Floating Home Design on 90' by 120' aluminum barge

[Bim Trinidad]

Constructing a 2 story home on barge. House is 16' total height, 41' in length....steel structure in progress. Structure is 2' above barge floor for utilities and wave dissipation. Looking for input on house materials. Plycem readily available in Trinidad. 1) Type of insulation....styrofoam or fibreglass in metal stud wall, 2) concrete board/plycem exterior 3) drywall interior wall 4) a moisture barrier on outside of stud before plycem, 5) soundproofing insulation between floors. Open to input from similar project thx.

 

[Rumars]

Sorry but what do you want to hear? You already decided to build the house part like a terrestrial home and in a certain system, use the common materials and techniques available.
Just make sure the structure has sufficient diagonal stiffness in the frame, the rest isn't improvable without going to a different type of construction.
As to your questions:
1. It doesn't matter, both are the wrong type for the climate and won't significantly lower your air conditioning bill.
2. Is good.
3. If that's what you want.
4. Depends on the building system.
5. It's it own system.

 

[Bim Trinidad]

Sorry but what do you want to hear? You already decided to build the house part like a terrestrial home and in a certain system, use the common materials and techniques available.
Just make sure the structure has sufficient diagonal stiffness in the frame, the rest isn't improvable without going to a different type of construction.
As to your questions:
1. It doesn't matter, both are the wrong type for the climate and won't significantly lower your air conditioning bill.
2. Is good.
3. If that's what you want.
4. Depends on the building system.
5. It's it own system.

Thank you for your response. Any input re insulation?

 

[Rumars]

For tropical climates you want heavy insulation that can absorb the solar radiation. The problem is that on a boat that would add literally tons of weight up high and affect the stability. Discuss the problem with your NA to determine how much weight is allowed in the first place. Then it's a problem of weight vs. thickness vs. local availability.
It's something that should have been considered in the design phase. Right now the boat is already calculated for a certain wall weight, there's not much you can do short of starting over.
If your two options are EPS or fiberglass I would choose the best rated EPS and someone who knows how to install it. If closed cell PU foam is available with a certified installer (very important aspect for spray foam) I would choose that.

 

[bajansailor]

Constructing a 2 story home on barge. House is 16' total height, 41' in length....steel structure in progress. Structure is 2' above barge floor for utilities and wave dissipation.

Is this all your own design, including the barge?
Re the 90' x 120' overall dimensions, is this a monohull barge or a multihull?
What is the overall depth of the barge itself?
And what is the width of the house, if it is 41' in length?

Will it be berthed in a marina at Chaguaramas?

If it is your design, have you done a detailed weight estimate for everything, including the structure of the barge itself, and all of the outfit items like furniture (and that insulation...... ), not too mention water tanks and grey water and black water tanks?

 

[gonzo]

A steel structure on an aluminum barge does not seem reasonable. In general it is the opposite: aluminum structure on a steel hull.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Constructing a 2 story home on barge. House is 16' total height, 41' in length....steel structure in progress. Structure is 2' above barge floor

What is you ceiling height? That seems petty cramped.

Is it 16' + 2'?

Assuming that's what you mean, the roof is 18' above the barge deck, then you have maybe 24" for two sets of floor trusses plus roof trusses. You have just under 7' ceilings. Better than I thought when I read the 2' elevation and thought you had included that in your overall height.

-Will