Garage Insulation - Thoughts

[buckeyedoc]

Hi Everyone,
Newer forum member, and been browsing through the posts.

Needed to get some thoughts on insulating a garage. Bought a brand new build, where they obviously save on money, but insulating and drywalling the shared walls (as per code), and leaving the rest of the garage showing the studs.

I was going to put basic R-13 insluation in between studs and put 1/2 inch drywall up for quasi-finish the space, and hopefully warm it up. As I was measuring I realized that the attic space above garage is also not insulated.

What would be the best option to go for here. Should I stick to the R-13 and use the same for the attic space? Should I just hire someone to do blow in?

Off note... I am based out of Cleveland OH, so winters are fairly rough, and pretty much everything froze in my garage last year...hence, the push for basic insulation.

All experiences and thoughts welcome.

 

[slownsteady]

Assuming your garage is unheated and not under the living space in the house. Is there enough room in the garage attic that you could convert to workshop/man cave/office? If so, then it would be a good idea to do the heavier insulation now. If not, then all you really need is to draft-proof the garage. If the garage door is not insulated, there isn't much to gain because the space will not get much warmer than the door will allow.

 

[buckeyedoc]

Assuming your garage is unheated and not under the living space in the house. Is there enough room in the garage attic that you could convert to workshop/man cave/office? If so, then it would be a good idea to do the heavier insulation now. If not, then all you really need is to draft-proof the garage. If the garage door is not insulated, there isn't much to gain because the space will not get much warmer than the door will allow.

Definitely not enough space. Literally the design of the house so it shows at angles on top of garage.
The door isnt insulated either, and I was thinking of putting basic insulation in that too. I just dont want to have a 40 degree difference between house and garage during winters.

 

[slownsteady]

Another thought, if you have the room: build a small room at the back of the garage that you can keep cold-sensitive storage in. Easier than trying to keep the whole garage warm.

 

[nealtw]

I would have the lose pumped into the attic but before you do that you have to check for soffit vents with air chutes and high vents near the peak

 

[nealtw]

Insulating the door may require heavier springs.

 

[WyrTwister]

Were it me , I would simply glue and / or screw rigid insulation board to the inside of the garage door .

Wyr
God bless

 

[bud16415]

Living in Erie Pa we get your weather a few hours after you have it so I understand your concerns. Without adding a heat source to your garage the only heat you will be heating it with will be the little bit that is leaking out of the house thru the common wall. That small amount of heat wont be enough to overcome the weather outside.


Insulation alone doesn’t make heat it only stops the movement of heat from hot to cold.


So you may keep it a few degrees warmer and it will be less drafty but when it is –10F outside everything in the garage is going to freeze solid.


I put a ton of insulation in my outside workshop and when I go out it is the same temp as the outside. I have a gas heater I turn on only when I use it and the insulation lets me heat it up faster and keep it hot easier when I’m out there. The rest of the time it does very little.