Is it destructive to heat Wendy House

[ian mayo]

Hi again all,

we've bought a wendy-house (see separate thread).

I'm considering installing an electrict greenhouse heater (120w or similar) - both to take the bite out of the cold when the children are playing in it during the Winter, but also under the (possibly mistaken) idea that having it on for a couple of hours per day would prolong the life of the house.

The Wendy-house builder chap warned against use of such a heater, but I wasn't convinced.... He said that wood likes to be damp, and the drying effect of the heater would reduce the wendy-house life. If the slow-steady heat is destructive I'd be happy enough to (safely) fit a convector heater for the period when the children are actually in there. I just want to double-check the builder's statement.

So, I'd appreciate any advice on heating my lovely new erection ;-]

Cheers,

Ian.

[Christian McArdle]

What a classic quote!

The reason not to heat the wendy house is because it would cost a fortune to run, unless you insulated it. 50mm of celotex all round inside should do. When the kids are inside, it will barely need heating, as the body heat will do most of the work.

Christian.

[IMM]

Insulate the inside first. Use Kingspan or Celotex which is high performing and thin, put Fermacell boards over that with a vapour barrier beneath the Fermacell. No wet trades involved and a great finish and cheap to heat. Sorted.

[Ian Stirling]

Whack in a couple of combis too, and you're done.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

He's back. And still not understanding a simple question. Unless he knows a plasterer called Wendy.

[Mike]

That's more than most houses :-)

[Mary Fisher]

.

I hate posts which say LOL.

But LOL!

Mary

[Andy Hall]

In a single layer wooden building, a 120W heater is not going to do a great deal to make it warm.

If you use a good preservative on the outside and maintain it (see other post) and the wood is isolated from the ground and ventilated, then it won't come to much harm.

Not really. If the wood had been damp before machining and assembly and the building poorly made, then suddenly heating and drying it could lead to shrinkage and cracking, but that should not have been the case.

Christian's insulation idea could make a lot of sense. I did exactly this with my garden cabin and used 50mm Celotex to do it. I also did the space under the floor, which is probably not an option for you now. The walls and roof were done by fitting a light frame inside and leaving a small gap behind the Celotex which was then ventilated (important). Before fitting this, I painted the interior with a colourless wood preserver (Cuprinol). The Celotex has its own foil vapour barrier and joints can be taped using foil tape, so no additional vapour barrier is required. I finished the surface with wooden cladding, varnished with a water based matt varnish. Other board such as ply or even plasterboard would be fine. With kids you might want it ding proof. I secondary glazed the windows and door with toughened glass.

The building is used for a variety of purposes and also houses a freezer, being a low energy one.

It is comfortably warm most of the time, if I go in there and close the door, I haven't needed any additional heating

[IMM]

Mary,

You LOL'd at that? Are you serious?

[IMM]

Was that supposed to be funny? Please before you do funnies, tell us before you do them. ..........Then we can delete it, without the pain.

[IMM]

Perfect.

[bigcat]

120w wont achieve anything in any building.

If youre going to go with electric, and just happen to have a big stack of old fridges and freezers, building them into one wall would pump external heat in as well as getting the heat from the leccy.

NT

[bigcat]

120w wont achieve anything in any building.

If youre going to go with electric, and just happen to have a big stack of old fridges and freezers, building them into one wall would pump external heat in as well as getting the heat from the leccy.

NT

[bigcat]

120w wont achieve anything in any building.

If youre going to go with electric, and just happen to have a big stack of old fridges and freezers, building them into one wall would pump external heat in as well as getting the heat from the leccy.

NT

[Mike]

Have to see the look on the BCO's face when he comes out to check them :-)

[Colin Wilson]

I`m no expert on any of this, but how many years of use are kids going to get out of a wendy house anyway ?

[Andy Hall]

It depends what it is. If it's a small thing possibly not, but there are some fairly large constructions sold as wendy houses that can be used for other purposes afterwards.

[bigcat]

120w wont achieve anything in any building.

If youre going to go with electric, and just happen to have a big stack of old fridges and freezers, building them into one wall would pump external heat in as well as getting the heat from the leccy.

NT

[Mike]

Have you seen the Beckham's one ? Subject to retrospective planning permission, they'll be letting it out when the kids have finished with it.

[Owain]

"Andy Hall" wrote | >I`m no expert on any of this, but how many years of use are kids | >going to get out of a wendy house anyway ? | It depends what it is. If it's a small thing possibly not, but | there are some fairly large constructions sold as wendy houses that | can be used for other purposes afterwards.

Never too soon to start the weans on the housing ladder. The way prices are going, it'll be all they can afford for their first-time buy.

Owain