Quote Originally Posted by B-Kerr View Post
Doesn't help with snow load, but it would help with keeping it down! lol. I have heard that someone is making polymer blocks to use instead of wood, but I have yet to find the manufacturer. Just thought someone may have ran across something. We've considered making our own from UHMW PE...

I must add, Iceman and the others are correct... the only way to build a freezer is with pre-made materials, be it styrene/styrofoam panels or the precast concrete that is foam filled. Moisture control plays such a key roll in maintaining structure that it is not worth the chance of having voids in panels and joints. I have seen a roof torn loose from a wall because there was an ever so small air gap in the corner.. moisture came it, froze, expanded, and the process repeated until the structure came apart!

And then there is always the dreaded floor heave! We built a 20 below freezer for a local grocery supplier that was designed to have an access door to the adjacent building. Everything worked well for several years until they decided to turn the adjacent room into a cool room for sort and pack. This would not have been a problem, but the employees started leaving the dividing door open most of the time. It was not long until the floor in the cool room froze and its floor heaved and buckled! The freezer of course remained intact.

Besides moisture problems, insurance problems, and lack of thermal consistency, another issue to consider in the homemade vs pre-made panel is rigidity. A person can walk across an end supported 40' 6" pre-made panel without fear. Are you willing to do that with your homemade panel? There is a company now in Florida that is building premade house kits using 3" and 4" styrofoam panels that require no internal frame; they are totally self supporting!

In short, don't waste your time or effort trying to build your own panels. You can purchase panels, hardware, edging, and sealants for less than $7/ sq. ft.
yep if i was to build my own house it would be a cold store without the fridge get my drift