm on the outside.

A rocket stove has an open front, no?

If you intend to use this inside then a small woodburning stove with a proper glass door, like as used on narrowboats would be much safer, and don't forget to ventilate accordingly.

Little-Lamb said:

Any help and advice would be really appreciated.

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I saw a similar build on an artic trailer, on TV a while back done by a young couple in the US or Canada, as their a home in the woods.

Can you put the insulation on the outside, then add a rain screen of some kind? Putting the impermeable layer and structure on the warm side is going to be much safer in the long term . Also with the benefit of not losing any internal space.