Is it required that you insulate your garage? Not quite. Building standards are somewhat murky on the subject, even if some government organizations claim that common walls must have a certain level of R-value for houses with an attached garage. By the same token, a garage with rooms above it must have a minimum R-value on the ceiling, according to these same organizations. There are no requirements for the other walls or the garage door itself, while a detached garage has no R-value rules binding it at all.
So why bother? Well, comfort is a big part of it. If you’re a person who likes to work in your garage, having a humid or freezing space in which to work is no joy. And the warmth from space heaters would easily escape uninsulated walls.
Beyond that, there are hidden benefits to having your garage walls insulated. Let’s take a look at six of them.
That Garage Isn’t Just for Storage Anymore
A nice, roomy garage need not be just a place to park your car or fill with old paint cans. Many amateur contractors and woodworkers use their garage as a workspace. Workout equipment can fit in there as well, or the kids can use it as a makeshift playroom where they don’t have to worry so much about breaking things.
None of those things would be as pleasant without a comfortable temperature level inside the garage. So insulating it will only inspire you to utilize it as much as possible.
The Creeping Cold Air
Maybe you’re fortunate enough to have a door separating the house from the garage that’s insulated and features adequate weather-stripping. Yet every time you head out the door to enter your garage, all of the cold air quickly rushes in, which can cause quite a sudden chill. The same goes for a humid garage in the summer.
This is a two-way street. Any heat coming from the inside of the house won’t last very long in an icy garage without some insulation to act as a buffer.
Protecting The Plumbing and the Slumbering
Perhaps you don’t spend enough time in your garage to worry about the temperature or humidity. But what if the garage is the location for your washer and dryer? That means plumbing is involved, and, as anyone who has ever been involved with them knows, frozen pipes are no fun at all.
Consider also a house where a bedroom sits above the garage. Again, an uninsulated garage will mean a lot of cold air seeping up into a room where someone is trying to sleep.
Keeping Rust at Bay
If you’re storing your personal belongings or equipment in the garage, you’ll want them to stay as pristine as possible. Humidity is your enemy in that process, since it can lead to rust. Again, an insulated and heated garage will prevent against that.
Safety First
Many cars use remote starters, which can accidentally be activated from inside the house very easily. A car that’s started inside a garage will produce deadly carbon monoxide.
Although a carbon monoxide detector is the best way to keep safe in an instance like that, an insulated garage would help as well. It would keep the gas from easily spreading into the rooms of your home.
Quiet It Down
Those amateur contractors mentioned above sometimes like to get the work started early on a weekend morning. Your neighbor who decided to sleep in might not be so thrilled with the buzzing and screeching of motorized tools blaring through the neighborhood (nor will the rest of your family inside the house.) If the walls of your garage are insulated, there is far less chance the sound will go far beyond those walls.
What About the Door?
Remember that your garage door is essentially another wall. Those who insulate the walls to meet energy conservation requirements and leave the garage door unattended are only doing a portion of the necessary work.
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Aricle source here: The Hidden Benefits of Insulating Your Garage
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