insulating a garage

[757guy]

I live in Minnesota and have a heated garage with floor drains, hot and cold water, epoxy floors and 13' ceilings.

Having a heated garage makes winter bearable. Installing the drain and hot and cold water didnt cost me much more - maybe around $300. The heater is natural gas so make sure you run a gas pipe to the area you want to hang the heater. Looking back, I would rather have had in-floor radiant heat, but that is more expensive to do.

One more thing - I installed 2 industrial ceiling fans to keep warm air from collecting towards the ceiling. Previous writer talked about moisture in the garage, I simply open my garage door for a minute or two to allow the moisture to escape after I wash a car, and then open the door again an hour later to let the rest of moisture escape. The fans help distribute the air to dry your floors better too. I also installed a carbon monoxide/explosive gas detector that just plugs into the wall. The useful life on these is around 7 years, so hard wiring doesn't make sense as they are more expensive and would have to be replaced from time to time.

Garage door seals are the most important area for preventing heat loss. I triple sealed the doors using the garage door sealing strips you find at home depot. Place one section at the normal installation point, install another over the first but closer to the door, and then a third slightly closer to the door over the second weather strip. In that way, you will get 3 seperate strip sections against your garage door. Nice and tight! I also use 3M Window insulating kits on my windows in the winter to prevent condensation and provide better insulation from heat loss.

One thing I didn't install, but would like to is a drain tub/sink. That would make a great place to wash off before you go into the house after working on a dirty project.

Don't forget electrical power in your garage too. I installed a 100 amp sub-panel plus outlets along the wall, and outside of the garage, which covers any electrical need I may ever have. I even installed a 220V outlet for a welder and compressor. You might also consider a generator sub-panel or electric hookup box so you could place a generator outside of your garage during a power loss to power your essential items in the home. Even if you think you may never want these extras- put it in anyway. Your re-sale value will reflect the added amenities.

Good Luck!

 

[beck]

757guy said it well!

I have a detached pole building 3-car garage with heat, water, drains, drywall, celing fan etc. Around R-25 insulation in walls and R-40 celing,insulated doors.

I'm about 40 milesa south of Cleveland and even if the heat isn't on (I've experimented just to see how cold it would get if no heat) over the past 12 years it's never went below 35 degrees in the garage and seldom below 40. On cold snowy days I've had the garage at 70 degrees waxing the car or truck- nice break from the house!

For heat I have a natural gas ceiling-hung, thermostatically controlled infared tube heater that works well. Leave the stat set for at least 45 all the time.

You want a vapor barrier under the concrete and foam insulation under the concrete and around the perimeter also helps. I did everything but the concrete work myself and it's the best money I've ever spent on a garage.

Did this in 2002. At the time I questioned the expense but now sure am glad I did everything.

If you spend much time in the garage you won't regret doing this and will regret it if you don't

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Except you don't have a 8x16' vent with an electric opener in your shower.

 

[matrass]

thanks for the advice everybody. speaking with the contractor the other day I told him that I have to have a vapor barrier under the concrete in the garage and he said for sure we will put one in. concrete should be poured this week for the basement so I will remind him again about the vapor barrier . told him that I do want to insulate the garage, with a vapor barrier on the walls also. again he will build it as we would like it.now I need to choose a heater so that I can keep the temps at least 45 degrees when I am not doing any work in the garage. like the idea of opening the door to let moisture out after washing a car etc. will be installing a gas leak and co2 detector for sure. some other good ideas mentioned that I will have to keep in mind .

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: matrass
thanks for the advice everybody. speaking with the contractor the other day I told him that I have to have a vapor barrier under the concrete in the garage and he said for sure we will put one in. concrete should be poured this week for the basement so I will remind him again about the vapor barrier . told him that I do want to insulate the garage, with a vapor barrier on the walls also. again he will build it as we would like it.now I need to choose a heater so that I can keep the temps at least 45 degrees when I am not doing any work in the garage. like the idea of opening the door to let moisture out after washing a car etc. will be installing a gas leak and co2 detector for sure. some other good ideas mentioned that I will have to keep in mind .


ok, you have hot poured the concrete yet,
so here goes:
1. I would have the do the following per code change the sandwichsetup setup:

concrete
put in fiber in the cement mix
vapourbarrier
inch foam board
inch foam board
gravelbase
prep for drainage