Specific building Q's on a wheeled house

[Fish On! Guide Service]

I'm in the process of putting together a 6.5 x 17 wheeled house and need a little help on some specific building questions.

1. The entire house is being insulated with 1.5" poly; should I also insulate the roof?

2. Should I construct the footer and header of the walls utilizing 2 x 4 rather than a 2 x 2? (I'll be using 2 x 2's for most of the wall construction, with exception to the ceiling and corners).

3. Will "closet" cedar be as resistent to rot as knotty cedar? Should closet cedar be used inside a fish house?

4. I plan on paneling the interior walls with both knotty cedar and closet cedar. Should I use a vapor barrier on the walls?

5. I'll be installing marine carpet for the floor. How do you recommend I fasten the the carpet to the floor? Staples, glue, nothing?

Thanks in advance and I appreciate the help.

[Polar Bear]

FOG... Built 5 houses in the last 25 years so have some experience.

1. I think you probably know you need to insulate the roof, just like your home, most of your heat loss is going out the top.

2. I've found that 2x4s stay straighter than 2x2s in the long run, less tendency to warp.

3&4. I don't know anything about cedar but I use vapor barriers behind the paneling to keep frost out of the wall insulation. Without it the back side of your paneling can stay wet all winter.

5. Spent 12 years installing floorcovering. I usually use double face tape to hold down the carpet because its so easy yet holds well. One big piece of advice about carpet: don't buy anything with a looped pile. Fish hooks get stuck too easily, get the cut pile variety.

Hope this helps a little.

[Fish On! Guide Service]

That helps a ton bear! Thanks much for the information.

[Dances with Walleye]

I'm in the process of putting together a 6.5 x 17 wheeled house and need a little help on some specific building questions.

1. The entire house is being insulated with 1.5" poly; should I also insulate the roof?

2. Should I construct the footer and header of the walls utilizing 2 x 4 rather than a 2 x 2? (I'll be using 2 x 2's for most of the wall construction, with exception to the ceiling and corners).

3. Will "closet" cedar be as resistent to rot as knotty cedar? Should closet cedar be used inside a fish house?

4. I plan on paneling the interior walls with both knotty cedar and closet cedar. Should I use a vapor barrier on the walls?

5. I'll be installing marine carpet for the floor. How do you recommend I fasten the the carpet to the floor? Staples, glue, nothing?

Thanks in advance and I appreciate the help.

1. Absolutely... You best effort should be given to insulating your roof, it's easily the biggest key to you insulation strategy.

2. I used 2X4's for everything... My main concern was the times that I leave the house for say 2 weeks unattended, and snow builds up on the roof... I wanted to have every possible chance of the walls taking weight in the event of a roof failure.

3 & 4 I would absolutely vapor barrier it... As for Cedar... If you're talking about the chip board closet liner cedar... I'd avoid it... It ages quickly when used as actual wall paneling... 2 years from now it will be flaking on the floor.

5. Personally... I hate the marine carpet thing... Because by saturday night... It's just a sponge for melted snow that tracked in and out on your boots... Then I get up in the middle of the night to take a leak and soak my feet while going for my boots...

Or invite a Frosty floor later for the next friday...

I've got linoleum, with rubber mats for my floor... Any melt goes through the porous mats and stays off the feet... Then at the end of the weekend, we lift the mats and squeegee the water down the holes.

[jigglestick]

insulation, vapor barier, rot resistant wood like cedar, non corrosive metals like stainless, brass or alluminum in every application, including the screws or other fastners.

one thing I would like to add is, in the floor, most insulate. some sandwich between layers of plywood.

some lay 2 inch foam on the steel frame and then one layer of plywood.

talking to rick at highbanks, he said his houses without insulation are the only ones that will not freeze down.

I have houses with and without insulation in the floor.

not sure which is best. I am going to build one more house to add to my fleet this fall. I think I will go without on this one and if I dont like it, I can add the insulation between the studs later.

one other thing, on the door. I highly suggest, where applicable, use a steel exterior door like you would have on a house.

if your house is not big enough, buy the best quality door you can buy.

my fish house store door is junk. ice buildup on the alluminum frame causes the door to stop short on the bottom and instead of chipping the ice away, guests simply hammer away on the door until it latches. this has made for me, a bowed door.

the house is not tall enough to install a regular door and frame or it would have one now.

install plenty of windows including ones that open. thats one of the quickest ways to get rid of excess moisture.

a vent on either end of the house will go miles in moisture control as well.

guess that was more than "one other thing"

[Fish On! Guide Service]

Excellent information guys!

I've made the decision to go with a sandwhich style floor. Anyone have an idea where to get the proper screws (3") for this floor?

Thanks again.

[gvt]

Fish On!

There is some discussion regarding screwing the floor down in the following thread (my fish house): http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...tio#Post1446625

To answer your question I think the best option is a "wood to metal" Tek screw. Some of the big box stores, hardware stores, and Fastenal carries them. You can also do an internet search to find them.