insulate a pole barn

I have a 40 x 60 pole barn. My plan is to section off about a quarter to a third of it and insulate to make a shop heated by my batch mass heater. that's 600 to 800 sq. ft. any ideas on how to insulate walls and a ceiling?

michael Egan wrote:I have a 40 x 60 pole barn. My plan is to section off about a quarter to a third of it and insulate to make a shop heated by my batch mass heater. that's 600 to 800 sq. ft. any ideas on how to insulate walls and a ceiling?

ASSUMING this is on the natural building sub-forum and you want to go all natural for materials:

Wool treated with borax to keep the rodents at bay
Sawdust
Straw

If I was wrong:

Fiberglass Batt Insulation

Borax treated corragated  cardboard ?
Roxel rockwool batts.

Denim works well. Way less hazardous to occupy, install or demolish and dispose of than rockwool or fiberglass. Probably the best comprimise on natural.

As a performer the rigid foam panels or spray foam are probably best, toxic but soon you will be able to get it without fire retardant and a thick sheet is a tea cup of goo that saves mega energy over its lifetime and can be in soil contact even.

The problem with all fibre batts is they take on ambient humidity which kills the r value and in the case of fiber glass, the weight ruins its glued structure. I find the denim to be pretty well intertwined without the toxic glues associated with glass batts. Nasty.

Double bubble reflective insulation is less toxic and water and moisture resistant. Works well as the vapor barier to denim batts.

Mushroom and hemp foams are available, $$.

Depending on climate clay slip and straw might be nice or just straw.

Cardboard if you have access to a ton of it and can keep it dry. Decent R value & free.

That is pretty wild. I have observed cardboard in thick stacks insulate, but looked after reading this and it is as good or better than foam, better than batts! Learned something new.