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should i insulate and sheetrock my garage

R

relaxandreflect

Senior member
i have a 2 story house with a 2 car garage. the master bedroom is above the garage and the kitchen is behind it, but on the sides it is just the wood and siding. the sides of the garage are open studs on the inside. we use the garage mainly for storage and a workout room on a daily basis. i have a small fan and a gas heater for the winter.

should i insulate and sheetrock the sides of the garage? would it really make that much difference.

all walls that are shared with the house are insulated. this includes the ceiling and the back wall. the side walls are the ones that are not insulated, that's what i am wondering about. they are not shared with any part of the house, just the outside. the garage door is all one piece, and is not insulated.
 
I somehow suspect that there is no insulation between the garage and the floor above - in which case, you definitely want to insulate.
 
Heck yes insulate it. You don't have to heat it but it will definately be warmer/cooler than it is right now.
 
I see MANY finished garage walls. Matter of fact, it's code around here to have firecode drywall between the living space and garage. In the end, it just boils down to saving a few bucks. Travis could simply insulate without bothering to cover it with drywall. That would save a few bucks and manhours, yet not lose too much 'R' value, because drywall doesn't have much to start with.
 
the wall between the garage and the house and the ceiling of the garage are insulated, but just not the sides which are walls to the outside.
 
Originally posted by: chiwawa626
Why dont they ever finish garage walls?
Click to expand...

They do depending on where you live. Around here the walls must be insulated and finished with 5/8" drywall. It is a code requirement.
 
Mine was finished although the slightly larger houses in my neighborhood that have slightly larger two car garages are left in a less finished state at time of purchase.
 
I checked your profile and saw that you are in North Carolina. Installing an R19 value insulation and sheetrock would help tremendously. If your walls are 2x6 then you could go with a heavier insulation for more R value.
 
Originally posted by: Evadman
Originally posted by: chiwawa626
Why dont they ever finish garage walls?
Click to expand...

They do depending on where you live. Around here the walls must be insulated and finished with 5/8" drywall. It is a code requirement.
Click to expand...

why do the walls need 5/8 as opposed to 1/2? just curious

As soon as I get my garage built you can bet its going to be finished, looks so uch nicer, and sure saves on your propane/gas bill i the winter
 
Originally posted by: Fiveohhh
Originally posted by: Evadman
Originally posted by: chiwawa626
Why dont they ever finish garage walls?
Click to expand...

They do depending on where you live. Around here the walls must be insulated and finished with 5/8" drywall. It is a code requirement.
Click to expand...

why do the walls need 5/8 as opposed to 1/2? just curious

As soon as I get my garage built you can bet its going to be finished, looks so uch nicer, and sure saves on your propane/gas bill i the winter
Click to expand...

The thicker the drywall the more fire resistance it provides. In certain applications the UBC or local building codes may required double sheetrock.
 
Code around here for new builds is to insulate where there is living space either above or next to the garage. Also sheetrock in those areas. I paid extra to have the entire garage insulated. It makes a huge difference! Last winter we were below freezing for over a week and nothing froze in my garage. But that also tells me that the heat came from somewhere (my home) or it is so well insulated that the car engine?s heat keeps it warm overnight. But once that garage door opens, all heat is gone!

I still recommend insulating and sheetrock just to keep it looking nice.
 
The fact that you have siding and walls is a lot of insulation. Air is the best insulation you can get so the walls and ceilings around you garage should be ok.... Insulating them would definitely help make them feel more cozy, but it may take quite a few years to see any heating savings to pay for the project. Do it for a fun project.... 😉
 
The fact that you have a heater out there is reason enough to insulate it, IMHO. It will really help save energy whenever you run it. Furthermore, you'll effectively "double insulate" the walls between the house and the garage, adding to the energy savings.

Make sure you read up on the proper technique/codes, and use a vapor barrier if appropriate (I think it's always appropriate because of condensation from warm air on cold walls, but I'm not 100% sure).

I'm not sure how to insulate the garage door. Could one just staple rolls of fiberglass to each door panel, and then tighten up the garage door spring? It wouldn't look pretty, but it seems like it would help a lot.
 
My 2 car attached garaged is insolated and sheetrocked. I am debating doing the same to my 2 car detached garage. I may just insolate it.
 
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