How to turn an outdoor shed into a workshop?

[TonyRG]

We've just had a metal shed installed in our backyard on a concrete slab with the hopes of turning it into a workshop. We've noticed however that the roof picks up a lot of condensation which then drops onto the work surfaces that will be filled with electronics and we've also just had a lot of rain out here and it's leaked in a few places from the roof plus come in from around the edges of of the shed to make the ground wet. We're also currently engaging an electrician to install lighting and power points. We'd like to find a way to vent and/or insulate the shed so that it stays bone dry to protect the electronics we plan to set up inside.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @TonyRG. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about turning a shed into a workshop.

You'll find that questions such as how to insulate and how to weatherproof a shed are very common within the community so I'd encourage you to read through some of the previous discussions. There's plenty of information within them that you'll find of use for your project.

These questions come up so often because sheds are not weatherproof structures. They are designed to store gardening tools and items that are not severely affected by moisture.

Starting from the ground up, your shed needs to be placed on a concrete base that has been constructed for the shed. This entails adding a sunken portion around the perimeter of the slab so any water that falls onto it runs off away from the shed and not under the walls. This is not commonly done, so we've put together a step-by-step guide on How to waterproof a shed floor to help alleviate this issue. You might also like to elevate the floor, and this guide on How to install a shed floor should be useful.

To insulate the shed and seal it from outside weather conditions, you might like to use Foilboard. It comes in large panels that can be sealed together with Foilboard tape and adhered to the shed walls with silicone. By adding insulation and sealing out moisture, you'll drastically reduce the amount of condensation within the shed.

Adding ventilation would also be a good measure to ensure heat doesn't build up within the shed and something like the Bradford CSR SolarXVENT 150mm Solar Powered Vent would be a great solution.

A note to our New Zealand readers: The use of foil insulation products is prohibited.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[TonyRG]

Thanks for the info - we've picked up some sealant and will look into the Foilboard also. As far as the vent - are there other options that would allow it to be placed in a wall rather than the roof? And how many vents would be required for a 3.75m x 3.75m shed? Just one or a couple?

[EricL]

Hello @TonyRG 

I can't recommend the vent being installed onto your wall as the unit was designed for roof applications only. The solar vent has a maximum flow rate of 150m3/hr. One unit should be enough to ventilate your shed.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Evening @TonyRG 

Ive never used one of those vents but would also suggest to have a look at the reviews about it. I like vents that dont need power to run (convection style) for cooling. I am not sure about how to stop the condensation. @MitchellMc links a few questions as this has arisen before, a LOT actually. Foilboard seems to be the thing that works for people.

If you decide on the vents I would possible get a couple and see how they go, then get more if needed. Or go for a larger powered extraction fan, either 240V or go for a solar panel and 12V or 24V seperate fan.

Dave

[TonyRG]

We're actually looking for an alternative product to the solar powered vent - so we're looking for a vent that would be able to be successfully mounted on the wall and still give us the results we're after - do you have any suggestions?

[TonyRG]

Hi Dave - yes we're looking for one that doesn't require power to run (convection) too - would you have any suggestions of ones you've tried or ones that you've heard are good? Once we have a vent (or two) installed we're planning to get the foil board for insulation purposes - thanks

[JacobZ]

Hi @TonyRG,

There's a wide variety of non-powered vents that can be installed on the wall of your shed, but they will not be as effective as something installed on the roof. This is because heat rises, so it gets trapped near the ridge of the shed's roof. 

If you would prefer to use a wall vent, I would suggest something fairly large, such as this Haron 300 x 300mm Silver Aluminium Pressed Wall Vent situated higher up on the wall so that the hot air can escape.

Please ensure you follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and wear all relevant personal protective equipment, specifically gloves, long sleeves and long pants.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @TonyRG 

I dont know of a brand I can recommend sorry 😕 However I would take note of @JacobZ's suggestion to a ceiling vent compared to a wall vent. 

Or maybe instead of a vent per say, how about a long narrow horizontal window that can be opened at the top of the wall?

Dave