Daubz ant loft

Post your builds, private or commercial set ups. This is where we will document the creation of housing or the planning and construction of projects from scratch. This differs from the Journal Section because this section does not concentrate on the Ants or the other animals that are being kept, this section focuses on the progress of the build.
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Daubz1977
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Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 10:49 am
Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 11:52 am

im never going to insulate rafters again, 1980's roofers are a-holes, every single rafter is a different size and not one is square its taken me 2½ hrs to put in 8 pieces, only 24 to go, it will be worth it in the end i suppose :roll:
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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Daubz1977
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Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 10:49 am
Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:35 pm

This is were im at now, Ive had o stop because the little man was going to bed but all i have to do tomorrow is mount the fan to the wall fit the thermostat and a spur for the heater and a bit of insulating oh yeah and a big tidy up.
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i will eventually put some insulation either end on the breeze blocked walls and im going to plasterboard the ceiling but for now that will do.
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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Deansie26
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Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:30 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Deansie26 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 9:42 pm

Dale you are the man!! Best build thread by a long way, (Andrew's not a hobbiest so can't include his lol)
You must be spending some real dosh on this, how thick is the celotex your using again? I really hope this achieves it's potential, would be a real exhibit.

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Daubz1977
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Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 9:48 pm

its 50mm celotex, i couldnt go any bigger, my rafters are only 100mm and you have to leave a 50mm gap for air circulation between the board and the roof to stop condensation, hopefully its enough. When i board the ceiling im going to use insulated plaster boards. Yeah i have spent quite a bit on it, so i really have to get it right and make the most out of it i can, ive really enjoyed it though, apart from today.
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Sat Apr 02, 2016 11:51 pm

You could use foil lined plasterboard, foil to inside. Great insulation and also, if done properly, the foil will present a barrier to humidity, ie your house will not fall down after a couple of weeks.

RichardP
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Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by RichardP » Sun Apr 03, 2016 2:47 pm

This build is epic... can't wait to see its development :) Good work

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Daubz1977
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Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Sun Apr 03, 2016 4:54 pm

Right all the electrics are on the room is up to 22.5°c may need to get a different heater the one i have has an internal thermostat which cant be turned off so its taking a while to heat up, I still need to tidy up but im off to the pub so it can wait.
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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Daubz1977
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Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 10:49 am
Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:52 pm

losing some heat in the room still so ive ordered a shed load of silver tape to seal any little gaps in the joins between the joists and the rafters and also some expanding foam as ive found a big gap in the roof where im losing heat, hopefully this will solve the problem.
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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Deansie26
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Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:30 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Deansie26 » Mon Apr 04, 2016 1:16 pm

Hi Dale, have you took the temp from different areas in the room? What's the temp difference from 2 foot of the ground to 2 foot from the highest point?
Could be that the heat is gathering at the top.

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Daubz1977
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Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 10:49 am
Location: Lincoln

Re: Daubz ant loft

Post by Daubz1977 » Mon Apr 04, 2016 1:27 pm

Im at work at the moment, but i will check when i get in later, i have a fan in the room so it should be circulating quite well, I think i am just losing heat through gaps, one of the gaps is about 2 inches between the outside wall and the last internal rafter once thats blocked it should make a big difference and also i need to patch up around a flu going through the roof. If all fails i will need a bigger heater.
ants i keep:-
Atta cephalotes
Polyrhachis dives
Camponotus cruentatus
Camponotus ligniperdus
Camponotus barbaricus
Formica cunicularia
Messor barbarus
Lasius niger

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