Building a new house: In Floor Garage Heating or not?

[1C5]

Here is my situation, wondering if the pros here can give me some advice.

I am just in the final planning stages of my new house and it will be my dream house that I will live in for a long time.

I have a nice attached 1400 square foot garage that will easily fit 4 cars and my outdoor toys in.

I am in Winnipeg and the temps can get very cold in the winter.

I am wondering if I should be looking at in floor heating or just insulate it really well and no in floor heating?

Expected uses: Mainly just for storing my cars and winter toys. I will not have a shop in the garage or be in there for extended periods of time.

My questions are:

What kind of costs would I be looking at to get in floor heating installed in a space this size and what kind of monthly costs might I be looking at in the winter months?

I basically know nothing about in floor heating, but want to learn fast as this is a big decision for me and has to be made soon. (I thought I would have a little more time to make the decision but the desinger needs to know soon as the engineering plans would change it bit)

Thanks for the help.

 

[1C5]

And another thing to consider I forgot to mention in case it factors in your answers. I have a big room above the garage that will be my gym that I would like to be warm...will never workout if the gym is freezing...

 

[pseudorealityx]

If you're just storing stuff, and don't intend to 'work' out there, why heat the space at all?

For the gym... size? layout? Natural gas an option?

I would recommend some type of force air furnace ducted out. I would also suggest adding a small bit of ventilation air (via a 4" round ducted to the exterior) to bring in some fresh air, and an exhaust fan. You want to keep that space from smelling like a locker room all the time.

 

[1C5]

If you're just storing stuff, and don't intend to 'work' out there, why heat the space at all?

This is also want I want an answer to. Basically the 2 reasons I would do the in floor heating would simply be to have my cars be a comfortable temperature in the cold winter days and also if there is any merit to the idea that because the gym is going right above the garage...would the gym be warmer if the garage was heated rather than just insulated?

 

[CNGsaves]

With that size of garage (ie 4+ car) and fact you'll have nice rides in there, sounds like you have financial resources to build radiant floor heating to handle the cold temps of Canada.

Gotta vote +1 on prepping floor with pex pipes in concrete for radiant heat. Ought to also think ahead and plan a spot where a lift might go, so that concrete and pex radiant floor pipes can be planned accordingly.

Upstairs part (gym) can be natural gas heat or mini-split system since you'll likely want A/C up there for summer.

Start a build thread and show us pics . . . sounds like great space!

 

[lucknow]

Will the garage be for regularly driven vehicles? If so, one thing to think about is the amount of snow melting off them. We have this problem in both the attached garage that my wife parks in and my new shop, even though both are unheated. There are always puddles on the floor and it is harder on the vehicles being wet a lot of the time. I put PEX in my shop floor and styrofoam under it, but haven't decided on a heating method yet. PEX itself is relatively cheap and obviously cannot be retrofitted. Insulation is a little more expensive, but I certainly wouldn't go without it, especially in Winnipeg. If you do heat the floor, it will dry up much faster, but I'm not sure if excessive humidity in a tight envelope would be a concern.

 

[1C5]

Yes, it will be for a combination of daily drivers and summer cars so there will be lots of snow/sand in the winter months on the cars.

 

[Randy in Maine]

Down here in the states, it costs about $1 per square foot for the 2" insualtion under the concrete floor + you will need about 1400 feet of 1/2" PEX tubing for the slab (about seven 200 foot loops) and a "7 way" in and out manifold. I ran a 3/4" PEX to and from the house underground as my boiler is in the house.

About $2K total will do it.

 

[Highbeam]

The pex is about 30 cents a foot last I checked. As Randy writes, you need 1400 LF or so but you certainly don't need to lay it out in 7-200 foot loops, 300 foot loops are more standard. Also, you can use high density EPS foam for half the cost of XPS.

Installing the pex is a small cost. Why not?

 

[ketas47]

Put the 2" insulation under garage concrete you wont regret it. Insulation is well worth it,(lot off basements also have insulation under them) no matter what kind of heat source the insulation is always a plus. Insulation also keeps floor from sweating. I would also put pex infloor now because it is fairly inexpensive and its there if you or future owner ever wants to go radiant heat. JUST DO IT! Insulation now or high heat bills for ever!

 

[anthony666]

put the pipe in while you have the chance

 

[tdkkart]

If your area uses salt/calcium on the roads you DO NOT want to park your daily drivers in a heated garage. Heat causes melting, water and heat together accelerates the action of the salt. You cars will rust away right before your eyes.

 

[pseudorealityx]

This is also want I want an answer to. Basically the 2 reasons I would do the in floor heating would simply be to have my cars be a comfortable temperature in the cold winter days and also if there is any merit to the idea that because the gym is going right above the garage...would the gym be warmer if the garage was heated rather than just insulated?

Ok, in the more recent posts, you're talking daily drivers.

Sure, do the in floor. It's a clean install and works well. Having the heated garage certainly won't hurt the gym above, but the walls and roof of the gym are still more important.

How is that space laid out? One big room or broken up?

 

[the_saint]

If the garage is attached and the space above is a gym, do you access it from the house or the garage?

If the gym is accessed from the house, just plumb in the HVAC into that area along with the HRV.

Do you still have your hopped up C5?


As stated I would go with the in-floor heat and decide later if you want to have it utilized. Under floor insulation for sure.

I can let you know about heating costs NEXT year as I am in the process of building right now a similar size garage.

Definitely install insulation in the walls / doors / ceiling at the very minimum, along with the PEX in the floor.

Good luck!

 

[Caterpillar Cowboy]

Hot water pipes in garage floor. Dig footers can't do with a monolithic slab and make sure to insulate underneath it properly so you heat your garage and not the sub base below. Money well spent

 

[canadiancobra]

Just did infloor heat on my new construction house/Garage. 2400sqft on garage, 2700 on main floor and 2600 in basement slab. Total cost was $30000. I am located in Alberta and I would never build without it! When you walk into the garage with bare feet you'll love it. I initially was quoted $22000 for the basement floor and garage. Then I figured I had the boiler ect so might as well do the upper floor.

 

[Sureshot]

I think you will want the pex in and also consider a floor drain. You may not be able to drain it to your sewer but run a couple conduits for power and a drain hose and pump it into the yard as needed. A ceiling fan is also nice to dry things.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I was hesitant about the radiant heat and kind of "jeyry rigged" my set up. I installed it in just the bathroom, office area and a few select spots in my shop. Places where I knew I would be standing and working. I wish now I'd installed it in all the shop. I have a 20+ year old Taylor woodfired water heater for heat. My biggest complaint is the lady of the house. The shop is right across from her horse barn, she uses the bathroom when she changes into her "horse work" clothes and riding attire. If I let the heater die out, her work and riding boots are cold and I hear about it. The upside is the toilet seat is always warm. You can open the doors and let all the heat out of the place and then close the doors and in a matter of minutes it's warm again. I think I read somewhere you can get up to 25 BTU's worth of heat out of 1 sq/ft of concrete. It takes it a little while to recover, but once at temp it doesn't take much to maintain. If wood is an option and cheap or free like mine is, I'd look at a dual fuel for when you might be way and cannot feed the beast. If we're away, I just let it go out and relight when I get back. I have manually adjusted flow control valves and I'm just starting to install solenoids to control the "zones." I used a temp gun and spent several nights getting it right. It might sound bad, but in the winter months I spend more night asleep in the shop office than the house. You're sitting at the computer, your feet get nice and warm and the next thing you know it's morning.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Also check out the F/F/F, Foil/Foam/Foil insulation. I used it under the concrete in my shop and around the edges. Do some real research into the installation methods and see what works for you in your area. I also used it in the walls and roof with great results. I have a 40x60x16 post steel building I heat. In the summer it does get any hotter inside than the temp outside. Insulation4less.com has good prices, the shipping is what kills you.

 

[Randy in Maine]

One of the main reasons I ran radiant floor heat (fired from my house mounted boiler) that has not been mentioned so far is that I was trying to keep any "flame igniter" out of the garage.

My snowblower leaked about a cup of gasoline the other day and I was glad I had no source of igniton out there.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

A buddy just burned his "new" lawn mower to the ground the same way. Almost got his house.

 

[Bondo]

Here is my situation, wondering if the pros here can give me some advice.

I am just in the final planning stages of my new house and it will be my dream house that I will live in for a long time.

I have a nice attached 1400 square foot garage that will easily fit 4 cars and my outdoor toys in.

I am in Winnipeg and the temps can get very cold in the winter.

I am wondering if I should be looking at in floor heating or just insulate it really well and no in floor heating?

Expected uses: Mainly just for storing my cars and winter toys. I will not have a shop in the garage or be in there for extended periods of time.

My questions are:

What kind of costs would I be looking at to get in floor heating installed in a space this size and what kind of monthly costs might I be looking at in the winter months?

I basically know nothing about in floor heating, but want to learn fast as this is a big decision for me and has to be made soon. (I thought I would have a little more time to make the decision but the desinger needs to know soon as the engineering plans would change it bit)

Thanks for the help.

Ayuh,.... You oughta put the radiant tubin' under All yer floors,...

Then you'll always have the option of heatin' an area, or not....

With antifreeze in the system, it don't matter how cold it gets when not needed....

 

[ketas47]

It was mentioned that a heated garage causes fast rusting. This was brought up on a automotive show and the two mechanics said the benefits of a heated garage is superior to a unheated garage. Alot more positive effects on a car that is driven every day that is stored in a heated garage than non heated especially in a extremely cold climate.

 

[ScottinSSMd]

As a builder, I have value engineered projects to death. First I would plan open cell foam for both areas as a base no matter what you end up doing. The simplest route is a 2-zone gas split system. Since these areas will only be tempered sporadically, this justifies it's own system and controls. HEat pump would be fine, but gas takes the financial burden off your electric bill. Most efficient of the forced air world. The next step, depending on how you are setting up the main house, would be radiant tubing. If the house does not have a boiler planned, you can do a stand alone hot water heater for the space and this would be a dedicated system again, but then you now have the expense of more equipment if you want AC for tempering. We are now putting in these panasonic units that fit in the ceiling and can AC only two zones. If you have a boiler for the main residence, then radiant for both garage and weight room with the mini AC unit.

The less equipment you have long term means less service expenses, maintenance, and replacement costs down the line. Streamlining with one fuel type will also help the bottom line long term.

 

[PhantomEB]

Wont go without when I build my next garage. Even if I never put a boiler in there, it will have the pex put in. BUT I know I rather have a warm floor than wasted warm air every time the big door opens.

 

[frhrwa]

put the pipe in while you have the chance

definitely go for it.. puddles or not.. and the insulation under it is VERY important.. heat seeks cold, and will try to heat the ground under the slab if not insulated well.. it will travel up to 4' and waste a tremendous amount of energy if not insulated..