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Garages aren’t just for cars anymore.
In fact, 2/3 of Americans use their garages for all kinds of other things, like bedrooms, storage rooms, or extra living spaces.
But even though most people use their garage as an extension of their house, they don’t treat it like one.
No matter what you use your garage for, garage insulation should be your top priority.
Why Should I Insulate My Garage?
It Saves Money
With cooling and heating costs only rising, much like an insulated attic, an insulated garage will lower your utility bill and help you save money.
An uninsulated garage can’t retain warm or cold air. In other words, if you try to heat it up during the winter, the warm air will seep out through the walls, and if you try to cool it down in the summer, the cool air will escape, as well.
Most garages are connected directly to the rest of the house. If your garage isn’t insulated, it will actually suck hot or cold air from the rest of the house, making you spend more money on heating and air conditioning.
Garage insulation will keep the garage from drawing air from the rest of the house, so your electric bills will go down while your house stays comfortable. This is especially worthwhile if you have a furnished room over the garage, also known as a FROG room.
It Keeps Your Items Safe
Insulating your garage also protects the items you store inside, including your car (if you still keep it there).
Hot weather is one of the main reasons a car battery dies. A car battery contains liquid, and hot weather evaporates the liquid and causes the battery to stop working.
Cold weather can also negatively affect your car battery. If the temperature in the car battery gets too low, the chemical reaction inside the battery slows, often meaning the car fails to start.
Insulating your garage will keep the temperature inside from getting too hot or too cold, keeping the items inside undamaged.
Do I Have to Insulate the Whole Garage?
If the only reason you want to insulate your garage is to lower heating and cooling costs, you don’t necessarily have to insulate the entire garage.
All you really need to insulate are the walls touching other parts of your house. This could also include the garage ceiling if you have a FROG room above it.
You can also use weather stripping kits around the garage door threshold. You can apply these kits yourself, and they will help keep things like drafts, rain, and snow out of your garage.
If you want your garage insulation to protect your car or if you’re planning to use the garage as another bedroom or living space, you’ll want to insulate the whole thing.
How Do I Insulate My Garage?
There are a few different ways you can insulate your garage, and they all depend on your garage insulation goals and your budget. Some of these options may also require a contractor.
Batt Insulation
This insulation is made of cotton-fiberglass material. It is very light, which makes it easy to use. All you have to do is hang it between the wall studs with nails or staples.
Because batt insulation is made of fiberglass, it is not good to breathe in, so you’ll want to cover it with drywall if you’re planning to use the space a lot. You can hire a contractor for this job, or because drywall is fairly easy to install, you can do it yourself, as well.
Blown-in Insulation
If your garage already has drywall but doesn’t have insulation, you can insulate the insides of the wall with blown-in insulation. This means a contractor will cut a little hole in your wall and blow a cellulose material through the walls.
When they are done, the contractor will fix the hole they made. This method is quick, but it may be more expensive than batt insulation.
Other Alternatives
If you use batt insulation but don’t want to put up drywall, you may be able to get by with thick, foam board. This is not ideal, and you will have to check with building codes and make sure it’s completely fireproof.
After you get the insulation installed, take some time to make sure everything is sealed correctly. Caulk cracks between the drywall, where the drywall meets the floor, and where the drywall meets door or window frames.
You should also weatherstrip the access door to the house to prevent any car exhaust from seeping into the house.
What About the Garage Door?
The garage door is the tricky part. Obviously you’ll want to weatherstrip the garage door, as previously mentioned, but actually insulating the garage door is a little bit harder.
There are ways you can insulate your garage door on your own, but they are not usually good longterm options. Because the garage door is meant to open and close a lot and folds in many different places, batt insulation or spray-on foam insulation won’t work well.
Even if you find a kind of insulation that is specifically meant for garage doors, it will often flake off or break apart after a while.
Unless you want to insulate your garage door, again and again, you should look into buying insulated garage doors. These are garage doors that are made fully insulated.
However, if you aren’t planning to use your garage as a living space, you probably don’t need to worry about the garage door.
Whether you try to insulate your garage door yourself or buy one that’s already insulated is completely up to you and your garage needs.
Garage Insulation Keeps You and Your Things Comfortable
What’s the point of insulating the rest of your house if the garage sucks away or transfers hot and cold air? Insulating your garage will help you lower your energy, save money, and even protect your possessions. It is a good choice no matter what you use the garage for.
Getting ready to make some changes in your garage? Contact us and we will get you on the right path!
