Insulation in Garage Wall

[NSXelrate]

I'm building a house and want to know if insulating a garage is worth $1890.

I requested a non-standard option to insulate my garage, because it isn't normally insulated. It's a 4 car garage, so the perimeter is quite long.

The house is a decent one, so it will have good insulation already. I went into another house that was being built in the same neighborhood, and the garage was actually pretty cool already considering it was 90 degress outside. Also, without the AC on, the temperature in the garage was very similar to inside the house.

I plan to install a mini split, but $1890 seems a bit steep.

I think I may go to the in-progress house again and get an ambient temp rating without AC to get an idea.

Thoughts?

 

[kwschumm]

I passed on garage insulation in our last house and regretted it from day one. It was in western Oregon, rainy but not an extremely hot or cold climate. If the insulation will keep the temperature just slightly above dew point in the winter everything metal will thank you for it.

 

[BoostedOne]

Was the house you went into closed up or door open/no windows?
I built a non insulated free standing 40x40 last summer here in Central Florida. No ifs/ands or buts about it, it gets HOT in there unless ALL the doors are open(2 16 foot doors on one side, one 16 foot door on the other) to get a cross flow if theres a breeze. Opening the windows and just one door barely makes a difference. No breeze, not much of a difference.
I was painting a car a few months ago.. it was like 11pm, and I was just raining sweat in the paint booth.. It was 95 degrees in there.

 

[openwheelracing88]

Always insulate. Always!!!! If you can't afford 2K for insulation, then you probably shouldn't have a garage to begin with.

 

[kwschumm]

Was the house you went into closed up or door open/no windows?
I built a non insulated free standing 40x40 last summer here in Central Florida. No ifs/ands or buts about it, it gets HOT in there unless ALL the doors are open(2 16 foot doors on one side, one 16 foot door on the other) to get a cross flow if theres a breeze. Opening the windows and just one door barely makes a difference. No breeze, not much of a difference.
I was painting a car a few months ago.. it was like 11pm, and I was just raining sweat in the paint booth.. It was 95 degrees in there.

Something to consider, it makes a big difference if the area above the garage ceiling is insulated living space or not. In a non-insulated free standing building it's not surprising that it is hot in summer in FL.

 

[howpeculiar]

That $2K will pay you back pretty quickly. It makes it more comfortable in the garage, keeps heating/cooling costs down, and also as a bonus it muffles noise. I am currently doing R19 faced bats in my pole barn, and $2K for a four car sounds about right.

 

[BoostedOne]

Something to consider, it makes a big difference if the area above the garage ceiling is insulated living space or not. In a non-insulated free standing building it's not surprising that it is hot in summer in FL.

True, but hes in Dallas where I assume it gets pretty hot. But I agree, even though my roof is galvalume which does pretty good at reflecting, its still a source of heat.

 

[NSXelrate]

For your consideration. The measurements are rough estimates.

Above the garage is a media room, so it's insulated.

No doors or windows were open when I was in the house.

 

[AZ Pete]

you should insulate it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Notgrownup]

I have a 2 car 24x24 garage attached to the house and it was not insulated when I built the house... It is now... looking back I should've done it and had it dry walled when I was building the house...I say do it now...

 

[howpeculiar]

We have said our peace here, you will regret not doing it; but it is your money, and very easy for us to spend.

 

[Colin Len]

No brainer for me - INSULATE! This is something you won't regret and will reap the rewards of for many years to come. That doesn't look like a huge area to me. If you're looking to save money I'd do the insulation myself. You didn't mention what insulation the'yd be using, I'm assuming rolls of fiberglass. You could save money by installing yourself. It's very easy. I did my shed after it was built in just a couple hours and I'd never done it before.

 

[openwheelracing88]

If you insulate the garage, the entire house will benefit especially the media room. Even though the media room is already insulated, it will benefit from a garage with mild temperature.

 

[matt_i]

Couple of things, yes I think that's worth it...is this a quoted price turnkey or just the cost of the materials you are trying to rationalize. If its the latter then by all means yes. I'm a fan of Roxul over fiberglass batts despite some extra cost. The advantages of not harboring "organic growth" and being extremely flame resistant plus additional R-value and sound dampening are nice functions to have at a slight cost penalty.

Now here comes some more questions...I'm going to assume you are also going to drywall or metal-finish the interior surfaces after the insulation is up. Do you have all of the 120/240vac and low-voltage electrical in place that you can ever think of, including some stab at future proofing? Tearing out the drywall and your nice insulation later to install electrical is going to be a costly not to mention very unfun job.

 

[D45]

Leave it unfinished and do it yourself for half the price

 

[Git]

$1,900 does seem a little high, but you don't have a lot of options - especially if they are drywalling the garage, and I assume they are

In 2003 when we bought the house we are currently in, I paid $2,000 to have all interior walls and ceilings insulated. Never regretted spending the money and I don't think you will if you insulate your garage either

 

[bggrnchvy]

I couldn't get a reasonable quote to insulate mine. Did it myself (well, my wife was very helpful) and it was a rough couple of days but I appreciate it every hot or cold day. It's really very reasonable even when it's 105*F outside.

 

[ZipSnafu]

Insulate. You will thank use later. It does make a world of difference.

 

[Pluribus]

Insulate. Look at it as an investment.

 

[ptgarcia]

If you can afford that house you can afford $2k to insulate the garage. It will be worth it, especially if you plan on adding an AC.

 

[NSXelrate]

Many thanks for your feedback guys. Sounds like a resounding yes.

The only reason I was hesitating was because it already was fairly cool (compared to my current 100 degree oven garage), but considering that I'm buying this house because I can get a 4 car, I'll insulate.

 

[NSXelrate]

It appears you have about 60' of exterior wall less the garage door openings. Assuming they are 10' high that is 600 sq ft of material. Add in some for above the garage doors and lets say its 700 sq ft. total.
R-21 insulation for a 2x6 wall is .67 sq ft. = $469.00
R-11 insulation for a 2x4 wall is .19 sq ft. = $133.00
You do the math...I'd be buying it myself and installing it myself...
Look at it this way...your paying yourself 2.00 per sq ft. to install it.
going rate on a residential project is about .10 sq ft.

Thanks for saving me time by doing the calculations. Been in meetings all day.

I didn't expect the insulation to be that cheap. I'll try to get some better pricing.

As for doing it myself, I'd love to, but I'd have to sneak in, and take the risk of them ripping everything out. They're pretty adamant about doing anything to put themselves at risk.

 

[6768rogues]

The wall between the house and garage will probably be drywalled to pass inspection for the C of O. That will mean ripping it out later to insulate. I would pay the money and have it done or make a deal with them to only insulate where wallboard is going in if not everywhere.
I know the trendy layout is to have the kitchen open to the living area. I have rented places in FL like that and I don't like the noise of the ice maker and dishwasher while I am watching TV. Plus my wife has her sisters over and they play cards at the kitchen table and make a lot of noise. When we bought a house there, we got one with the kitchen in a separate room.

 

[ripperd]

My 4 car attached (house being built as I type this) was an extra $1660 to have them insulate it. 2x6 walls. Additional insulation would have been half the ceiling (bedrooms above half the garage), half the back wall (21 linear feet), the side wall (24 linear feet), and the entire front wall (44 linear feet minus a 16' door and two 8' doors). Garage walls are 10.5'.

Around here attached garages must be fully sheet-rocked to code now anyway (they didn't used to be). So insulating it myself after move-in would have been a giant pain, and cost probably 3/4 of their bid if I did it myself. But I'm in MN where you are a fool to not insulate it.

 

[Bamafan]

You are mistaken in your Roxul statements (or fooled by their creative marketing).

It is not higher R value. You can get R15 Roxul batts (what is typically in the big box stores) and you can get R15 fiberglass batts at the same stores or from any insulation company/distributor (CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Knauf, Johns Manville). You can also get fiberglass batts in MUCH higher R values...over R 40!

There is no difference in sound deadening for like-R values between Roxul rock wool and fiberglass.

Roxul is not a slight cost premium. The big box stores around here price it at about 25% - 30% higher per square foot than fiberglass. It just looks like it is not as expensive because Roxul Rock Wool does not compress (it just crumbles), so the bags look big in spite of not having much in them.

There is no difference in "organic growth" between Roxul and fiberglass.

There IS a difference in fire rating. Roxul Rock Wool has a higher fire rating than fiberglass. I believe fiberglass melts at around 1,100 degrees while rock wool melts at around 1,800 degrees (but at that point, everything around it would have burned to a crisp).

Couple of things, yes I think that's worth it...is this a quoted price turnkey or just the cost of the materials you are trying to rationalize. If its the latter then by all means yes. I'm a fan of Roxul over fiberglass batts despite some extra cost. The advantages of not harboring "organic growth" and being extremely flame resistant plus additional R-value and sound dampening are nice functions to have at a slight cost penalty.

Now here comes some more questions...I'm going to assume you are also going to drywall or metal-finish the interior surfaces after the insulation is up. Do you have all of the 120/240vac and low-voltage electrical in place that you can ever think of, including some stab at future proofing? Tearing out the drywall and your nice insulation later to install electrical is going to be a costly not to mention very unfun job.

 

[fastsvo]

Can anyone in the Los Angeles area please recommended a dealer or wholesaler for insulation?

 

[trashmanssd]

Price does seem a little high guessing 50% mark up by the GC. If they are just adding insulation to the exterior walls. Questions are what are you proposing doing now and what was originally included? Sheetrock on exterior walls? Vapor barrier?

 

[wssix99]

I plan to install a mini split, but $1890 seems a bit steep.

The cost of running your mini-split without insulation will make this cost look like chump change!!!


IF <structure> = <air conditioned> THEN
MUST INSULATE
ELSE
prepare for huge utility bills
ENDIF

 

[PCMusicGuy]

Whether you do it yourself or not, just insulate it. I will tell you that you should definitely get it done before sheet rock is installed. Removing/replacing later or even drilling holes and blowing it in later will be much greater hassle.

 

[kwschumm]

You are mistaken in your Roxul statements (or fooled by their creative marketing).

It is not higher R value. You can get R15 Roxul batts (what is typically in the big box stores) and you can get R15 fiberglass batts at the same stores or from any insulation company/distributor (CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Knauf, Johns Manville). You can also get fiberglass batts in MUCH higher R values...over R 40!

There is no difference in sound deadening for like-R values between Roxul rock wool and fiberglass.

Roxul is not a slight cost premium. The big box stores around here price it at about 25% - 30% higher per square foot than fiberglass. It just looks like it is not as expensive because Roxul Rock Wool does not compress (it just crumbles), so the bags look big in spite of not having much in them.

There is no difference in "organic growth" between Roxul and fiberglass.

There IS a difference in fire rating. Roxul Rock Wool has a higher fire rating than fiberglass. I believe fiberglass melts at around 1,100 degrees while rock wool melts at around 1,800 degrees (but at that point, everything around it would have burned to a crisp).

I like mineral wool because I don't like glass fibers floating around that can be inhaled. Mine could be a cockamamie opinion, but others have also said that glass fibers are the asbestos of the future, some scientists have found glass fibers in the air even in rural areas.

In any case, other web sites that compare fiberglass to mineral wool.

Hard to tell who actually generates or supplies content for this web site but they like mineral wool:

http://www.house-energy.com/Insulation/Fiberglass-Mineral-Wool.htm

And a site that actually labels an opinion as an opinion

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/guest-blogs/mineral-wool-insulation-isn-t-fiberglass

 

[jabin]

I would really look at Roxul at bare minimum, between the house and garage! Huge sound and fire protection.

 

[mikeyr]

go cheap elsewhere...there are lots of places where you can go cheap like the kitchen, never go cheap in the garage.

Seriously, $2k has to be a minor part of that houses cost and insulating the garage will make it so much nicer to work in and cheaper to keep cool once you install a mini-split that you will recoup the cost of insulation very quickly.

But then again, I am weird. I once got into a near divorce level argument with my wife when she overhead me tell the drywaller in the kitchen that the work he had done was ok, it was only a kitchen, not my garage. Drywaller had to redo that corner in the kitchen after she heard me say that.

 

[texasprd]

Insulate walls and attic. If you do the walls and not the attic, you'll still have an oven for a garage.

 

[-Brent-]

Based on the size, I don't think 2k is a terrible price. Insulation looks inexpensive sitting in the store but it adds up quick.

 

[CitadelBlue]

The walls of the garage that share with the living space should be insulated as part pf the standard package. I assume the outside walls have tge $2K price tag and that seems reallt high.... can you do it as a DIY project before the drywall goes up?

 

[Bamafan]

I like mineral wool because I don't like glass fibers floating around that can be inhaled. Mine could be a cockamamie opinion, but others have also said that glass fibers are the asbestos of the future, some scientists have found glass fibers in the air even in rural areas.

In any case, other web sites that compare fiberglass to mineral wool.

Hard to tell who actually generates or supplies content for this web site but they like mineral wool:

http://www.house-energy.com/Insulation/Fiberglass-Mineral-Wool.htm

And a site that actually labels an opinion as an opinion

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/guest-blogs/mineral-wool-insulation-isn-t-fiberglass

We are in danger of hijacking this thread, so I'll be brief. There is absolutely no link between fiberglass and cancer. In fact, several years ago the government removed the labels stating that it even was suspected of causing cancer. The glass in batts is biosoluable, and it doesn't float around any more than the rock and slag in rock wool floats around. Here's a link to one of the fact sheets I found: https://insulationinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/N041.pdf

 

[Bamafan]

NSXelrate - Do you have both an NSX and an S2000? I'm surprised at how many NSX owners have an S2000 as well.

 

[kwschumm]

We are in danger of hijacking this thread, so I'll be brief. There is absolutely no link between fiberglass and cancer. In fact, several years ago the government removed the labels stating that it even was suspected of causing cancer. The glass in batts is biosoluable, and it doesn't float around any more than the rock and slag in rock wool floats around. Here's a link to one of the fact sheets I found: https://insulationinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/N041.pdf

Yeah, I saw that sort of information. I am skeptical of any product research funded by the industries that sell said product. To believe that glass fibers are biosoluable is something I'd have to see for myself. Not to say there aren't side effects of mineral wool, not sure about that. Anyway, everyone has to make their own choices in life. Hijack over on my part!

 

[Bamafan]

Mine too!

 

[NSXelrate]

NSXelrate - Do you have both an NSX and an S2000? I'm surprised at how many NSX owners have an S2000 as well.

Indeed. It seems like a logical progression for a Honda fan. Especially growing up with Gran Turismo and the many NSX variations.