# Should I insulate an attached garage?



## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

pbkid said:


> One side of the garage is attached to the house. I was told that I should not insulate because it would trap cold air inside at night. Is this true? I live in NY and only plan on heating it a few times a year during the winter months while I am working.


If the wall of your house (between the garage and your home ) is already insulated, then there is no need to insulate a garage wall (another wall).. located between the two walls ....

Is this the case?


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## pbkid (Feb 12, 2007)

Yes the wall of the house is insulated, however, when I put a heater in the garage while I am working there it never gets very warm and I was wondering if insulating the garage would help


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

pbkid said:


> Yes the wall of the house is insulated, however, when I put a heater in the garage while I am working there it never gets very warm and I was wondering if insulating the garage would help


What about all the other (garage walls) ......and most importantly your garage ceiling?.....are these insulated??
Are your walls enclosed already?
Chances are that you have no insulation in your other walls not attached to the house, as well, as your ceiling. If you want to heat all this, obviously, you should install insulation in all the places previously mentioned....
If your garage walls are 2x4= R13
If your garage walls are 2x6= R19
Garage Ceilings= R19 - R30 - R38 : Dependant on how often you want to heat it and HOW you are going to heat it. 
Obviously too, the wall that is attached to your house is already insulated....


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## THEBIGPUNN (Sep 11, 2005)

i insulated my whole garage with r-13 and the ceiling with blown in and drywalled over it. i made a garage attic access. my garage stays at about 38* even when the wind chill outside is negative and stays comfy in the summer time! wouldnt have it any other way.


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## RippySkippy (Feb 9, 2007)

pbkid said:


> Yes the wall of the house is insulated, however, when I put a heater in the garage while I am working there it never gets very warm and I was wondering if insulating the garage would help


My parents have an attached garage, way hot in the summer and not only cold in the winter, but slow to warm in the spring.

Over a weekend, I put R19 in the walls, OSB on the whole thing and blew in at least an R38 in the attic...and man did it help...I don't think it has frozen in the winter since and it's very comfortable in the winter. And when asked...they'd not have it any other way either.

Would it help YES. BUT with that you need to decide how much you want to invest in making it comfortable. At minimum you could put plastic in the ceiling and keep some of the heat closer...but that's just a bandaid on a larger issue. When you think about the cost of energy, it won't take much heating time to make it worth your effort to rock or OSB and insulate, plus it'll be way nicer in the summer as well.

Good luck!

Rip


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## cibula11 (Jan 6, 2007)

Not sure if this has been mentioned. But a huge area of heat loss in a garage is the garage door. If this is not properly insulated then everything else is not going to make that much of a difference. You can insulate your door even if it is not.


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## jws3 (Feb 15, 2007)

*My builder said the exact same thing. (m)*

When I had my house built 7 yrs ago the builder said the same thing: The common wall between the house/garage is well insulated, but the side walls and door walls are not. The ceiling, however, is as there is a "bonus room" above it that is now finished.

So far, so good. The garage is accepable and is warmer in the winter & cooler in summer. If you intend to heat/cool the area then add'l insulation is a good idea. If not, then perhaps you may indeed end up trapping that which you don't want.

One more thought- As another poster mentioned, good doors are key. Get solid, well insulated doors and make sure they seal well to the floor. Air infiltration will make a big difference--and not for the better.


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## critter1 (Jul 9, 2011)

We are building a garage onto our home. There is a garage now but that will become living space. We live in Illinois and what is the fire code for the marriage wall of the house and garage. Are all exterior doors with glass fire rate or do we need a solid steel door between the spaces?


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## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

Just a thought, and one that wouldn't apply to those who buy new vehicles every couple of years. 

I had read and it clearly makes sense that insulating the garage does make it more comfortable and definately easier to heat, but the trade off is, if you park your vehicles in the garage in the winter, the car thaws along with all the ice melt used in the area, the water mixed with the salt (in my area) runs into all the seams, the constant freeze thaw with snow and salt causes permature rust on a vehicle. 

Just thought it would be worth noting.

Mark


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

1. A major heat loss is the garage floor. Especially the 3 foot strip at the front, along the back, and along the side that does not abut the house. The ground outside will be frozen and the ground under the garage next to the frozen ground will be quite cold. The floor slab (any concrete or masonry or stone) has a very low R value.

2. A major heat loss is around the edges of the garage door. I am still looking for a roll up garage door weatherstripping system and so far haven't heard of one. The tyupical door jamb weatherstripping they sell at Home Depot etc. doesn't remain touching the door given its lack of springiness and the in and out play of the door in the tracks. Such a system needs to engage autmatically, withougt an additional maneuver such as vecroing of flaps, zippering up and around, or turning of screw clamps each time the door is closed.


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## Stillwerkin (Nov 24, 2008)

Something to consider is that when a cold garage is heated without airflow, every cold object inside inside it becomes a magnet for condensation . This is probably more apparent when a propane heater is used(water vapor is a byproduct).


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