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Will the concrete slab in a partially heated shed conduct a lot of heat to the unconditioned area?

How should I insulate a room built into a metal barn?Is this normal for the brick to extend past the concrete slab foundation?Am I using the correct concrete blocks for the base of my shed and how many do I need?How can I heat up my apartment to kill bedbugs in Southeast Asia?Monolithic frost proof shallow foundation, advice on the smaller details?How do I get a lawnmower in and out of an old barn?How to fill cracks in concrete slab inside houseWater leaking from concrete slab porch into rooms below. How do I stop the leaks?What type of foundation is best in an area with silt loam soil, cold climate, and high water table?Will a window insulation kit help with heat loss in the winter?

3

I have a barn-garage type outbuilding (I believe it was a small barn originally; it has that kind of tall, roomy upper loft). It's about 40 by 20 feet. It's got a concrete foundation and the lower part is divided into two equal sized rooms.

I'm thinking about taking one of the lower rooms and making it a little more hospitable to hang out in and do projects. It would mean patching some wall, adding real doors, and insulating and sheetrocking it.

I want to keep the floor as bare concrete so I can anchor machine tools etc to it for ultimate rigidity. But if it's sharing a concrete foundation with the other room, is heating it in the winter going to be practical? (This house is in the US Pacific Northwest; it gets fairly cold.) Is the floor going to be a giant heat sink?

Are there are any other things I'm not thinking about here, where moisture or heat concerns might bite me if I'm just insulating and heating one room in this larger structure?

foundation heat barn

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  What's "fairly cold", on average? 20F and -20F are quite different.
  
  – isherwood
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

3

I have a barn-garage type outbuilding (I believe it was a small barn originally; it has that kind of tall, roomy upper loft). It's about 40 by 20 feet. It's got a concrete foundation and the lower part is divided into two equal sized rooms.

I'm thinking about taking one of the lower rooms and making it a little more hospitable to hang out in and do projects. It would mean patching some wall, adding real doors, and insulating and sheetrocking it.

I want to keep the floor as bare concrete so I can anchor machine tools etc to it for ultimate rigidity. But if it's sharing a concrete foundation with the other room, is heating it in the winter going to be practical? (This house is in the US Pacific Northwest; it gets fairly cold.) Is the floor going to be a giant heat sink?

Are there are any other things I'm not thinking about here, where moisture or heat concerns might bite me if I'm just insulating and heating one room in this larger structure?

foundation heat barn

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  What's "fairly cold", on average? 20F and -20F are quite different.
  
  – isherwood
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

I have a barn-garage type outbuilding (I believe it was a small barn originally; it has that kind of tall, roomy upper loft). It's about 40 by 20 feet. It's got a concrete foundation and the lower part is divided into two equal sized rooms.

I'm thinking about taking one of the lower rooms and making it a little more hospitable to hang out in and do projects. It would mean patching some wall, adding real doors, and insulating and sheetrocking it.

I want to keep the floor as bare concrete so I can anchor machine tools etc to it for ultimate rigidity. But if it's sharing a concrete foundation with the other room, is heating it in the winter going to be practical? (This house is in the US Pacific Northwest; it gets fairly cold.) Is the floor going to be a giant heat sink?

Are there are any other things I'm not thinking about here, where moisture or heat concerns might bite me if I'm just insulating and heating one room in this larger structure?

foundation heat barn

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

share|improve this question

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

edited 4 hours ago

isherwood

49.5k456126

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

asked 4 hours ago

Nathan KnutsonNathan Knutson

1404

1 Answer
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4

I'd have no concerns about doing what you describe. I've seen it done many times here in frigid Minnesota. Build your walls (using treated lumber and suitable nails where it contacts the slab), insulate the walls and ceiling, and line the entire thing with 4 mil poly sheeting.

Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat through the floor, but since your heat source is above the floor it won't absorb much anyway. The cost inefficiency is negligible unless you're extrapolating out a few decades. The primary sink isn't the connection to the unheated slab area anyway--it's the ground. The old barn slab almost certainly doesn't have insulation under it.

You could always overlay the floor between the walls with foam and plywood or one of the ready-made subfloor products if you wanted maximum energy savings.

Have fun with your project space. I'm envious. Just don't asphyxiate yourself with homebrew heating equipment.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

add a comment | 

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4

I'd have no concerns about doing what you describe. I've seen it done many times here in frigid Minnesota. Build your walls (using treated lumber and suitable nails where it contacts the slab), insulate the walls and ceiling, and line the entire thing with 4 mil poly sheeting.

Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat through the floor, but since your heat source is above the floor it won't absorb much anyway. The cost inefficiency is negligible unless you're extrapolating out a few decades. The primary sink isn't the connection to the unheated slab area anyway--it's the ground. The old barn slab almost certainly doesn't have insulation under it.

You could always overlay the floor between the walls with foam and plywood or one of the ready-made subfloor products if you wanted maximum energy savings.

Have fun with your project space. I'm envious. Just don't asphyxiate yourself with homebrew heating equipment.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

add a comment | 

4

I'd have no concerns about doing what you describe. I've seen it done many times here in frigid Minnesota. Build your walls (using treated lumber and suitable nails where it contacts the slab), insulate the walls and ceiling, and line the entire thing with 4 mil poly sheeting.

Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat through the floor, but since your heat source is above the floor it won't absorb much anyway. The cost inefficiency is negligible unless you're extrapolating out a few decades. The primary sink isn't the connection to the unheated slab area anyway--it's the ground. The old barn slab almost certainly doesn't have insulation under it.

You could always overlay the floor between the walls with foam and plywood or one of the ready-made subfloor products if you wanted maximum energy savings.

Have fun with your project space. I'm envious. Just don't asphyxiate yourself with homebrew heating equipment.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

add a comment | 

I'd have no concerns about doing what you describe. I've seen it done many times here in frigid Minnesota. Build your walls (using treated lumber and suitable nails where it contacts the slab), insulate the walls and ceiling, and line the entire thing with 4 mil poly sheeting.

Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat through the floor, but since your heat source is above the floor it won't absorb much anyway. The cost inefficiency is negligible unless you're extrapolating out a few decades. The primary sink isn't the connection to the unheated slab area anyway--it's the ground. The old barn slab almost certainly doesn't have insulation under it.

You could always overlay the floor between the walls with foam and plywood or one of the ready-made subfloor products if you wanted maximum energy savings.

Have fun with your project space. I'm envious. Just don't asphyxiate yourself with homebrew heating equipment.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126

answered 4 hours ago

isherwoodisherwood

49.5k456126