Hi all,

I'm turning a concrete walled room in my barn into a tiny home. I need to insulate the walls. Since I probably won't have help, I've decided that the easiest thing to do is to use the foam panels that are available at Lowes and put it all together with construction adhesive. Can I put the foam right up against the concrete, or do I need to create a space?

I don't really know what I'm doing with this project, so any tips or tricks would be appreciated!

Yes, but make sure you use acrylic adhesive, anything else will dissolve the styrene

Are you able to apply the foam panels to the exterior of the walls? Not only would that give you more interior space, but it would also insulate the thermal mass of the walls, helping you to regulate temperature.

-CK

It's hard to say anything about a situation that obviously involves much more than what you have mentioned. Information helps a lot in getting a worthwhile answer. Location, climate, long-term/short-term, budget, building type, power, water, sewage, etc.

FWIW.
- Most temperatures underground (is this room underground?) maintain at about 55F. below the frost line. I personally found 60F. to be a (usually)  a comfortable temperature. Insulating and heating _yourself_ often is far more practical than doing the whole environment. Above ground temperatures can vary much more so insulation may be necessary.
- Concrete often comes with water (leaks) or moisture leading to water (condensation). Ventilation helps w/condensation and fresh air is good for _you_, too. Leaks are often something you live with underground; above ground you may luck out and just have to deal with condensation.
- Foams are not panaceas. Some - open cell - absorb water. Some easily become bug food and habitat. I think it may be possible to glue foam to concrete walls, but I can't remember where I read of it. It's not something any builder would normally be happy about.

Simple, very simple, is sometimes the best approach. Light it, raise the floor if needed to stay dry and/or warm, provide fresh air, hot plate to boil water for tea to warm up, good bedding to keep warm.


Rufus