Insulation - garageoverhaul

A garage in your home can make for an excellent asset to the property. However, one of the biggest problems is that garages are a gateway to issues with temperature regulation. In the summers, they can add warmth and bring in the cold during the winters. As such, you may be tempted to wonder - should I insulate my garage walls? Whether or not you need to insulate your garage walls largely depends on the issues you are currently facing and how insulation can be beneficial in the long run. You may need insulation if your home is becoming too hot or cold or if the insulation in the house has not been upgraded in around 20 years or so. Suppose you want to learn more about the status of your garage, along with the signs of when it is time to consider upgrading insulation. In that case, you are reading the right article. Throughout this guide, we will help you, as the homeowner, see the biggest pros and cons of getting wall insulation in your garage. And how to decide if it is time to take the leap and start a project. How To Know If It Is Time To Insulate Your Garage Deciding when is the right time to get started on a garage wall insulation project can be tricky. This is because it is not often easy to understand when a new round of insulation is necessary. However, factoring in your garage's needs and the type of garage it is can help make this decision easier. You also need to consider how the insulation will impact the rest of the home. For example, it is often understood that insulating the home's foundation or an attic can have a more marked impact on creating a comfortable and cozier (or cooler, in the summers) feeling within the house. However, that does not mean a garage wall is not an important part of the insulation process. A garage wall can change the game if the other two rooms are taken care of. Whether your home has never been insulated or if the insulation has gradually lost its benefits over time, the fact of the matter is that there is a good chance you will need re-insulation. This is especially true if you have not had a project carried out over the last 20 years. With the randomness of climate change, building homes that can withstand abrupt change is essential. Is My Garage Wall Already Insulated? If you have thought about getting a wall insulation project started, one of the first questions you should ask is whether or not there is already insulation in the garage walls. In most cases, when houses are being built, there is wall insulation added, especially in the garage. This, along with the insulation in the ceiling, is necessary to insulate the house's inside rooms. However, suppose your home is older, and construction happened many years ago. In that case, there is a chance that there may not have been insulation in the walls or so much time has passed that the insulation may have lost its value due to normal wear and tear. The only way to know the answer to this question is for the wall to be opened so it can be examined inside. To do this, you will need to remove some of the wall covering and remove any outlet covers that can obstruct your access. Then, you can use a light source to see whether there is any form of insulation on the inside. This will allow you to gauge whether there is insulation and the status of that insulation after the passage of time. Signs That It Is Time To Insulate Your Garage If you want to keep an eye out for any signs that the issue that needs taking care of is insulation after all, then you need to know what the indications are. So, to make things easy, here is a list of signs you can encounter when determining if replacing your garage insulation is worth the trouble. In that case, you will likely see the following: Whatever rooms are sharing walls with the garage will become very hot during the summer and, at the same time, extremely cold during winter. If the room that is situated at the top of the garage also has an uncomfortable temperature regulation throughout the year. You feel that the floors of the garage and the areas around it get extremely hot or cold. There are signs that the original insulation is breaking down and crumbling. When you are in the house, you can hear whatever is going on in the garage, even if it is a faint noise and even if you are further away from the garage. You often come across drafts through the walls of the garage. If you see these signs, you will likely have to opt to get your garage roof insulated. This is because being able to do so can offer you specific benefits and eliminate all these issues. The Pros And Cons Of Insulating Your Garage Now that we know what to look out for, you also need to know the most significant benefits of insulating your garage or not going for this process. In this section, let's examine the pros and cons of insulating your garage walls. The Biggest Pros One of the biggest benefits of insulating a garage is that it helps to keep the temperature in your home steady in both extreme heat and extreme cold. This, in turn, can help reduce your home's energy requirements. As a result, you will notice that the cost you spend on heating and cooling your home can significantly decrease once the garage is correctly insulated. Read more here how to heat the garage and here how to cool the garage This also helps to soundproof your garage, so the sound from what is happening in that area of the house doesn't travel all around. Plus, an added benefit is that having up-to-date insulation can help increase the value of your home. And make it a more desirable option if you are ever in the market to sell the house or set it up for buyers. Because of the insulation in your garage, you will be able to control for other factors, such as the humidity as well. This will help your HVAC system, if you have one, work better and have an improved life expectancy. Finally, the home will have a more comfortable feel, and you will no longer have to worry about unwanted drafts. The Biggest Cons While taking on a garage insulation project can have its perks, it can also have its drawbacks at the same time. For example, consider that insulation in just about every garage does not have the same impacts you may expect. Suppose the garage is not attached to the main house. In that case, it is unlikely to have a major impact on the energy use in the house, and insulation may not have the effect you expect. Then, of course, there is the matter that garage insulation projects, much like any other home renovation project, come with their own costs. When you look at installation costs, they can seriously add up, and if you are on a budget, it may not be worth the value they bring. Additionally, renovating your garage can come with a huge mess, which will need even more money, time, and work to clear up in the long run. To get the work done right, you need to hire the right contractor for the job. If you hire someone who doesn't know what they're doing, you can end up with more work than you started with. On the other hand, even with the best contractor out there, you will have to worry about the cost, the materials, the timelines, negotiations, scheduling, and supervision. This can get stressful. So Should I Insulate My Garage? At the end of the day, whatever you decide to do with your garage is up to your own discretion and preference. However, consider the benefits of insulating the garage before making your choice. At the same time, be cautious of the drawbacks mentioned above, as they can impact the look and feel of your home. In the end, if you decide to go for it and insulate your garage, ensure that you have the right team on board. In this case, trust a contractor with the experience, knowledge, and professionalism you need for your garage insulation project. Final Thoughts So there, you have everything you need to know about insulating your garage. As you can see, the process can be a little bit complicated. Still, it shouldn't be too difficult with the correct information and contractor on hand. Just remember to weigh all of your options carefully before making a decision! Read other articles and complete info about garage insulation here and here.