single skin out building

[trowelmonkey1]

off to look at a job on saturday, hoping to get it lined up for the new year!

customer has an outbuilding that is single skin, had it re-roofed and UPVC windows fitted, she now wants the inside finishing so that she can use it as some sort of study/office space and wants to build in some sort of insulation.

as it's single skin i've told her that dot n dab should probably be avoided and fixing timbers to the walls allowing for which ever insulation she can afford is the best way forward.

am i correct in my advice so far chaps? any other solutions i'm missing?

 

[Chukka63]

do we get a cut???lol
you need to gaurd against damp penetration through the bricks and floor and insulate the roof

 

[Richard C]

Don’t D&D onto the single skin wall, it won’t last long. Minimum would be timber battening with Duplex but something like Thermaline with a vapour check barrier fixed directly to the wall would be better & give some degree of insulation. However, as we both know, Gypsum plaster products & damp aren’t really compatible & if the outbuilding is inherently damp, the plasterboard lining & plaster finish will have a very limited life if damp can penetrate from within; is there a damp proof membrane in the floor & what’s the roof like?

Lining damp outbuildings is not something I’ve any experience with but I would be inclined to use a fibrous cement based board which remains stable & won’t disintegrate if subject to damp conditions.

I also found this previous thread which may help with additional info;
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=166351&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

 

[Chukka63]

when ive done them,i paint a minimum of 2 coats of RIW or similar,then batten,insulate between and then board and had no come backs to date.whatever insulaion you can get in the floor,DPM and then chipboard.as much insulation in the roof as is possible,maintaining a 50mm gap above the board.

 

[lordgoata]

I recently reboarded my utility room which is single skin. I battened the walls and then fitted thermaline boards over the battens with nothing between the battens. I then added a couple of airbricks to allow the "cavity" to breathe so any water vapor that does get in there, can evaporate.

Insulated the floor and ceiling aswell, thermaline on the ceiling with celeotex between the joists and a 50mm gap at the top, and polystyrene and MR flooring chipboard on the floor.

May not be the best way, but I was on a budget, it brought the floor up to level with the kitchen and didnt lose too much space in the room - and anything had to be better than the leaky rotting mess that was there when I moved in! Considering I haven't finished it yet, its a damn sight better than it was last winter!

That was all based on advice I was given on here (I asked in the building forum if I recall).

Hope that helps!

 

[Chukka63]

do you leave gaps at the bottom and top of the battens to allow air movement and were the battens treated???

 

[lordgoata]

Yep, all of the wood I used was treated. I also left gaps, and the walls were pretty wonky as well, so once the battens were packed out to make square, there were also gaps behind them over most of the length.

The stuff I removed had been there for a decade at least, and that wasn't in too bad condition (the wall battens), and that was without the airbricks, with a leaking roof, severly rotten roof joists and a water butt flooding all down the side of one wall!

Trust me, anything is better than it was

I did a lot of reading before I started, mainly as I was doing it on a budget and didn't want to end up wasting the little money that I had, but there was a lot of conflicting views and advice, so I went with the one that made most sense to me based on what I had read.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

thx guys.

as yet i haven't seen the job, only spoken to her on the phone, the roof is pitched but no idea about DPC yet.

Important consideration regarding damp and gypsum too Rich.

Want all the info i can get before i go round there, i suspect from she says she's on a tight budget, having said this i wont do a bodge job if that's what she's after.

surprised there seems to be no set rules for doing this kinds stuff.

cheers anyway fellas, any more to add stick it up!

 

[noseall]

As a pro' it would be advisable to give her a nudge towards building reg's as this is controlled work.

Whether she takes your advice or not is irrelevant but at least she has had the opportunity. Point out that should she come to sell, she will have the relevant paperwork and encourage a smoother sale.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

thats the info i wanted noseall! will tell her that, assuming she hasn't had them involved already, which i get the impression she hasn't, but i suppose she has the worry now of the work she's already had done not being up to the mark?

 

[noseall]

but i suppose she has the worry now of the work she's already had done not being up to the mark?

Then you will be the hero.