Garages offer a great deal of useful space for any property. Whether it’s to protect your pride and joy (that’s the car, not the children) from wind and rain, set up the DIY workspace or gym that you’ve always dreamt of, or just to offer a sanctuary where you can enjoy a few minutes quietude away from the relentless noise and anxieties of….. (the wife might read this) ….domestic bliss, the garage is the perfect bit of extra space to do with as you wish.
However, despite their glowing potential, garages are not always as well behaved as we might like. Irritating drafts and a lack of insulation can make them quite inhospitable, limiting their use to the three or four pleasant months in a year. Even the car can suffer, with leaves and debris sneaking under the door and moisture leading to long term rust and corrosion. Considering the general value of land particularly in urban areas, it seems absolute madness to let such a large and practical space go to waste (or at best collect endless cardboard boxes of children’s toys, tennis rackets and trophies of long forgotten origins), but for all too many garages that’s the sad future that awaits them.
But don’t give up just yet because there is hope. Just follow the simple garage insulation instructions below and in no time you’ll have turned your cobweb-ridden ice box into the haven you and your car have always dreamt of.
Insulating exposed walls in a garage
There are a variety of materials you can use for insulation purposes, fibreglass being a common favourite. By covering any exposed areas with your chosen material (ensuring you leave no gaps!) you will immediately reduce the heat loss of the garage.
Install an insulated roller garage door
The vast majority of the heat is lost through the garage door itself. An insulated roller garage door not only has greater heat trapping qualities within the door itself, but it also ensure there are no gaps around the garage door through a combination of rubber seals and brush strips.
Seal garage windows and doors
If there are any drafts around the windows you can use a caulk gun to fill them up. Just place the caulk tube into the gun, cut off the tip with a utility knife and squeeze the gun gently as you progress along the seam. Repeat for all windows and door frames.
Insulate the garage ceiling
This is particularly important if you have a room of the house above the garage, as many properties now do. It is quite similar to insulating exposed garage walls; just measure the size of the area that you will want to cover with the fibreglass batting insulation. You will almost certainly want to trim around the edges using a utility knife. To secure simply staple the batting insulation to the inside of the ceiling trusses.
So there you have it, after just a few hours work you can relax with a well earned beer in your new workshop/study/gym/general refuge, secure in the knowledge you can enjoy a pleasant, draft free environment no matter what the time of year.