The Outer Shell: Insulating
To keep heating and cooling costs lower, we must minimize “thermal bridges” between the outer shell and the inside of the building. We glued and taped insulation inside the footprint of the foundation before the concrete slab was poured. Later, after the forms were removed, we glued more around the sides of the slab.
Before backfilling, we placed/taped more of the same insulation underground, fanning out around the perimeter, to prevent frost from forming near the building. This should help prevent cold outside temperatures from working against the radiant floor heating system as it warms the slab.
We fastened insulation to girts on the walls and purlins on the roof, wherever there was not going to be polycarbonate. On the south walls and roof on the greenhouse side, we fastened triple wall polycarbonate.
The Outer Shell: Roofing & Siding
We installed roofing and exterior siding on top of the insulation. This kept them from coming into direct contact with the steel framework. (Less thermal bridging.)
Miss our Raising the Steel post? Want to know more about Our Farm?
