Insulated Garage - Worth It?

mrjerke · Oct 25, 2014

Hey guys. I've been fairly busy lately but wanted to check in with my brothers of the leaf.
I've been looking at insulating my garage so I can smoke during winter. I live in the upper Midwest and last winter was brutal smoking in a non-insulated garage. I ran 2 space heaters and it was still awful. I've gotten one bid at around 2k. That's insulation and drywall. I know it's possible to insulate yourself but I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing. I've read up on it and I don't want to do a poor job.
Is that bid a reasonable amount for a pretty standard size 2 stall garage? I don't know if I can go another winter of smoking in 30 degree temps.

beefeater33 · Oct 25, 2014

If that includes the taping/finishing of the drywall, then I'd say thats pretty reasonable. The insulating is really easy, you and a buddy could probably do it in a few hours. Just a matter of stapling the paper faced insulation to the studs. I'm not sure how much it would save you though. I do know, years ago, that a roll of insulation was fairly cheap.

highlander · Oct 25, 2014

The price seems reasonable if, as beefeater33 said, it includes taping and finishing. However, in most garages, insulating the walls won't insulate the garage. Especially if it gets really cold. What about the ceiling and the floor and the garage doors?
I'd hate to spend $2K and still be freezing.

beefeater33 · Oct 25, 2014

Also, I'd consider a small vent fan in the ceiling. If you'll be smoking out there all winter, it will keep things fresh. One like they use in bathrooms would work, just let it vent to the space above the garage ceiling. You probably have a gable or roof vent up there anyway.

mrjerke · Oct 25, 2014

The bid includes blown in insulation in the ceiling. Seems pretty reasonable I think?

highlander · Oct 25, 2014

So, I assume you have a finished ceiling.
BTW, my garage is my next project. It will include insulation, ceiling finishing, sheet rock, electrical outlets, floor finishing, a new water heater, maybe a new junction box, and some shelving.
Bet it costs more than $2K.

zitotczito · Oct 25, 2014

I live in Central PA and have a one car garage that is insulated and sheetrocked. I have been smoking in there for years during the winter and to be straight forward, unless you plan on heating it on a continuous basis, it seems to be a waste of money to me since the concrete floor will hold the cold. I had tried small space heaters and they take way to long to heat the space. I then got a large kerosene heater that was much faster. If the door is to be kept down, then a fan is really necessary. In short since I don't spend hours at a time smoking there, I needed a quick heat source and that has worked, the fact that the space is insulated really did not make much difference, maybe a few degrees higher.

mrjerke · Oct 25, 2014

I also plan to install a good sized garage heater. I didn't know the concrete floor makes that big of a difference...

zitotczito · Oct 25, 2014

A good sized heater in very, very important. The floor once cold, does not warm easily. Think of ocean water in the summer when we go swimming, the air temp is 85 degrees but the water temp is much lower and takes a great deal of time to change. So you need a heater that moves air, since otherwise the floor holds the cold and even though you are warmer, your feet will stay cold. Been there done that.

mcitinner1 · Oct 25, 2014

Zito is right about you needing to heat it all the time to around 50 degrees or so at least. I have an unattached 30'x40' insulated garage/shop/mancave that has a good woodstove in it that I built myself. It's easy to get the garage warmer than the house.

zitotczito · Oct 25, 2014

Another example is the office I work in. It is built on a slab and has 3x3 carpet tiles covering it. The heat is forced hot air and no matter what they did our feet were always cold from November till May, we finally had to get the floor heating pads as it felt like sitting in a frig from the knees down.

mso489 · Oct 25, 2014

If it increased your use of the space on an ongoing basis, during the cold months, it would be well worth it, whether you

do part of the job or spring for the $2K. As home improvements go, that is modest. Your ultimate use of the space is

the determinant of value, I think.

daimyo · Oct 25, 2014

I don't know if I can go another winter of smoking in 30 degree temps.

Perceptive is a funny thing, I was happy to be able to sit on the deck for a nice long smoke under the stars since it was a balmy 30 degrees. I usually come in after it hits zero.

zitotczito · Oct 25, 2014

Charles, I like the idea of the AC but that is a different situation. No I am not an engineer and I can only speak from my personal experience but since warm air rises and cold air falls, as the AC runs, sitting there would be comfortable since the slab would be warmer but the colder falling air compensates for that as the warmer slab is still more comfortable than a cold one. In the winter since the warmer air rises, and if there was no fan, you can see the smoke accumulate at the top of the garage and as the warm air settles further towards the floor, the smoke cloud moves with it. It is really cool to see as it happens assuming the garage door is closed so a fan is a must. It is just that once the slab gets cold, without heating all the time it's temp will not change much and make sitting there much more uncomfortable. Did I say winter s__ks.
mrjerke, I am not trying to talk you out of your project, that is your decision to make for your own personal reasons. I am just trying to point out that if you are only going out to smoke a bowl 2 or 3 times a day for 30-45 minutes then a good high BTU output space heater and installation of a fan will work fine. The insulation did not made much if any impact in my situation and I was only heating a 1 car garage space.

warren · Oct 25, 2014

The price sounds very reasonable. I'm in Anchorage and it does get below zero now and then. The slab floor, while cold, is never damp and a space heater works just fine. The floor is on bedrock not dirt. My garage is an oversize two car, a full shop at one end. A vent might be necessary if you will be smoking fairly heavily and you don't want too much smoke residue on the walls, vehicles and other stuff stored in the area. Really shouldn't be much of a problem unless you are enjoying a few bowls a day, then things may start to smell of stale tobacco smoke unless the door is opened now and then, which it probably is at least twice a day.
I smoke at the work bench and the ceiling mounted dust collector keeps the smokey smell and residue to an acceptable minimum.

zitotczito · Oct 25, 2014

"I am glad that you aren't an engineer, I would be reading a dissertation on airflow/ footage/ the affect of climate, etc...."
Well since you mentioned it, thoughts on the fan. I tried a high flow fan at first which got the smoke out great, but again kept the 3 feet above the floor cold since the warm air leaves quickly, hence the statement regarding a high BTU output heater. Try the smoke test on a slightly cracked door and see what direction the smoke flows, in or out based on the outside temp and the rate of the exchange(it's fast). I ended up with a low flow bathroom fan as mentioned above in another post. We won't even talk about the ambient air temp. or moisture in the air.
All I am saying is that consideration of all the points, home improvement value, more use of the space, asthetics etc. should be used in making a decision.

warren · Oct 25, 2014

One more thing, are you trying for cozy or just comfortable with a jacket maybe? I keep my garage, in winter down around 50 degrees and wear a light vest when I work. If you are going to be sitting out there for a couple of hours, reading and smoking then you might want a buffer between the floor and your feet. My work boots keep my feet warm even after three or four hours working on a project. I do have fatigue mats at some of the work stations and I guess that helps with the cold.

johnnyreb · Oct 25, 2014

"I also plan to install a good sized garage heater. I didn't know the concrete floor makes that big of a difference..."
You didn't say what type of heater but keep in mind if it has an open flame or pilot light it has to be mounted up at the ceiling level where it will be higher than gasoline fumes can rise to.

woodsroad · Oct 25, 2014

Keep in mind that if you try to warm up a cold garage in the winter, you will get water condensing on anything metal...
So, insulating the garage was one of the first things that I did after buying the house. I heat it to 60 in the winter, cool it 75 in the summer, run a dehudifier year 'round. No rusty tools, and always a comfy spot for a bowl. .

winton · Oct 25, 2014

One of my first project was to insulate my one car detached garage. Since it was for me, I simply mounted plywood over the insulated studs. A few months later, I decided I needed more than one outlet and a light, so I should have added all the electrical, then insulated. I mounted the conduit and boxes on the outside of the plywood.

Insulated Garage - Worth It?

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