More Insulation Questions

[wildman]

Howdy all.
I am new here so if I have posted this in the wrong area I am sorry.

I have a 24X30x8' garage that I need to insulate and wire. I had at first hoped there was some way for me to keep the rafter area open. But now everything I am reading says I can't do that??
I really need someone to explain to me the what the vapor barrier is and how I need to install the flutes or what ever they are.

So what I now understand is that I need to put a ceiling in, put insulation on top of that and then put some type of flute at the end of each truss to keep the area above teh ceiling the same temp as out side? There really isn't a lot of space up in the trusses so trying to make it a storage area I don't think would be worth the time.

Can I put the insulation up first and then the ceiling so I don't have to try and crawl up inside to lay it down? And if I put in some R30 insulation is there a reason to blow in some more insulation on top?

I live in Central Washington where we see 0-30 degrees most of the winter. The garage is more a work shop for me and my vehicles. I would like to put a 4,000-5,000 BTU electric heater in to keep it at 40 degrees and then maybe use a wood stove or pellet stove to warm it up when I want to work?? I have a garage refrigerator and am also looking at getting a freezer which is why I would like to keep it heated above freezing.

I know I am all over the place with my questions. I am new to all this stuff and trying to learn as I go.

 

[Steve in Mi]

The order in which I would tackle it;

1.) Install all electrical wiring.
2.) Place and staple soffet to roof vents in each rafter space.
3.) Gently push your R-30 batts between ceiling joists from below.
4.) Install R-19 (or whatever) in the wall stud spaces.
5.) Staple 4 mil poly throughout (walls and ceiling). Let it drape over windows, electrical boxes and onto the floor where it will provide protection from paint until that portion is completed.
6.) Hang desired sheeting and finish/paint.
7.) Add trim and stain/paint - now the poly can be trimmed away where no longer needed.
8.) Complete the electrical.

Done, now wasn't that easy. I didn't even break a sweat.

 

[wildman]

Sounds just soooooooo easy.

I have been reading and just saw the thread about using a home furnace to heat the garage. Here is my problem. I have an all electric house and there is not gas/propane available unless I install a tank. This from what I have found isn't cost effective. If I had gone gas heat in my home then maybe. Also in my area propane is just as spendy as electricity.

So with all that how once I get the garage finished should I heat it? The home furnace idea has some merit. Just install and set the temp at 38-40 when I am not working and turn it up when I am. Would only take up the same amount of space as the wood stove.

 

[GaryRoushkolb]

You'll be surprised on how well R-30 does in keeping down the heating bill. My shop has R-30 in the walls also and I used metal siding on the inside and roof also. The shop is very quiet also, I can't hear it raining outside on my metal roof. The trick in using metal siding is to place the wall outlets on the flats and not the raised part of the metal, just attach the box to a floating mounting that is secured when the metal goes on. I use metal instead of sheetrock because I like the ability to clean it off when oil is spattered from working like around the lathe, you can just wipe it off.

 

[oldgoat]

Steve has some good plans, but at least from when I did mine I would also add plenty of outlets now instead of wishing later that you had some extra. When I put the outlets in the ceiling for my lights I had three rows with each row on its own switch. When putting the insulation in the ceiling I was told to make sure I keep the vents clear so that the air could circulate in the attic. I had roof vents in my garage to help with the circulation. One contractor was going to put a electric unit in the attic space where it would be out of the way. If you are thinking of electric units might contact the person you would be getting it from for his ideas before going to all the work and that way you can have the attic opening and electricity for it in the right place ahead of time.