Blown in insulation and Attic Storage.

[Jakethegriff]

Good morning Gents,

I'm in the process of wiring, insulating, followed by sheetrocking my garage. I was just thinking of the pros and cons of Batt vs blown in, and I was hoping I could still utilize some garage attic space for storage. I/E Christmas lights, 1x lumber, etc.

My garage is 920 sqft (40x23) three stall, rectangular. 9 ft inside ceiling (after finish)

I live in Minnesota, so the winters here are brisk. I would like to blow in insulation in the garage for sake of ease, cost and r-value, but I also would still like to retain some space for storage,


would it be feasible to create around an 18- 24" high plywood barrier, against a trusses, to hold the blown in insulation, say on 3/4 of the garage (left side of pic, away from house), while using batt style on the remaining 25% (over right side, the stall closest to house)?

I would most likely place a couple of 2x4's spanning the joists , to accommodate said small storage pieces or totes of Christmas decorations, small lumber etc.. nothing crazy/or heavy as the truss are 2x4 construction.

Would this be worth my time for retaining some storage space?

 

[kd3pc]

As your trusses are only 2x4 then you would be limited to 4" of batts or blown in, if you want to keep the storage floor..minimal R value......but I have blown in R-45 in my garage, in Middle Tn....and that is 18-20" if I recall.

You will have to decide which is a higher priority - insulation...or storage.

 

[kTHREE]

I was in the same position with my garage. I've only recently decided against it. While it's nice to have storage above the garage, it's a pain in the *** to move anything and always requires 2 people. Although my ceilings are 10'+.
Went with an outdoor shed instead and will do blown in insulation this fall of about 24" and forget about it.

 

[prostreetamx]

We like to use 10" of blown in insulation here. I wanted to be able to have access in my garage attic for future changes but did not want to disturb the insulation by stepping on the trusses buried in insulation. I solved this by installing a platform the entire length of the garage by using 2x6's on their side and truss clips to hold them. I put 2 layers of 1/2" plywood on top to support my weight and put fiberglass batts below the platform before closing it up so when I blow the rest I don't have to do under the platform. I have a vertical chase at each end that connects to a soffit I ran around the walls at 8" so I can add stuff later without cutting holes in the walls or ceiling. It get pretty hot here in Las Vegas and I don't plan to store stuff in this attic but it would be pretty easy to add some shelves above the insulation if I wanted.

 

[seanc_mt]

Storage is cheap to build. Heating and cooling are expensive when insulation is not done right.

 

[Jakethegriff]

Fair enough. I think for all things considered, I'll just be blowing in insulation, and not worrying about it again.

 

[Onewolf]

2x4 trusses may not have ANY load bearing rating for storage purposes.

 

[Dragfluid]

Blow in 19" of cellulose and store the junk elsewhere.
I'd like to have a buck for everyone that had to have stuff stored topside, only to still have it up there 10 years later without ever looking at it.

 

[Jakethegriff]

Yeah, after looking into it more, I don't think I should be putting anything upthere to begin with. I was leaning on full blown insulation (pun intended) but was just looking for a second opinion. I have extra Aluminum siding, 1x6-8 lumber and a few of my sons metal tonkas up there - but I wouldn't be heartbroken if they went away, or just relocated. Thanks guys.