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Converting shop with uninsulated concrete floor into living space?

deanbowman | Posted in General Questions on

I’ve decided to convert my shop and carport into a small (480 sq ft) home so my young adult daughter has her own space. When and if she decides to move on after grad school, I will then have a rental place. This is in Idaho, zone 5B.

The issue is…when I built this structure 22 years ago, I didn’t have the foresight that it might one day be converted into a small house. The floor is concrete…a mono pour where footing and the floor are one pour. The floor is over a good bed of gravel, but there’s no vapor barrier nor insulation of any kind under the floor or around the foundation.

My question is: How do I deal with the floor now to make this a comfortable space to live in that won’t require gobs of energy to heat? It currently feels like an ice box! The walls and floor are minimally insulated but easily fixed. The floor is my primary concern.

One idea I had was to adhere 1-2″ thick high density EPS on top of the concrete then add a flooring on top of that. But what would that flooring be, and how would I fasten it?

I could possibly pour a thin reinforced slab over the EPS…say 1-2″ thick.

In addition to insulating the floor, I was also thinking about installing EPS foam around the perimeter of the exposed foundation…then covering with metal for protection.

Regardless, I have more time to put into this than I do money. AKA…my budget for this is small.

Ideas?

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Replies

  1. freyr_design | | #1

    You could do a two layers of 3/4 ply with seams overlapped like in a concrete free slab, look up basement flooring retrofit on here, I think there are a few articles addressing this.

    That being said, I would be more inclined to simply add exterior insulation to your slab.

  2. nynick | | #2

    There's tons of info on this type of retro fit on Youtube. I'd be more worried about plumbing the drains and toilets.

    1. deanbowman | | #3

      Thanks. There is no concrete where the plumbing will go...so I'd do the plumbing, then pour that section, over a VP and EPS. Just looking for different low cost ideas. Hadn't thought to look on YT.

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