questions about insulating a garage

I want to insulate my garage and I'm trying to find building code(s) I need to follow. I've called all around (Loudoun county, fire department, etc.) but I've either been forwarded elsewhere or run into dead ends with phone-tag.

What I'd like to do is insulate the walls as soon as possible and do the drywall later (probably Spring). I just don't know if it's safe and allowed by code to have exposed insulation in a garage. I'm just trying to lose as little heat as possible. I have wireless thermometers in/outside of the house and noticed that when it was 8 degrees F outside, it was 30 degrees F in the garage; so I'd like to trap as much of that heat as possible.

Any ideas and info?

Can someone point me to insulation guidelines as they pertain to garages? Or suggest some people or departments to call? Are there even any codes I need to follow to follow for a garage?

Thanks in advance!

 

I'm by no means an authority on this subject, but doubt there's a code on it since builders leave insulation exposed in garages whenever they can. One whole garage wall in my previous home had exposed insulation that the builder installed and the county (Loudoun) inspectors must have approved. I'm guessing they only have to insulated exposed interior walls and not dry-wall them.

In that same home, I installed insulation on the remaining garage walls but never dry-walled it -- I intended to but 14+ years later it still wasn't dry-walled. [:I] However, the insulation definitely helped to keep the garage a little warmer in the winter. In this home, I insulated, dry-walled, and painted the garage walls -- looks much better this way.

 

GCyr,

What, if anything, did you do with your garage doors? I can see how insulating exposed walls might help a little bit, but I would think that a lot of your heat savings would just be lost through a standard garage door.

I think you can purchase insulated garage doors, but from what I understand they are quite expensive.

 

I didn't do anything about the garage doors. My intent wasn't to make the garage a warm place to work in, such as if I had a workshop in it, but to better insulate it from the wind and most of the bitter cold. My garage isn't heated, so there's no heat savings or lose.

 

My garage isn't heated either -- I'm interested in mitigating the impact of an ice cold garage on the rooms above the garage. I thought insulating the one exposed wall in my garage might help keep the garage a little warmer, which would keep the upstairs rooms a little warmer as well. But without insulated garage doors, I'm not sure it would help very much.

 

As I said, insulating the exposed wall(s) does keep the garage a little warmer, but I really don't know how much warmer or if it's cost effective. I did it primarily because it didn't make sense to dry-wall the garage walls without first installing insulation. The wind can still blow through garage door gaps but it doesn't blow throw the outside siding and thin exterior wall insulating board (whatever its called).

However, if your intent is to keep the garage warm enough to keep the upstairs rooms warmer, I don't think an insulated garage door and insulated walls will help much unless you also heat the garage.

 

We insulated the garage door with strips of insulation that just fit in between the metal dividers in the door sections. Probably bought the material at Home Depot. I'd have to ask my husband if you want to know more...he did all of it.

 

Insulating a garage will have a more profound impact during the summer months. It will actually keep your garage cooler, thus keeping the rooms above cooler.

 

Summer and Winter savings! We did finish our garage. We put in standard exterior wall insulation - I can't even guess at the R-value (Home Depot/Lowes can tell you). We also put down insulation in the attic above the garage. We also finished the drywall - but I don't think that's a really big difference.

Most of the standard aluminum/foam garage doors they put in now do provide some insulation - more than just a wooden garage door at the very least.

The kicker is that many of the houses are finished on the outside side of the framing with just a 1/4" "backer board" (You know, that says NVHomes or VanMetre, etc) and then the siding or brick on the outside. Supposedly, this backer board has insulation properties, but really - what do you get with 1/4" hardboard?

So, ANY insulation you add is going to help keep your garage more temperate. If you use the paperbacked insulation and staple it to the stud work, your garage will look a bit more finished - not dry walled, mind you.

Also, look for major air infiltration. Could be there are spots where that backer board is cut too short, or there are gaps where you can see daylight. Use "Great Stuff" expanding foam (CAREFULLY) or something similar to seal those air gaps.

To sum it up...it was about 12 degrees outside this morning at 630 when we left for work. Our garage was probably about 30 degrees. Because it's attached to the house, the garage will absorb some of the heat from the house - despite the full insulation in the wall between the garage and house. Better to insulate the garage and keep that heat in there, than just lose it.

And yes, it does stay cooler in the summer also...but then, it really helps if you keep your garage door closed, too.

That's my 2¢

Dawne