insulating a garage

[matrass]

Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ? figure since I am heating the garage in the winter insulating would make sense. also looking for advice on your heating unit for the garage that is reliable and I can set up on a thermostat.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: matrass
Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ?
In Canada, where homes with a room over the garage are common , they insulate the BLEEP out of the garage.

 

[pcoxe]

Was a plastic vapor barrier installed under the concrete before pouring? Ground moisture will migrate up through the concrete otherwise.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: matrass
Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ?
In Canada, where homes with a room over the garage are common , they insulate the BLEEP out of the garage.


that is my understanding for very cold climates. since the garage is attached to the house it would make sense that the hose would be more energy efficient.

 

[Schmoe]

Being attached to the house, I'd concentrate on the doors. That's where most of your leaks are going to occur. I'd make sure there is a good tight seal when the door are closed. Shut it, be inside, turn the lights off and see if you can see daylight around the edges. With it being attached, I would only concentrate on the exposed walls.

 

[bepperb]

Insulating the garage also probably requires you to drywall and insulate the ceiling, which (if there isn't living area above it) is a huge cost.

I have a 3 stall garage with a 12/12 roof above it, and without a ceiling my torpedo heater takes forever to heat it up. If I could find a cheap light ceiling alternative (that meets code) I'd probably insulate and drywall it, but drywalling the ceiling or insulating a 30 foot high wall seems ridiculous to me.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: pcoxe
Was a plastic vapor barrier installed under the concrete before pouring? Ground moisture will migrate up through the concrete otherwise.


The concrete was not poured in the garage yet. I know he installs a vapor barrier in the cellar before the concrete is poured. was going to make sure that the garage will have a vapor barrier before they pour the floor. they do have the modified dirt in the garage area already. framing is going pretty descant roof should be up this week hopefully.

 

[Doog]

I have an attached 3.5 car garage with steps into my basement. I built 2 floor drains into the concrete floor and did 5 mil vapor barrier underneath the concrete. The concrete floor sits on 2 feet of gravel that flows into the drian tile and storm sewers so all water evacuates quickly. The ceiling has R40 insulation with XXX fire rated drywall and the walls have R11 insulation bats with foil barrier. I have insulated garage doors one 8' and one 16'. The ceiling is 12' high with fluorescent lights and the front of the garage has Pella thermopane windows that match the house and are finished off the same color. I have 6 GFI outlets wired to a 20amp breaker for power and hot& cold water.

In the Winter the heat soak from the cars engines will melt all snow and ice and dry the pavement overnight. I don't have a heater.

BTW, it has to be -10F to get to 32F in my garage overnight in the Winter.

 

[The_Jeff]

Would you heat all the time or only once a week when detailing?

Garages get clammy. If you park in and out you get "car water" that pools and refreezes. The slush tentacles that hang off your fenders usually get enough engine heat to melt, fall off, and plop down.

Insulation might keep your average temp below freezing or maddeningly just above. Whichever's worse.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

Insulation might keep your average temp below freezing or maddeningly just above. Whichever's worse.

Not if you do it right. My garage is always about 40-45F in the Winter. I never get ice on the floor ever. I keep a bottle of water next to the 16' door in the Winter. Since 1998 it has formed ice once. I wash my cars with hot water in the Winter.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: matrass
Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ? figure since I am heating the garage in the winter insulating would make sense. also looking for advice on your heating unit for the garage that is reliable and I can set up on a thermostat.


If I were to buy/build a new house I would be using spray foam for the insulation. Costs more upfront, but you save on heating and AC bills.

Regards, JC.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: JC1

If I were to buy/build a new house I would be using spray foam for the insulation. Costs more upfront, but you save on heating and AC bills.

Regards, JC.


I looked into that and it was so expensive that the owens corning foil backed insulation was 1/2 the price. If you install it yourself it is even cheaper. All you need is a ladder, staple gun and box cutter.

 

[mrsilv04]

Since the concrete floor hasn't been poured yet, have you considered putting in a floor drain?

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Would you heat all the time or only once a week when detailing?

Garages get clammy. If you park in and out you get "car water" that pools and refreezes. The slush tentacles that hang off your fenders usually get enough engine heat to melt, fall off, and plop down.

Insulation might keep your average temp below freezing or maddeningly just above. Whichever's worse.

was going to try and keep the garage around 45 all of the time and around 55 -60 when I would be detailing. I will have a drain in the middle of the garage and water will all funnel to the drain. will have to check the neighbor and his garage but I think I remember that he had drywall on the ceiling of his garage and walls. just seems like a waste to not insulate them imo. have spoken to many people who know him or had a house built by him and he is very highly regarded. caught me off guard when I mentioned insulating the garage and he said he does not do that. will have to see if he insulates the ceiling of the attic . thanks for all of the info so far everybody.

 

[doitmyself]

If you can't find your answer at http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/ , you won't find it anywhere!

 

[dishdude]

I think the biggest issue is parking a wet car that is covered in snow or water from a rain storm in the closed garage - it's the same as taking a hot shower in a closed up bathroom with no ventilation.

 

[Ga129]

Originally Posted By: pcoxe
Was a plastic vapor barrier installed under the concrete before pouring? Ground moisture will migrate up through the concrete otherwise.


+1

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: matrass
Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ? figure since I am heating the garage in the winter insulating would make sense. also looking for advice on your heating unit for the garage that is reliable and I can set up on a thermostat.


you should have insulated from outside and below the slab, using foam boards,
how is it still not too late,
I would put 2x2 (pressure treated) strips and have a spray guy come spray it, mucho cost but you will be toasty,
for the floors, well, do you have a drain?

why do you need to heat your garage?

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
Originally Posted By: matrass
Hello and good morning everybody. in the process of building a new home and wanted to get some pros and cons to insulating my new garage. would like to keep the garage heated for detailing cars. insulating would cost a little more. as long as you use a vapor barrier the garage should remain dry correct ? the contractor is installing an insulated garage door. I also have to choose a heater for the garage ( do not need a large one to get to 80 degrees in there ) considering a natural gas heater for the garage. for some reason the contractor does not seem fond of insulating the garage, he mentioned sweating issues. could he be talking about letting the concrete dry out for a while before insulating ? figure since I am heating the garage in the winter insulating would make sense. also looking for advice on your heating unit for the garage that is reliable and I can set up on a thermostat.


you should have insulated from outside and below the slab, using foam boards,
how is it still not too late,
I would put 2x2 (pressure treated) strips and have a spray guy come spray it, mucho cost but you will be toasty,
for the floors, well, do you have a drain?

why do you need to heat your garage?



I am going to need heat as I do a lot of car detailing. a drain was the first thing I asked about.

 

[robshelton]

I would insulate it as much as I could! The garage I have now is uninsulated drywall. Its too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer to do any real work. Drywall is not that expensive and might be required by the building code where you are. If you want to do any painting I'm nearly positive you have to have drywall. Any moisture concerns in the winter will be easily handled by the floor drain and just opening the door to get the cars in and out. Sweating issues? Most use a vapor barrier between the house and garage anyway.

Think about installing more utility assets than normal. Any 220 volt lines? Extra 120v outlets can really help if you are actually using the garage. Compressors, generators, welders, plasma cutters, freezer and 'fridge for some frosty beverages, etc. Plus it's a really good time to plan for compressed air lines if you want to use pneumatic buffers, impact wrenches, etc.

And using a heater in an enclosed space? Thinking about a carbon monoxide detector? Might want to wire in a 120v outlet for a permanent one, tho you still have to change it periodically.

I know it all costs money, but if you install what you need up front and finance everything, a lot of the mortgage interest can come off your taxes. And speaking of taxes, there are many advantages to having a home based business, but the IRS wants you to have a room that is only used for the business...