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I live in Ohio and tried this for about 5 years. Too hot in July and Aug (sweating on the scenery) , too cold Jan to Mar (diluted glue freezes before it sets). Cement floor hurts knees and legs. Dust and dirt can be REALLY bad. Garage doors let in dust, dirt, leaves, etc. Mosquitos and horseflys attack you in season! Long rail runs kink after a few years of expanding and contracting. I moved to my unheated porch, with carpet and windows. This was better to work on, but my wife recently ended my lease! I'm now back in the garage, but I built a floor, added carpet and lighting and soon walls and ceiling to keep out dust and heat/cool easier. Makes a BIG difference. Also, you can work on structures in the house during the worst months. I built a grain elevator scene over the winter, then dropped it in place on the layout. I use Foam for subroadbed on a grid benchwork so it doesn't warp. This has worked GREAT compared to my plywood and homosote layout which warped after the first couple of years. I solder curves, but cut gaps in straight-aways and on REALLY long curves. This has stopped the kinking from expansion. Multiple small gaps seem better, as long rails will pull a single gap so far apart that the wheels will get caught. I use DCC and haven't had a problem with electronics so far. BUT, repeatedly heating and cooling the area causes a LOT of condensation. This worries me, and a home inspector told me NOT to insulate the walls if I was going to do this, because moisture would get trapped and eventually damage the walls. He said if I insulated I should heat/cool it all the time, not just when working on the layout. Don't know if this is true, because I took his advice. I heat the room with a wood burning stove, but I think one of those industrial kerosene heaters would be better. Takes to long to heat with the stove. Best of luck to you. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one trying to build my dream layout in a midwestern garage!!
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