Heating ideas for new shop

[roger wiegand]

Blown in dense pack cellulose is a good option for places where you don't want to disturb the inside walls. It is applied through ~2" holes from the outside. It is one of the cheaper forms of insulation available, and very effective. Depending on your siding material they will pull one clapboard or lift individual shingles to make the holes. Worst case they save the plug and put it back with some caulk. Generally not very noticeable with some touch-up paint. At the same time they can give you as much blown in as your attic will fit. You will want to make sure that the soffit vents aren't blocked.

Your utility company may offer a program to help offset the cost of insulation, doesn't hurt to ask. (In MA, for example, you can get $2000 worth of insulation per year for approved projects.)

[Jack Frederick]

I had the blown in done on our house back in about ‘11. There was no insulation in the house. As Roger pointed out they used a hole saw drilling 2” holes, blew it in, filled the cavities & Plugged. A few years later we did a total remodel and re-sheathed and sided with Hardi Plank. I would say that the insulators did about 95% of the cavities. Blocking is the issue. In your case, perhaps it would be better going thru the shelves to the wall and doing it from inside.

[Laurie Brown]

Yeah, it might be better doing it from inside in that case, the building is wrapped in vinyl and I wouldn't want that many holes drilled into it. At the moment I don't know if there is access to the attic, the second room is still filled with junk that has to be removed to see what there is.

[Jim Becker]

Vinyl siding is actually an asset for blown-in retrofit because it's relatively easy to remove a stick of the siding, do the holes and work and the replace the stick of siding. It's the nature of vinyl siding. I've actually replaced a few damaged pieces here on our new-to-us home because it was easy to do.

[Jack Frederick]

Ron is in my experience correct in calling an insulator. I was ready to insulate my place, priced out the material and at the suggestion of my GC called the local insulation company. They did the job for about what I was going to have to pay for the material, and it is such an odious task.

[Jim Becker]

Ron is in my experience correct in calling an insulator. I was ready to insulate my place, priced out the material and at the suggestion of my GC called the local insulation company. They did the job for about what I was going to have to pay for the material, and it is such an odious task.

Having been in the business, I can confirm that the wholesale price of material that the insulation contractor pays is meaningfully lower than what you and I can pay to buy the material ourselves, even with a "contractor discount" at the home center or local lumber yard. And many insulation companies pay via piece work, unless something has changed in the industry, rather than hourly. (at least for non-spray foam work)

[Peter Milano]

Just a heads up I believe that exposed foam board is a big fire hazard. I would check out the fire risk first. If it's what I think it is it should be removed or covered over. Most codes call for a minimum of 1/2 hour fire rating over foam board. I think that means just 1 layer of sheetrock.

[Jim Becker]

Peter, things are stricter for attached structures (attached to a home) than they are for stand alone accessory buildings. For example, I have closed cell spray foam in my new shop building. It will remain exposed "up top". If this was in a residential structure, I'd be required to coat it with fire resistant paint ($$$) or cover it with drywall. As an outbuilding with no connection to the residence, the local jurisdiction doesn't really care about that. The OP's new shop is in a shed.

That said, I personally would cover it on the walls, but mostly because it's not a resilient material and can be easily damaged.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We have had a fire in the wee Jotul. The footprint with clearances squeezed to the max is 16 square feet.

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[Bill Dufour]

In the old days they would pour perlite into each wall cavity. probably cheaper to have someone blow in cellulose for you. Do they make pourable fiberglass? See if your utility company will do a free insulation IR gun inspection before or after insualtion.
Bill D

[Tom Bender]

Agree with having blown in walls and ceiling. And with removing all the exposed foam board. You might reuse the foam board on the floor. It may serve as is with new flooring just laid over it or you might decide to add 1x stringers crosswise to the joists to give it more stiffness.

One place to save a few dollars is the divider wall. It is not such a big load, can be done later from the back and anyway, you will probably want to use the extra room. No shop is ever big enough.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Exposed foam board gets a lot of attention during fire training. The fumes released when it burns are toxic, even in very small concentrations.