Should I insulate, ideas?

[Netdewt]

I love that this place exists!

I have a 20x22 detached garage with almost no amenities. I've got a few baker's racks for storage and an old cabinet. The back wall is sheetrocked, but not insulated. I've been going back and forth on how to arrange some storage and a workbench I've been wanting to add in. I don't have a large enough property for any other out-buildings, so the garage is where everything goes (mower, garden tools, cars, bikes, tool chest, table saw, skis, kid's toys, winter tires, etc)!

I live in Minnesota, so I'd love to have some heat when I need to fix a car in the winter. Is it worth insulating and sheetrocking the garage even if heating will always be temporary (propane)?

 

[TWX]

Insulation should make it more tolerable when you're working in there, as the heater output won't bleed off into the outside air nearly so quickly if it's insulated.

 

[JC23]

Oh He'll yeah. When I had insulation in just the side walls, my garage never froze inside and i'm in the Great Lakes area.

If'n you want to do itright, take down that drywall and insulate ALL the walls. then do the ceiling. Use this siteto plan what you want in there and go for it. Insulation is like money in the bank.

Oh yeah, welcome aboard!

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I'm up in Ontario Canada, and I only have insulation in the attic in my garage. It makes a WORLD of difference. I can turn the lights on and feel the place start to warm up. If I turn on my little propane space heater, it's toasty warm in no time.

In the summer, it can be scorching hot outside, but the garage is not bad because of the attic insulation.

Long term I want to insulate the walls, add some more in the attic, and add insulated roll up doors, and put in radiant heat on a programmable thermostat to keep the garage just above freezing all winter long. A friend of mine does that, and when he goes out to work, he just turns it up to 70 degrees or so, and it's toasty in minutes.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

If'n you want to do itright, take down that drywall and insulate ALL the walls. then do the ceiling. Use this siteto plan what you want in there and go for it. Insulation is like money in the bank.

I agree, but do the ceiling first. It will make a much bigger difference.

 

[Netdewt]

That's a good idea, since heat goes up. However, would I be able to retain my attic/rafter storage somehow? I have a lot of junk up there.

Also, I need to have the sheetrocking done before I build in shelves (I think). And since the shelves are what I really need right now... I'm in an all or nothing position, I think.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I have trusses so blown in/batts were ideal for me. My friend has open rafter that he uses for storage. He is planning to spray foam his actual roof, so he will have lots of insulation up there, but still have storage space.

If you need the drywall done first, then you are probably right, it's gonna be an all or nothing thing. You could of course do the walls first, and there is nothing wrong with that, you just wont get the benefits that doing the ceiling will get you.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If the garage is insulated, you'd be surprised at how much warmer it will stay in the winter, particularly if you're parking your daily driver inside - that big lump of hot iron under the hood provides a lot of heating.

 

[JC23]

That's a good idea, since heat goes up. However, would I be able to retain my attic/rafter storage somehow? I have a lot of junk up there.

Also, I need to have the sheetrocking done before I build in shelves (I think). And since the shelves are what I really need right now... I'm in an all or nothing position, I think.

One, you can make some sort of access to that storage. Maybe even use an attic stair kit. I made my own and use a cut down alum ladder to get up/down there.

Two, look into French cleat mounting for yer shelves and cabinets. Worry more about getting yer electric in there before drywalling unless you want to run it on the surface.

Tip- think cabinets instead of shelves. Cleanerbappearance and the contents stay clean.

 

[DYNA BILL]

Insulate, INSULATE, INSULATE!

 

[NUTTSGT]

My theory is that you don't buy insulation, you invest in it as it will pay for itself over many years.

I have different attic accesses. A couple of spots between the rafters, make a frame out of 1x4s nailed flat along the ceiling (whatever you use for a ceiling) and a lift out section of plywood works great. A 3' long section, as wide as the rafters can allow some very large item in/out of the attic. A couple of pieces of foam insulation screwed to the backside of the plywood will insulate that.

 

[jmauld]

If you have trusses and a ridge vent what options do you have to insulate? I like the open attic and would like to leave it open. But I just insulated my walls over the summer and think I should finish the job properly.

Can you spray or hang insulation directly to the roof?

 

[darkk]

Absolutely insulate...

 

[camarotoolman]

My house has the insolation between the rafters, no problem there. Although an air space between inso. and roof deck is good for venting. 2x12s with 10"inso. 5/8' D.wall.

 

[Netdewt]

Just trying to think through this roof insulation/storage issue with my rafters. One of the biggest problems is that the angle of the roof is very low. The garage is 21 ft wide (remeasured) and there are 8 ft on either side which are less than 3 ft high. I can use that space with the rafters open, but I can't very easily with them closed up.

So, that leaves me with about 5 ft wide of "open" attic space to crawl around in. However this space has a lot of random 2x4s running through it. A question someone may be able to answer. Are these still necessary or were they just there during the construction of the garage to stabilize it?

I'm rethinking the insulation on the walls also. I think I will just build the shelves and work around them if/whevever I get around to insulating and sheetrocking. I'm going to make 2 ft high x 2 ft deep "loft" shelves around the whole garage, and no other built-ins. I'm even considering putting the workbench on wheels.

Is 40" too high for a workbench top? That way I could fit my table saw underneath it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

What you have highlighted is normal. The red one can be cut down so it clears the bottom of the rafters and unsulation.

 

[Netdewt]

Okay, but that doesn't help me all that much. How could I modify the rafters to allow more space up there? Could I rebuild the trusses to allow more open storage space?

 

[benjamintmiller]

You have engineered trusses, so modifying them isn't possible (outside a few specific cases). They're likely designed to hold the roof loads and nothing else, so storing heavy items up there isn't a good idea. You said you're in Minnesota, so keep in mind that roof will have a hefty snow load on it half the year.

Your best bet would probably be to cover the ceiling, blow in insulation, and build a shed for storage.

I'm in Iowa and had a similar situation with my garage, and last winter ran wiring up above, drywalled, and blew in 15" of fiberglass (about R-38). If I did it again, I'd probably use MDF for the ceiling and run the wiring in conduit. Daily temperatures in January went from around zero to above freezing at all times.

 

[38Chevy454]

As the rest said, absolutely get it insulated. It will keep the temps more moderate (above freezing most likely), cooler in summer, and will not take as long to heat up in winter. Insulation is something that will pay back many times over.