Should you insulate your garage? Insulation can make a space more comfortable, and some people do consider their garages to be an extension of their home. If the garage is only used to store a vehicle, insulation may not be necessary as vehicles are designed to be unaffected by temperature. However, if you use your garage for other activities, it might be a good idea.
Protection and comfort
There are several reasons that insulating the garage makes sense. If children use it as a play area, items sensitive to temperature are stored there, or the home heating system is located there, insulation will make a significant contribution to contentment in your home.
If you go ahead and insulate your garage or are building a home and incorporating the garage and its insulation into the design, you are making the garage part of what is called the home’s protected volume.
Protected volume
Incorporating the garage into the protected volume could affect energy bills, which will be influenced by factors such as the size of the garage, how much sun it gets and the surface area. In some homes, the garage is integral to the home or surrounded by it, and it could be cheaper to make the garage part of the protected volume. This article in The Telegraph has some tips on how to insulate a garage when it is part of the home.
The next question is what to insulate. If not included within the protected volume, look at insulating the walls between the house and the garage, and make sure any door between the two is insulated. If it’s within the protected volume, you may want to insulate the outside walls and even the roof and the floor, depending on the residence.
It is also important to look at the garage doors. If they do not fit well, they will be a weak point in maintaining the temperature inside. If you’re looking for a good deal on Luton automatic garage doors, it would be wise to contact experts such as http://garagedoorsrus.co.uk/automatic-garage-doors-luton/ for help.
Before anything else, you should repair any broken doors or windows. If the garage is a space you use frequently, insulating it may allow the household to get more value from it.
Organising the garage before you insulate
Insulation makes most sense when the garage is used for more than parking, and many people now use theirs for relaxing, working or entertaining. You do not need a major renovation to make it more usable, though the door may need replacing.
Start with a thorough clear out so you can see the space properly, then give everything a set place. Lengths of PVC pipe fixed to the wall can hold brooms, shovels and rakes, and a rolling cart keeps cleaning products and spray paint together. Pulley shelving brings heavy tools and garden equipment down from high shelves, while smaller items such as a strimmer can hang on wall hooks to free up floor space.
If you plan to use the garage for projects all year, insulate the walls and line them with plasterboard to stop draughts. Insulating the garage door and fitting weather stripping around it also helps keep out moisture, dirt and insects.