Almost Ready: Insulating a 20x25-ft Garage

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Eddystone
..You should paint or coat the floor with one of the many products out there for garage floors. it will cut down on dust on your layout and in the garage...

You're right. Except I read somewhere that the cost of the paint to cover an area that size could be ~$1000 - I'll have to move a bit cautiously on that one!

QUOTE: Originally posted by HighIron2003ar

Does "Bawlmore" make you get paper for what is essentally a space heater installation these days?

Not in my area, at least not that I know of [I'm in 'Bawlamer' County, not the city]. Only if the walls are being cut or the structure changed in some way.

[johncolley]

Ken, as for the attic you can get bags of insulation or bats from places like Home Depot or Lowes at a pretty good price. Is the drywall taped and painted on the walls, if not you could probably unscrew it, set in bats, and re-install the same sheets of drywall. Then finish it off yourself.

[Anonymous]

Does "Bawlmore" make you get paper for what is essentally a space heater installation these days?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mikebonellisr
...Do you have to replace all the wallboard in order to insulate,or are you going to blow insulation in?

Probably blow it in - if I end up doing the walls. A housebuilder friend of mine told me that most of the heat loss occurs vertically, i.e. thru the roof. So that is the first place I will put the insulation. That should be easy - it's already covered with a ceiling, and a pull-out staircase into the attic. I'll simply climb up and lay the stuff down.

QUOTE:
...You may want to consider a vented,wall mounted ,propane heater.they are about the size,and look a little like a radiator cover...

I'm leaning in that direction. I'm not sure my heating system has the BTUs to support the additional volume. And the 'permit' business on top of that...no thanx!

[Eddystone]

6) the floor is unfinished (plain concrete);

You should paint or coat the floor with one of the many products out there for garage floors. it will cut down on dust on your layout and in the garage. Also alot easier to clean the floor.

[Anonymous]

Greetings

I just started insulating my garage I ran two different vents out to the garage from my system its easy. I also bought a door insulating kit for metal garage doors and installed that it made quite a difference. My walls aren't insulated and I do not plan on blowing any insulation into them I have a brick home so that will just have to do. I still need to blow some insulation into the attic space above the garage but things take time and money. I would say somewhere near 150.00 is all it cost me to to the above work. I want to get one of those little heaters that looks like a cast iron stove and set it out there with a fake stove pipe going to the ceiling to give it that old station feel. I havent experienced a summer out there yet so I really am unsure of what to expect. As for undoing the work I did it would be no big deal just a little sheetrock work and spackle.
Next house will have 2x6 exterior walls with double insulation and the layout will have it own room.

[kansaspacific1]

Sounds great. One safety caution: You might check your local code on providing
a heat vent from your house furnace system into your garage. Code in our city prohibits due to the potential hazard of CO from cars in the garage. Since you're filling the garage with railroad, there won't be any real hazard, but you might have to close it up if you ever move.

A vented wall heater as suggested might be easier to control temp in the garage and
not cause any loss of furnace effectiveness in the house.

[mikebonellisr]

I would think that $1500 will be a little tight,depending on the amount of work you have to put into the garage.Do you have to replace all the wallboard in order to insulate,or are you going to blow insullation in?What type of heating system do you have----If it's hot water,you might consider a Modine blower or if it's forced hot air,then there's the duct work.You may want to consider a vented,wall mounted ,propane heater.they are about the size,and look a little like a radiator cover.Please keep us updated. ps. You may want to seal the garage floor with epoxy paint.

[Anonymous]

I know there have been a lot of posts about building layouts in garages, with the usual caveats about controlling temperature/humidity variations and dust. These have been quite helpful, but I still have questions.

For the past 4 years, I have been planning ('procrastinating' is probably a better word) to build a layout in a vacant 2-car garage. Here is some background info:

1) I live in central Maryland, where temps vary between seasons;
2) The garage is directly attached to the house, with the furnace just on the other side of the wall;
3) it has a 30-inch wide window (inner dimension) to install an AC unit if necessary;
4) it has a finished ceiling - no exposed rafters, but still needs insulation laid down;
5) the walls are covered - i.e. no exposed studs - but I don't think there is any insulation behind the sheetrock;
6) the floor is unfinished (plain concrete);
7) it has its own isolated electrical circuit;
8) it is my ONLY available real estate for a model railroad (no basement as an alternative option)

I have roughly $1500 available to invest in extra insulation, a new window AC unit and/or an extra heating duct. I could probably do most of the labor myself. Can anybody tell me if this would be enough to bring the garage to a reasonable state of layout-readiness (within the next 3-4 months)?