Homeowners - A Garage Insulation Question...
 

My garage is attached to the side of the house, and the kitchen wall on the other side is always damn cold in the winter. So, I've been debating adding insulation. My question is -should I insulate all 3 walls, or just the one that meets up to the inside of the house? I don't work in the garage (it's too small, just enough room to fit the car), but I'm planning on ripping out the stucco walls and putting up sheetrock this summer because I hate them anyway, so if they're already open, now's the time to insulate. I just don't want it to get too warm, or trap moisture. What do you guys think?

Here's an old pic of the house, but you can see the layout -

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...S/P1010040.jpg

Thanks for your opinions!

I'd only do the common wall unless you heat it. I believe the common wall and ceiling is going to need fireboard IIRC 5/8". Call your local code guys and ask.

My garage is also attached (it's a ranch) but I did insulate the walls all around. I would think it will keep out the cold and therefore will help keep that wall next to the house from being affected too much. I found no problems with moisture. The Monte Carlo SS looks awesome, but that shot really shows that front end lift. I think an Eibach kit would help knock down that height and give it a better stance. I had an 1986 Monte Carlo White SS and when I look at those pictures I noticed it also sat much too high. Just my :2cents:

keep your change.... cars usually sit higher without a motor....

Sounds good, I think I'll give the office there a buzz and find out what I need. A few of the guys I work with said the same thing - just do the common wall.

Thanks Ed! Oh, don't worry, Paul was right. :)

Yep, that's an old pic, I think from when we were building the car the first time. It sits like this now -

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/IMG_0854.jpg

Our bedroom is directly over the garage and as such, it is the coldest room in the house. In addition to insulating as much as possible, I would also make sure that the garage door seals well, and if there's a window or two in the garage I would make sure those are properly caulked and sealed, etc.

Insulate the common wall only. Use fire rated drywall (or double up on regular stuff, I think?), as was mentioned, if you really want to do it and feel a difference, get the expanding foam stuff shot into the stud cavities while the walls are open.

Insulating all the outer walls won't net as much benefit because the garage door is still the huge source of cold air and is not heated. Plus everytime the garage door opens your are back to square one.

Take the money you would spend on the other three walls and use it to get the common wall insualted with the expanding foam stuff. No more drafts, leaks and you'll definitely notice a difference. And its a good noise insulator as well in case you need to pull an all-nighter working on something.

Chris

Thanks Chris! I'm doing some checking online now for a DIY sprayfoam setup, just to see how much it would cost. Also, the garage has a new fiberglass door and has an R13 or R15 rating, so it's pretty efficient. I'll keep you guys posted!

from what i have run into at work(electrician), any garage wall that is opposite a living space need 2 layers of 5/8 rock with staggered seams to pass code. If you are worried about code.

You should only have to insulate the wall for the kitchen, but doing the rest wont hurt if the budget allows.

Good info. I wasn't sure if it was doubled up 1/2 or 5/8ths.

Well, I'm trying to do this as "by-the-book" as I can, so I'll check with the town and see what they say. I wonder what the reasoning is for the doubled-up sheetrock? Fire safety, noise control, or something else?

Fire safety

- Justin

lol steve ive been meaning to stop at westwood chevy for that picture

is a fire rating thing, i think its supposed to be a 2 hour rating and 1 layer is only 1 hour or something similar to that.

Also if there are electrical boxes on that wall, boxes on different sides of the wall need to be 24" appart. So if an electrical outlet box for the garage, and one for the kitchen are in the same stud bay, thats a no-no too.