threeReefs
Established Member
I am (finally) coming out the other side of bringing up kids, running a small business, etc etc and this year's (summer) project is to properly sort out the workshop. I say "workshop", this is actually the brick-built single garage that we no longer use to keep cars in :
It's single-skin, built in the 1930s, no damp-proof course. The nature of kids/business/etc has meant that I've simply done little bits and pieces to it over the last 20 years, preserving a corner for a workbench and (more recently) fighting a defensive action against an ingress of bikes and bike components resulting from my wife's hobby :
Please don't judge me on the untidyness. You should have seen it a month ago before I started my cleanout. Of course, once you start a project like this it's OK to buy new toys even if you've nowhere to put them yet :
So the plan is to start by emptying the whole thing out when the weather is warmer, and make things more damp-proof and insulated. With the usual catch of not losing too much volume. You can see from the picture that there are brick piers so I'm thinking I might do something like this :
Hence, the main question (or first one, since there will likely be a goodly few more) : would that approach work ? what insulation / membrane ? how should I damp-proof this and make it a suitable starting point for a better fit-out ? I don't want to do major brickwork so I really have to live with the existing structure.
The floor is good, thick, screeded concrete, dust-free. The ceiling I'm preeety sure is asbestos sheets, so they'll need to be covered over or go - but that's for another time, and will involve negotiation with the swarm of bumble-bees who have established something between a nest and a summer theme park up there.
Any replies much appreciated. And yes, the bench drill is kind of over-sized for this sort of workshop but it's so beautifully made I couldn't resist it.
Richard
It's single-skin, built in the 1930s, no damp-proof course. The nature of kids/business/etc has meant that I've simply done little bits and pieces to it over the last 20 years, preserving a corner for a workbench and (more recently) fighting a defensive action against an ingress of bikes and bike components resulting from my wife's hobby :
Please don't judge me on the untidyness. You should have seen it a month ago before I started my cleanout. Of course, once you start a project like this it's OK to buy new toys even if you've nowhere to put them yet :
So the plan is to start by emptying the whole thing out when the weather is warmer, and make things more damp-proof and insulated. With the usual catch of not losing too much volume. You can see from the picture that there are brick piers so I'm thinking I might do something like this :
- Get the walls as dry as possible (fresh air, dehumidifier)
- Liberal application of sealant. Some of the walls have soil against them (due to level differences) outside.
- 100mm insulation against the walls, between the piers, bringing the whole surface out to levels with the piers (some 100mm battens in there too, so that I can...
- ...put some thick ply or similar across the whole thing, suitable for fixing things to.
Hence, the main question (or first one, since there will likely be a goodly few more) : would that approach work ? what insulation / membrane ? how should I damp-proof this and make it a suitable starting point for a better fit-out ? I don't want to do major brickwork so I really have to live with the existing structure.
The floor is good, thick, screeded concrete, dust-free. The ceiling I'm preeety sure is asbestos sheets, so they'll need to be covered over or go - but that's for another time, and will involve negotiation with the swarm of bumble-bees who have established something between a nest and a summer theme park up there.
Any replies much appreciated. And yes, the bench drill is kind of over-sized for this sort of workshop but it's so beautifully made I couldn't resist it.
Richard