What is the cheapest insulation material by volume?

[epsilonGreedy]

The material I am looking for will not be incorporated into the final structure of my house. The insulation performance of the material is not relevant, the criteria are light and bulky. I intend to make a linear sausage with a diameter of 400mm and will need at least 100 linear meters of this sausage.

 

Someone has suggested straw bales, I would consider bubble wrap or packing beads though in the case of beads if the wrapper fails during a winter storm the result would be an eco disaster for the village downwind of my plot.

 

Loft insulation works out at £15 m3 and I would need = 13 m3 I think for my 100m long sausage.

Edited November 6, 2019 by epsilonGreedy

[PeterW]

Is this to wrap the bottom of the static van ..??

 

bales are best - tarps as a last resort to wrap them as the “flutter” if you’re not careful. 

[epsilonGreedy]

1 minute ago, PeterW said:

Is this to wrap the bottom of the static van ..??

 

 

No the intention is to keep frost off my footing walls. The B&B floor is in and the outer wall blocks are a block plus a bit lower. Outside of the outer foot wall is a muddy trench about a boot wide. A strong cavity fill comes to 20mm below the outer blocks.

 

The blocks are 19Kg heavies so pretty weather resistant but my building inspector has vaguely mentioned his concern about a full winter of exposure. Straw bales were his suggestion but I don't want to create a high class winter residence for local rodents. 

[Jeremy Harris]

The only caution I'd raise with using bales would be rodents.  Rats and mice really love straw; within hours of stacking a barn the little buggers would start moving in en masse. 

[Mr Punter]

Hessian sacking?  http://www.tarpaflex.co.uk/acatalog/Hessian-Roll-137cm-x-46m-HESS.html

[Oz07]

Are they 7n or upto the correct density for below dpc? Sounds like it at 19kg. I've never heard of this problem is he off his head?!

[Oz07]

I still can't believe what I'm reading. Do you see blocks covered up with insulation in a builders merchant 

[ProDave]

I can point you to a couple of new builds up here that have been built up to slab level (no doubt to "start" and lock in the PP) and then been left like that for several years and a few Highland winters, with no ill effects.

[Onoff]

As a "temporary" measure I weighted a bit of of dpm down on my flat roof. 4 years later these 9" blocks had disintegrated and I was shovelling them off.

 

 

[scottishjohn]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

As a "temporary" measure I weighted a bit of of dpm down on my flat roof. 4 years later these 9" blocks had disintegrated and I was shovelling them off.

 

 

I doubt very much they were dense blocks  if they fell apart

 

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, scottishjohn said:

I doubt very much they were dense blocks  if they fell apart

 

 

Celcon type things.

[Oz07]

Celcons are supposed to be good at freeze thaw but anyway I'd be worried about op building inspector. Do you think it's like their equivalent of the "long weight" or left handed screwdriver. They get back to the office and say get on this tony guess what I've got this geezer doing on one of my rounds 

[Ferdinand]

Whilst I am also with the sceptics, gardeners protecting plants use far less bulky type insulation.

 

The glass lids of cold frames, for example. Farmers use stuff that is like strong clingfilm over seed trenches.

 

What about bubblewrap if you do do it ... or indeed Hessian sacking or just membrane?

[Bitpipe]

You need to give that Bulgarian artist Christo a call, he's the man to wrap buildings in stuff...   

[scottishjohn]

13 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

Celcon type things.

you mean thermalite -- as in you pick them up with one hand,things you cut with a hand saw

[Onoff]

4 minutes ago, scottishjohn said:

you mean thermalite -- as in you pick them up with one hand,things you cut with a hand saw

 

Yep, Celcon just being a brand.

[scottishjohn]

10 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Yep, Celcon just being a brand.

thats why then --they are like a sponge if you leave them out in the rain --then they freeze --BINGO

 

[JFDIY]

Cover the brick faces with DPM then bank soil around it, got to be cheapest way I'd think, assuming you can dig enough from the surrounding area without causing a mess.

 

 

[MikeGrahamT21]

I’d say just some plastic sheeting to stop the water getting in will be the best thing, it’s the combo of wet and freeze thaw which has potential to damage them

[Conor]

Old carpet and carpet underlay. 

[Onoff]

28 minutes ago, Conor said:

underlay. 

 

Is that the Spanish stuff?