Summer house insulation

[gaz_moose]

be interested to see how you attach the doors and windows etc.. to allow the structure to expand and contract without distortion issues.

 

 

[JohnMo]

28 minutes ago, gaz_moose said:

interested to see how you attach the doors and windows etc.. to allow the structure to expand and contract without distortion issues.

Basically the opening is way bigger that the window frame.  The window and doors have flange pieces either side and floats in the opening.  Nothing is attached to the logs.  Not the best for airtightness but... You can't have everything.

[joe90]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

and floats in the opening. 

My timber garage kit is the same but the supplier says the main shrinkage should settle over a few months so you could caulk the frame to logs after that and any movement should be small.

[gaz_moose]

1 hour ago, joe90 said:

My timber garage kit.

 

i saw your post and that's what had me looking at them, but i wasn't fond of the personnel door or the windows. i found that you can buy the tongue and groove wood but then you wouldn't have the 'wind and water tight' joints on the ends. 

2 hours ago, JohnMo said:

The window and doors have flange pieces either side and floats in the opening.

 

do you have to hammer the corners together much when building the walls?, im just wondering what stops the roof from blowing off if its only screwed to the top beams. 

[joe90]

31 minutes ago, gaz_moose said:

im just wondering what stops the roof from blowing off if its only screwed to the top beams. 

Vertical Storm straps, these are fitted vertically, fixed at the top and fixed into a slot at the bottom to allow shrinkage.

[Iceverge]

5 hours ago, JohnMo said:

Nothing is attached to the logs.  Not the best for airtightness but... You can't have everything.

 

airtightness tape? 

 

 

 

 

[JohnMo]

2 hours ago, gaz_moose said:

do you have to hammer the corners together much when building the walls?,

Yes, the fatter the wood the more effort, especially if there is a bit of warpage.

 

Taking the blocks apart a day after is not the easiest.  They are all taper joints.

 

We had 60mph winds the other night, without the storm bolts/studs in place.  No issues.

 

Our storm braces are 2.5m long studs, going between top and bottom blocks one at each corner.

 

 

[JohnMo]

Progress from yesterday, had a day off today doing other things and waiting for deliveries.

 

 

Basically installed superfoil over rafter and stapled to give a 25 to 50mm invented cavity.  Roof topped with tongue and groove timber and a breather membrane to keep the weather off the roof.

 

Roof buildup will be similar to this

 

 

Perimeter framing on roof next and then EPS insulation on roof.  Also floor to insulate and UFH to install.  

[JohnMo]

Question

Have first layer of EPS in and DPM on top. I will be running a breather membrane on the inside wall, am I best to join the DPM and breather together, so any moisture on the inside of the outside wall cannot get inside the building?

[Iceverge]

As I remember it's your Airtightness layer too. 

 

I would tape the DPM to the membrane such that if any drips run down the outside of the breather they end up outside the building. 

[JohnMo]

10 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

As I remember it's your Airtightness layer too. 

 

I would tape the DPM to the membrane such that if any drips run down the outside of the breather they end up outside the building. 

Yes that's the aim, great that was my thought also on drips.  Thanks for confirming.

[JohnMo]

Bit of progress over the weekend and yesterday.

 

150mm EPS70 used on top of the roof finished so far with 9mm OSB.

Breather membrane on inside of wall, double taped at all joints and to roof lining and to DPM.

150mm of EPS70, in floor, plus a further 50mm thick EPS UFH moulded panels.  Have set 70mm wide floor bearers into the UFH panels.

One loop of UFH pipe installed.

 

 

 

 

[JohnMo]

[JohnMo]

Some more progress

 

UFH pipes are in, 2 layers of 9mm OSB glued and screwed to form floor.

 

Walls and ceiling battening is mostly complete.  Used 4x2 on the walls, and 2x1 at the ceiling.  Used sliding angle brackets at top and middle of wall to isolate the internal and outside walls (contraction and expansion). We need to cut some wood at the top of walls with a bench saw, that will be compiled next week.

 

Ready for the electrician next week.

 

[JohnMo]

Update

Walls insulated with 90mm Frametherm 32, vapour barrier, and then plasterboarded. Due to be taped on Monday.

 

Expansion gap at top of wall, is to allow roof to move up and down in relation to the internal walls.  Once the plasterboard is taped the gap will be covered with wooden boards (like a skirting at the top of the wall), this will be attached to the ceiling not the walls.

 

Issues so far

Roof membrane was supposed to 5.4x5.6, but arrived 4.5x5.6, so had to go back.

Patio door sliders, rail for top and bottom slider rails was supposed to be 3.5m long, was supplied 3m long.

Patio door lock hole in wrong position, so had to be redrilled in the correct place.

 

Next jobs for me, build decking at front of building and to side door.

 

[JohnMo]

Comments to the above

1. There is a gap between the battens and wall.  Battens on wall measure 100mm deep, insulation is 90mm deep.

2.  Specific screws for dry wall are used, these do not require to be pre-drilled. Airtightness layer is the breather membrane on walls and superfoil within roof cavity, all joints are double taped per manufacturer instructions.

3. Timber frame specific insulation used, no fixing are used or needed. It is self supporting through friction.

4. No - log building expand and contract with the seasons, fixing battens directly to logs is a big no, no.  The inner wall is fixed to the floor and sliding brackets are used to fix to walls.  This allows the outer building to rise and fall and the inner wall does not impede that movement. Doing anything else will cause gaps to open up between the logs and lead to water leaks.

 

[JohnMo]

Plasterboard taping underway.

 

 

 

[JohnMo]

And the decking.  Frame is doubled up 7x2, other wood 4x2, at 300mm centres with composite decking boards on top.

 

Steps - step made from an off cut of our main gate post, 10" square Scottish larch about 1200mm long, bottom landing area of steps will be a slab of 60mm Scottish larch, not the black mesh in the photo.

 

[Andehh]

Very impressive unit that, looks great! 

 

Do you have a build thread for your main house? I'm intregued by the slim slither of it shown in your photo, especially the external brick cladding. 

 

Thanks

[JohnMo]

1 hour ago, Andehh said:

Do you have a build thread for your main house

No sorry no build thread. Rear of house is done in stone slips.

 

A couple of photos

[Andehh]

Thanks John, very similar to our visions. What brand of stone slip is that? 

 

Also, your wood cladding.... Western red Cedar? Osmo oiled? 

[JohnMo]

Scottish larch, coated with Rye oils ceder oil, way cheaper than osmo, equally as good.

 

Real stone cladding - blue stone.

[JohnMo]

Update on summer house, photos to follow, once I complete the external paint.

 

Walls are airtight and fully taped.  Sliding doors are far from airtight, with gaps at top and bottom of each sliding panel. So would have been a bad candidate for MVHR. Instead have a single dMEV fan which runs while someone is in the room and for 30 mins after.

 

UFH is all operating, and currently running in cooling mode, with the rest of the house. First day with cooling.  Last night at 6pm it was circa 29 degs in the building with the internal blinds closed. Similar weather today so will see how it goes.

 

 

[JohnMo]

Inside showing walls finished and the top finishing detail.  The wooden parts are only attached to the ceiling and not the wall.  They allow the roof/ceiling to move independently of the walls.

[JohnMo]

Work surface which is 3.5m long and the shelf are made from a tree we took down (Scottish larch) and we had it cut into planks.  Work surface is made from 4 pieces cut, biscuit jointed and glued.  Both the bench and shelf were then lime waxed.

 

The units are Howden kitchen cupboards, instead of using the plastic feet and kickboard, I just made a 20mm plinth for the units to sit on.