Garage Door Insulation advice

[shadowsk72]

Hi, I've run into a bind and need some help. I'm building a new home with both an attached and detached garage. I live in South Carolina where the temps are not extreme for more than a month (hot or cold). The summers can get in the high 90's for a bit. Winters below freezing for a bit.

The attached is 30x24 and was framed in for a 20 x 8 per spec on the home plans. I'm having a very hard time finding anyone locally that can make this size with anything over a 8.9 R Value (polystyrene insulated). I can get all the designs (panels and windows) offered on the "normal" sized doors with this one. I've been searching for something with an R value of 13 or more.
One company locally can do it but it has to be plain flat panels with plain windows. I've initially come to accept this and go with the plain but then I ran across doorsonline.com on another forum and checked them out. Their online door configurator is awesome and I had the exact door I wanted configured in 5 minutes. Their highest quality with polyurethane insualtion with an R16 value.

My questions are :
1) Should I be leary of doing this online with doorsonline.com? They offer installtion as well.

2)Should I just go with R9 insulated door and deal with someone locally?

3)The local company suggested I frame a middle partition and go with 2 separate doors but then I would have to get framers, sheetrock, painters back.

The detached garage is 30x40 and will have a car lift and 14 ft ceilings and hasn't been framed yet. We were planning on going with a 20x9 door there. Same deal as above and doorsonline.com can make that to my specs as well. The detached will have ductless mini split electric heating so I really need an R16 value out there.

What would you guys do? Thanks in advance.

 

[CombatNinja]

I would opt for a local vendor that you get a good feeling from with the R9 and just make sure it is sealed tighter than a gnat's **** around the edges. All the R value in the world won't do much good if there are significant air gaps around the door. In your climate, there is no huge incentive to spend a great deal of money or effort on insulating the shop to the nth degree. If you were in a cold climate I could see making the effort but I think your money and effort could be better spent elsewhere given your location. Don't overthink this one. Keep windows to a minimum, seal up all the doors well, insulate the walls and ceiling and call it a day. Even if you are going to climate control this space, you would be most likely only trying to deviate +- 20 degrees from ambient either way.

As an example, I am in southern NC and my 21' x 26' attached only has R12 in the walls and nothing up above the ceiling, two 9' insulated doors with tiny windows, no windows, one service door to the backyard. It is sealed really tight and once the daily drivers get parked in at night, the temp can drop to the 20s outside and the garage will still be 45 degrees in the morning. I have no means to heat it due to my climate and there is only a month out of the year when it would be uncomfortably cold to get under a car to do some work.

 

[shadowsk72]

I would opt for a local vendor that you get a good feeling from with the R9 and just make sure it is sealed tighter than a gnat's **** around the edges. All the R value in the world won't do much good if there are significant air gaps around the door. In your climate, there is no huge incentive to spend a great deal of money or effort on insulating the shop to the nth degree. If you were in a cold climate I could see making the effort but I think your money and effort could be better spent elsewhere given your location. Don't overthink this one. Keep windows to a minimum, seal up all the doors well, insulate the walls and ceiling and call it a day. Even if you are going to climate control this space, you would be most likely only trying to deviate +- 20 degrees from ambient either way.

As an example, I am in southern NC and my 21' x 26' attached only has R12 in the walls and nothing up above the ceiling, two 9' insulated doors with tiny windows, no windows, one service door to the backyard. It is sealed really tight and once the daily drivers get parked in at night, the temp can drop to the 20s outside and the garage will still be 45 degrees in the morning. I have no means to heat it due to my climate and there is only a month out of the year when it would be uncomfortably cold to get under a car to do some work.

Good advice, thank you. I'm in upper SC (Spartanburg) so our temps will be about the same.

 

[gtae07]

I'm in Savannah and I think my doors were R6 to R9 or so. But I have R19 in the walls and R30 in the ceiling. I think it was well worth a few hundred even before I installed a mini-split.

 

[CombatNinja]

But I have R19 in the walls and R30 in the ceiling. I think it was well worth a few hundred even before I installed a mini-split.

By all means it is worth a couple of hundred when building to increase insulation as it will repay you in comfort many times over with long term use. That said, as you noted by your doors' R value, it is not a make or break proposition. Much more important in the Southeast is which way the garage doors face. You have an uninsulated door that faces southwest with no shade it will render your shop useless for half of the year unless you are willing to HVAC the ever-living heck out of your space. I like my doors to face north to cut down on the heat gain.

 

[gtae07]

By all means it is worth a couple of hundred when building to increase insulation as it will repay you in comfort many times over with long term use. That said, as you noted by your doors' R value, it is not a make or break proposition. Much more important in the Southeast is which way the garage doors face. You have an uninsulated door that faces southwest with no shade it will render your shop useless for half of the year unless you are willing to HVAC the ever-living heck out of your space. I like my doors to face north to cut down on the heat gain.

Door direction (southeast) was dictated by the lot layout. I do get some shade in the later afternoon from a line of trees, though.

I also found that insulating the walls and door of our attached garage (southeast and northeast, respectively) made a huge difference to both the garage and the house.

 

[T2R9]

I am in Conway SC and just built a 28 x 40 shop. I went with coplay R19 doors. I have R30 in the attic and R15 walls. The cost was not that much more than the lower R value doors so it was worth it to me. In the summer here the garage doors are the biggest element letting in the heat.

 

[shadowsk72]

I am in Conway SC and just built a 28 x 40 shop. I went with coplay R19 doors. I have R30 in the attic and R15 walls. The cost was not that much more than the lower R value doors so it was worth it to me. In the summer here the garage doors are the biggest element letting in the heat.

Hi, thanks for the recommendation. I checked out coplay website and they offer their premium steel residential doors with Polyurethane insulation in 20 ft lengths. They also have a dealer near me. I gave them an email. Thanks again.

 

[gnpenning]

Be aware that garage door manufacturers currently do not use independent labs to test R value. Most are very creative with R ratings of there products. Check on type of insulation and thickness then look up R value. Thermal breaks between front and back panel along with end stiles are part of the package. Gauge of steel on front and back of the panel along with struts will help keep your door from bowing in. Don't go by what a brochure or sales pitch claims but what you see checking these things out. Big difference in a high quality doors and other doors.

Most doors look the same from the road. Many think they have a good product because they have not looked or seen anything better.

 

[outdoorspace]

Doorsonline tried to stiff me out of some money until I showed them their policy on their own web site. I could tell this wasn't the first time they've tried that.

I got custom Amarr R19 doors from MKM Garage Doors in Rock Hill for a great price and installed them myself. Probably too far from you but I'd bet they could recommend someone.

 

[CraigStu]

Hi, thanks for the recommendation. I checked out coplay website and they offer their premium steel residential doors with Polyurethane insulation in 20 ft lengths. They also have a dealer near me. I gave them an email. Thanks again.

HD sells Clopay. I used them 6 yrs ago and was quite happy w/ the result. I think your search is over.

 

[shadowsk72]

HD sells Clopay. I used them 6 yrs ago and was quite happy w/ the result. I think your search is over.

I walked in Home Depot last night and went to the door section. Told the guy what I wanted and we went through the order page on his computer and I was out of there in 10 minutes with a 20x8 R18 premium door with windows and panels. Couldn't have been an easier process. The other companies around here should get their **** together. One well known company I contacted through phone and email finally got back to me after 5 days. Told them they were no longer needed.

 

[T2R9]

I walked in Home Depot last night and went to the door section. Told the guy what I wanted and we went through the order page on his computer and I was out of there in 10 minutes with a 20x8 R18 premium door with windows and panels. Couldn't have been an easier process. The other companies around here should get their **** together. One well known company I contacted through phone and email finally got back to me after 5 days. Told them they were no longer needed.

You'll be happy with the coplay door.