Insulating only the ceiling due to time?

[zc15]

I am looking at insulating my 2.5 car detached garage and running a natural gas heater. Right now the walls are wood paneled, and I can see some insulation poking out near the top plates. The ceiling is open, so I will be installing a ceiling with blown in insulation.

I also want to tear down the wall paneling and replace the insulation and then drywall over the insulation. I’m not sure I’ll have the time to do this before winter.

Will I be ok if I only insulate the ceiling before winter and normally keep the garage above freezing, but bring the temp up when I am working inside it?

I’m running on an assumption that the insulation in the wall is very old, possibly junk, or potentially even missing.

The garage was heated at one point in history as evidenced by the roof vent

 

[JunkBonds]

Of course it is okay. You have my permission.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

Yes. Install and insulate the ceiling. That’ll make it possible to heat the space. Then, especially if you are doing the work yourself, you can do the walls a section at a time, even during winter.

 

[FMB4]

Nope, not a prob. Enjoy the increased warmth. Be sure to install a bar sink, a fridge, flat screen, and a (preferably old) sound system once you're all done and finished. We'll be disappointed otherwise...

 

[zc15]

Thanks for the permission, guys! I like the idea of getting the ceiling up while it’s still warm, and then chipping away at the walls over the winter.

Nope, not a prob. Enjoy the increased warmth. Be sure to install a bar sink, a fridge, flat screen, and a (preferably old) sound system once you're all done and finished. We'll be disappointed otherwise...

For sure. I think I have the boss convinced to let me take our old 40” 1080p once Black Friday comes around if I get her a better one for the living room. I’ve got the old sound system already going, wood grain large speakers up on a shelf just like my old man. I just wish I had an old receiver to go with it

 

[FMB4]

I’ve got the old sound system already going, wood grain large speakers up on a shelf just like my old man. I just wish I had an old receiver to go with it

Old large 'wood grain' speakers up high are what I run and prefer in my G. Be sure to select 'mono' on the receiver if you can. Stereo is great as long as those listening are in a specific area of the room (sound stage). Mono, while often frowned upon, is what you want in a 'shop' or similar area where those listening are moving all over the place.

 

[Syberia]

Heat escapes up. Heat also comes in from the sun beating down on the roof all day. If you can only insulate part of the building, I'd definitely start with the ceiling.

 

[FMB4]

I think I have the boss convinced to let me take our old 40” 1080p once Black Friday comes around if I get her a better one for the living room.

I did the exact same thing a couple of years ago. Turned the single bay of our 3 car G into a Drive-In Movie Theater (placed our old 40" on a left over kitchen counter/cabinet). Works great for this (the lousy built-in sound of the flat screen is good match for the lousy sound at most of the old school Drive-Ins. We sit in our and watch American Graffiti, Jaws, and (the original) Vanishing Point and other old movies. Had a '67 Buick 2 dr Skylark that really took us back (sold it earlier this year).

 

[Shiftless]

As many have already said, go ahead and do the ceiling first. That’s where you lose most of the heat you pay for in the winter.
Don’t be ashamed to shop estate sales or thrift stores for old receivers. With all the Sonos and Alexa systems, the $$ expectations of most sellers has plummeted. Old tech seems almost worthless to many so pick up a nice receiver for almost nothing. You might not find a highly desirable Marantz, McIntosh, or Sansui but there are many others that are completely fine for 99% of us.

 

[FMB4]

I recommend that you find an AB class Rcvr if you want to go old school with large 'furniture' speakers. AB class Rcvrs are capable of feeding massive amounts of power, for a very short time, to even the largest speakers and even sub woofers. A search on the web can explain this far better than I can. And again, make sure that the unit is capable of running Mono (most, but not all, are).

 

[Shiftless]

For a smaller size garage (I’m assuming about 500 sq. ft) you can run stereo. I run stereo in my 20x20 garage and have no complaints. An audiophile friend listened to my set up and said that would be the way he would do It as well.
(BTW, he has 4 foot tall floor mounted speakers driven by a separate 1000 watt amp in his modest sized living room)

 

[Innovate1]

I agree that doing the ceiling seems reasonable with improvements on the walls later. I would make sure there was good attic venting before doing the ceiling - much easier to do before the ceiling is in the way.