Advice on insulating 12" joists please

[cdsvt]

Sorry, not really a heating question, but more of a "how do I get best use of my heating dollar?" question.

I installed a 50K btu Big max unit heater in the garage. The gas company guy is coming out next week to run the LP piping and once that is done, I want to insulate the ceiling.

The walls are insulated and sheetrocked but the ceiling is still just empty joist bays, but I'd like to insulate between the joists.

The joists are 2x12 dimensional lumber spaced 16" OC (in case you think this is overkill, it may be - it also has a 16" steel beam running down the middle - but there is a usable space upstairs for future use and I wanted it to have good load bearing characteristics - think man cave with pool table ).

What would you recommend for insulating the joist bays at an economical cost?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Falcon67]

Blown in works out to be the least cost per sq/ft. Bid it out - several here say they got better prices than they could get from a home center. Locally, AttiCat is the best bang-for-buck DIY blow in and the blower rents free (at McCoy's anyway). I put in R13 batts which was more $ but I had to buy in small quantities which negated the blow in. once we get everything done in the house attic, then we'll blow that as a refresher and probably blow some in the shop.

 

[gatchel]

If the ceiling is empty I'd start with batts, the thickest you can afford and fit.

Definitely get an estimate from 2 or 3 local insulaton companies. I know of 4 different projects including 1 of my own that the company price was cheaper than buying it myself, INSTALLED!!

Once you have a ceiling installed over the insulation you can always blow more on top.