Questions about shed insulation

Hi!

I'm moving home to my parents in month or two and they have very kindly let me have a 6 x 5 foot shed with a lovely big run attached in which to keep my 2 bunnies ! I've told my DIY-savvy stepdad about the few things which need to be done - making some static windows open-able, attaching mesh in order to have a screen door, and finally insulating - the one giving us the most trouble

We plan to insulate all the sides, the door, and roof and then hardboard over it. However, we're having some trouble with what to insulate with. The plan is for them to stay in the shed for all but the most snow-y of weather, so it needs to be good enough to allow them to be outside all summer and most of the winter.

However, I'm not sure which insulation type is the best in regards to
1) price - I don't want to spend anything over £100 on the insulation, since the shed is costing £300, and run and accessories another £100.
2) how good they are at insulating - I'm not convinced that silver backed bubble wrap is going to be as good as other things
3) bunny safe - is the 'wool' type product a total no-go? considering that the shed will be entirely boarded from bottom to ceiling?

I wondered if anyone has any suggestions and comments for what they used and whether it's been warm/cold enough in different seasons? I know there are specific measurements for insulation ... ''m²/kW'', but is there a certain number I should be aiming for? it's difficult because only a few products list their m²/kW!

Some suggestions and links that I thought might be suitable, could you comment on what you think of these?

1) http://www.wickes.co.uk/loft-roll-insulation/invt/161210/ either one layer or two layers of this - is this safe for bunnies, considering it's being totally boarded over? and is it good enough at insulating when i put one layer in? if i put two layers in, would it be acceptable also?
2) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170621868524&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT if i cut the boards to size and then put insulating tape around to cover any small gaps, would these be good enough? and again, are they safe?
3) http://www.screwfix.com/p/thermawrap-loft-insulation-400mm-x-5m/76477 is this going to be good enough? it looks so thin, surely the more air = the better the insulation?

What about a combination of either of these, if for some reason the insulation they provide alone isn't enough?

P.S. I'm so uuubberrr paranoid because my buns have been very spoilt and pampered house bunnies for their entire 2 years

Thanks so much for any help

Hi!

I'm moving home to my parents in month or two and they have very kindly let me have a 6 x 5 foot shed with a lovely big run attached in which to keep my 2 bunnies ! I've told my DIY-savvy stepdad about the few things which need to be done - making some static windows open-able, attaching mesh in order to have a screen door, and finally insulating - the one giving us the most trouble

We plan to insulate all the sides, the door, and roof and then hardboard over it. However, we're having some trouble with what to insulate with. The plan is for them to stay in the shed for all but the most snow-y of weather, so it needs to be good enough to allow them to be outside all summer and most of the winter.

However, I'm not sure which insulation type is the best in regards to
1) price - I don't want to spend anything over £100 on the insulation, since the shed is costing £300, and run and accessories another £100.
2) how good they are at insulating - I'm not convinced that silver backed bubble wrap is going to be as good as other things I have silver backed bubble wrap on just the walls above bunny height and the roof and its fine. You could put boards in and put the bubble wrap or loft insulation behind them. There are pics somewhere on here of people who have done that
3) bunny safe - is the 'wool' type product a total no-go? considering that the shed will be entirely boarded from bottom to ceiling? Its ok as long as they cat get at it

I wondered if anyone has any suggestions and comments for what they used and whether it's been warm/cold enough in different seasons? I know there are specific measurements for insulation ... ''m²/kW'', but is there a certain number I should be aiming for? it's difficult because only a few products list their m²/kW! Even when it was -14c my buns were sat out in the snow rather than indoors so I wouldnt go too mad.

Some suggestions and links that I thought might be suitable, could you comment on what you think of these?

1) http://www.wickes.co.uk/loft-roll-insulation/invt/161210/ either one layer or two layers of this - is this safe for bunnies, considering it's being totally boarded over? and is it good enough at insulating when i put one layer in? if i put two layers in, would it be acceptable also?
2) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170621868524&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT if i cut the boards to size and then put insulating tape around to cover any small gaps, would these be good enough? and again, are they safe?
3) http://www.screwfix.com/p/thermawrap-loft-insulation-400mm-x-5m/76477 is this going to be good enough? it looks so thin, surely the more air = the better the insulation?

What about a combination of either of these, if for some reason the insulation they provide alone isn't enough? Up to you but personally I think just the one will be fine

Thanks so much for any help

Wow, thanks for your speedy answer

''3) bunny safe - is the 'wool' type product a total no-go? considering that the shed will be entirely boarded from bottom to ceiling? Its ok as long as they cat get at it''

the thing I'm worried about with that is obviously respiratory problems, but I'm going to be putting the shed & insulation together a good few weeks before little miss prissypants #1 and #2 move in, so hopefully anything left behind will have a chance to blow away!

Dont laugh but you could always get the hoover out

webbkath said:

Dont laugh but you could always get the hoover out

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I'm a student, I don't know what a hoover is That will be my moms job, she will of course be hovering around as we do all of this construction making sure we don't make a mess of her lovely garden!

P.P.S also, in the winter I'm gonna be going to sit with them in the shed so a nice temperature for me would be a bonus, LOL!

yaretzi said:

I'm a student, I don't know what a hoover is That will be my moms job, she will of course be hovering around as we do all of this construction making sure we don't make a mess of her lovely garden!

P.P.S also, in the winter I'm gonna be going to sit with them in the shed so a nice temperature for me would be a bonus, LOL!

Click to expand...

:lol::lol: Love it

Where abouts do you live? What sort of temperatures are you expect? I'd put more effort into insulation in the Scotish /Highland, for example, than cornwall

I'd tend to err away from the standard loft insulation as it's not bunny proof but I guess if it's totally inaccessible and you maybe hoover after fitting then it's no different to being in a house.

You can get wool insulation - literally wool i.e. made from sheep, which is a roll like the mineral wool stuff but is bunny safe and nicer to work with. It might be very slightly more but I would think still in budget considering your insulating a shed not a whole loft!

Tamsin - I'm in Worcestershire, so nothing too freezing here

Sheep's wool has a thermal conductivity 0.04 W/mk according to http://www.blackmountaininsulation.com/product.htm - any idea if that's better or worse than 1.5something? :? :roll:

The lower the thermal conductivity the better, I think. I'm pretty sure sheep's wool is meant to be as good as or better than the man-made stuff.

One thing to check is the depth of the wood on the shed frame. If you go for insulation that will fit into that it's much easier to board. Polystrene comes in thinner sizes that the wool I think.

Wickes do some big sheets of expanded polystyrene sheet - about 8' x 3' x 2" as far as I remember. Only a few pounds a sheet. Really easy to cut - score it and bend to snap. Push in between the shed uprights & cover with thin external plyboard. Job done. Use glue or duck tape to fasten to the roof if you want to hold it in place before boarding over.

I fitted 2 small wendy houses in 20 mins each for the polystyrene. Bit longer for the ply, though....

Shimmer said:

Wickes do some big sheets of expanded polystyrene sheet - about 8' x 3' x 2" as far as I remember. Only a few pounds a sheet. Really easy to cut - score it and bend to snap. Push in between the shed uprights & cover with thin external plyboard. Job done. Use glue or duck tape to fasten to the roof if you want to hold it in place before boarding over.

I fitted 2 small wendy houses in 20 mins each for the polystyrene. Bit longer for the ply, though....

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Have you found it keeps it nice and toasty in winter and cool in summer? Also can you remember how thick it was, will give me an idea of how good it is at insulating? Thanks

I have used the big polystyrene sheets from B&Q and then boarded over them with plywood. My bunnies were fine in the winter.

Joanne Jenkinson said:

I have used the big polystyrene sheets from B&Q and then boarded over them with plywood. My bunnies were fine in the winter.

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Can you remember roughly how thick the boards were?

Thanks for all your answers guys getting an idea that I don't need to spend hundreds getting the poshest, most expensive and best insulating things ever. As long as it does a decent job that's fine - I'd obviously like the best for them but I have a budget

If anyone remembers specific products, or polystrene thicknesses and how good they are that would be fabulous <3

I have just boarded and insulated my new playhouse, used the Wicks silver backed loft insulation as in your post ,all over walls and roof. Certainly kept the house cool these last few days!!! Very easy to handle.

Just checked the Wickes website. The sheets of polystyrene are £6.99 each and size is 2400mm x 600mm x 50mm (about 8' x 2' x 2"). They are thick enough to just fit snugly in between the standard shed uprights which the planks are nailed to.

Insulation works both ways - it slows down the temperature changes inside so keeps both heat and cold out. In summer I would still be looking at maintaining adequate ventilation, and reducing it in winter (ie close / open windows and solid doors as necessary)

I'm down in Kent - do I need to insulate my shed, if it's in a wind-protected area? Can't I just put lots of hay and straw inside it?

Both my sheds are insulated with polystyrene sheeting. It's cheap to buy and easy to install. I think mine is 25mm thick and simply slots into place between the uprights. I used a hot knife to cut it so I had to do it outdoors because of noxious vapours :shock:. I then used spare C&C fine mesh pannels to cover the polystyrene up to bunny chewing height. The rest is still on show.

lis said:

I'm down in Kent - do I need to insulate my shed, if it's in a wind-protected area? Can't I just put lots of hay and straw inside it?

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Nobody needs to insulate their sheds. I think we do it because it makes us feel better, not the bunnies :lol:. But I do know that my top shed, in full sun, stays much, much cooler due to the insulation. Both my sheds also have tubular greenhouse heaters for winter and it makes them more efficient due to the insulation as well. You open the door on a snowy morning and the sheds are toasty warm. However, the bunnies are just as likely to be found sat outside in the snow :roll:. So like I say, it's more for our peace of mind but it certainly helps to stop extremes of temperature.

But if you don't want to insulate, just make sure your shed is well ventilated in summer and dry with lots of deep bedding in winter.

Mackers said:

Nobody needs to insulate their sheds. I think we do it because it makes us feel better, not the bunnies :lol:. But I do know that my top shed, in full sun, stays much, much cooler due to the insulation. Both my sheds also have tubular greenhouse heaters for winter and it makes them more efficient due to the insulation as well. You open the door on a snowy morning and the sheds are toasty warm. However, the bunnies are just as likely to be found sat outside in the snow :roll:. So like I say, it's more for our peace of mind but it certainly helps to stop extremes of temperature.

But if you don't want to insulate, just make sure your shed is well ventilated in summer and dry with lots of deep bedding in winter.

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Yeah I think a lot of it is about us! Means we don't have to worry about them overheating in summer or getting too chilly in winter! With mine at least I don't plan to do anything apart from a few frozen bottles in hot weather (and opening the stable door/windows for a breeze) and putting more bedding in in winter! I won't use fans or heaters, the plan for me is that the shed alone with its adaptations should be enough Personally for me it's not winter I'm worried about it's summer! I want to make sure they have enough ventilation in order to keep cool - I know it's the overheating thats more of a problem than being too cold! They do have a furcoat after all :roll:

So I guess the answer to your question, Lis, is that no you don't need to, but it can prevent a lot of worrying, stress and time through all seasons. And prevent you needing to move them indoors to get away from the heat/chill, and prevent the excess cost of heaters, fans, new cages for indoors, etc. Also it's a lot easier to insulate in the summer than in the middle of winter ! And it's cheap too

Oh also thanks a lot for all your answers, they've all been very helpful!

I went down to my local Travis Perkins' and the guy there was very helpful also, working out costings for me. It would cost around £100 to insulate the shed with polystyrene not including £40 to completely cover the inside with plywood. He was nice enough to recommend that loft insulation does a slightly better job and is a lot cheaper, but I voiced my concerns about the dust particles etc. My mom & I went away and popped into homebase on the way home where I rediscovered 'space blanket' - loft insulation contained within a plastic bag. It seemed very cheap, so I decided that would be the solution. I then got home and noticed it was buy 1 get 2 free on Wickes, so I've gone ahead and ordered Gonna measure up my shed when it arrives on Tuesday, and then insulate & board over.

I'm gonna be taking pics of the step-by-step process of insulating, boarding, creating opening windows, installing ventilation vents, and all the other various modifications we have to do! But it will be at least 3 weeks before it's all completed, so I might wait and post it all at once to prevent clogging up the forum anymore than I already do :shock: