[Greenbuilding] Garage/Workshop

[Keith Winston]

Well, the idea of saving insulating money to pay for electricity is 
short-sighted -- but if all you're looking for is a few seasons, then it 
might be the right answer... It's also true that with all that concrete, 
it's going  to be terribly hard to keep heat from escaping -- and the 
fact that you think $1500 is a lot is foreboding. Don't get me wrong, 
money doesn't grow on trees, but construction projects are expensive.

What are you hoping to do in there? When you say work, do you mean on a 
car, or something else? Are you planning on doing anything with the 
garage doors? That's where the bulk of your heat escapes from, if 
they're typical leaky, uninsulated garage doors.

A good job would entail something drastic to the doors (swap one out for 
new/tighter, close the other up?), some floor treatment (depends on what 
the space will be used for, but since the slab was almost certainly not 
insulated, huge heat loss happens there), and walls and ceiling. Yes 
insulating the ceiling will help the dining room above, but not as much 
as you might wish: a lot of heat will sneak out through the roof. 
Concrete conducts heat quite well...

Good luck!

Keith



John Messerschmidt wrote:
> Hi There,
>
> I have a garage 20x20x8'high, built in 1964 out of cement block.  The
> ceiling is 4" of concrete with a flat rubber membrane roof.  West wall is
> against earth (side of a hill), south wall is abutting the (non insulated)
> living area of our walk out basement.  East wall is exposed, North wall has
> the  garage doors.  The house is in New York.
>
> I wanted to frame out the walls and ceiling and spray on Tiger foam or
> cellulose so that I can use the garage as a woodshop in the winter without
> having to heat it.  I could work in there if the temperature would be in the
> 50's.  Now I'm finding that to insulate (never mind the framing and
> sheetrock) could be $1500 or more.  That's ok, if it works.  I'm just afraid
> that with all the concrete and air leaks in the garage door I'd end up
> freezing anyway.  The floor is of course, concrete too.
>
> Additionally, we extended a room above the garage, taking up one quarter of
> the garage surface.  Now there is a dining room sitting on top of the
> concrete ceiling of the garage.  In order to keep the dining room floor
> level with existing, there is only 3 1/2" of Icynene insulation between the
> framing.  If I could insulate the ceiling below, would it help the dining
> room above?
>
> Do you think it's a good idea to add the expense of insulating this
> workshop?  Should I save the $1500 and use it to buy electricity to run an
> electric heater?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
>
>
> John
>
>
>
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-- 
Keith Winston
Earth Sun Energy Systems
3927 Madison St.
Hyattsville, MD 20781
301-980-6325
keith at earthsunenergy.com
www.EarthSunEnergy.com