Pole barns offer a great opportunity to build and construct a sturdy, reliable structure quickly and easily. But even though they are quite robust, you never should neglect and underestimate the importance of insulating them properly.
Without proper insulation, keeping your pole barn dry and of the optimal indoor temperature would simply be impossible. With that in mind, here are just some of the ways you can insulate your pole barn for maximum efficiency.
Why insulate a pole barn?
When it comes to insulating pole barn walls, the main goal is to create an environment with consistent indoor temperature. This will further improve your overall energy costs, keeping them on the lower end. Simply put, not having to constantly heat up or cool down your pole barn will help you save energy in the long run. By improving the R-value of your pole barn, you’ll end up saving plenty of electricity – and money, of course.
Additionally, installing proper insulation will also help prevent any damage and deterioration that can easily be caused by an uncontrolled air flow. If the air flow in your pole barn is less than optimal, rust, mold, and mildew will quickly start to develop. This could not only potentially damage the things inside your pole barn, but the very structure itself. Naturally, the better the airflow is, the healthier the indoor environment will be, so make sure you take that into consideration as well.
When to insulate?
The earlier you start thinking about the insulation – the better. Ideally, you should account for insulation during the early stages of planning and building your pole barn. However, if your barn is already set up, you can easily insulate it afterwards by choosing the most suitable insulating agent. Of course, this will require a bit of research.
Types of insulation
When choosing the right type of insulation, you must first determine whether you want to insulate your pole barn from the outside or the inside – or both.
Indoor or outdoor
This will help you determine the ideal thickness of your insulation, which is very important. One- to two-inch insulation is the excellent choice for the exterior of the structure. The interior, on the other hand, will benefit more from six-inch insulation.
Most common insulators include foam, fiberglass and cellulose. All of these three materials are excellent insulators, but their ideal use and prices do vary, so make sure you keep that in mind as well.
Materials
Foam insulation – Foam insulation is a great choice of insulation, particularly when it comes to structures of odd shapes and hard to reach areas. However, this type of insulation usually tends to be a bit pricey, so make sure that you can easily fit it in your budget.
Fiberglass insulation – Fiberglass is considered to be the industry-standard when it comes to insulation. It usually comes in the form of rolls, batts or loose fill. While rolls and batts are somewhat easier to install, loose fill needs to be blown in. Needless to say, this will require special equipment, gear and training, so contacting a professional is the wisest option if you decide to go with the loose fill. Fiberglass insulation is usually the most easily affordable type of insulation.
Cellulose insulation – Cellulose is most commonly used in attic areas, and is also a type of blown insulation. Most commonly made of renewable materials, cellulose insulation has a slightly higher R-value per inch than blown-in fiberglass insulation.
Final thoughts
Just like it is important to insulate your home properly, the same principle applies to insulating your pole barn. Installing proper insulation will help you retain heat, improve the airflow and keep away moisture that could potentially compromise the well-being of both your belongings and the structure itself. So, make sure your pole barn insulation is not an after-thought and find the best possible solutions that will perfectly match your structure, budget and needs.
