Garage Door Insulation: The Key Garage Conversion Step

ceasor | Jan 11, 2010 |

0 Comments | Rating: 0

If you've thought of using your garage for something other than parking your car, the first thing you'll need to know is whether it is insulated or not. Why? Because it helps to not only regulate the temperature in your garage, but decrease your cooling and heating bill in the process. Plus, the small investment of installing it will increase your home's value in the long run.

Garage Insulation Benefits

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of what insulation actually is, I'm going to go over some of the benefits:

1. Significantly improved regulation of the temperature inside the garage. If you plan on using your garage as additional living space, this is incredibly important. You don't want to be freezing your butt off during the winter and sweating profusely during the summer. Insulation helps to keep the garage warm during the winter and cool during the summer.

2. Increase the value of your home. Even if you decide not to use your garage as additional living space, it's still a good idea to get it insulated. When it's time to sell your home, you can spotlight that the garage is insulated, and ready to be converted to additional living space if the new owner wants to.

Garage Insulation Considerations

Your imagination is probably coming up with all kinds neat ideas of what you plan to do with all of that additional living space. But before you jump in head first, there are some things you need to consider.

The first thing you need to check is if the existing garage door parts can handle the additional weight from the garage insulation panels. Things like the garage rails, the door opener motor, and the existing door panels all have to support the insulation. Plus, make sure to adjust your garage springs to handle the extra stress that the insulation will add. You can do all of this yourself, or hire a contractor to make sure it's done correctly.

Oh, one more thing; make sure that the insulation is fireproof. There is some insulation, foam board to be specific, that are not fireproof. Stay away from these at all costs. And if for whatever reason you do have to use foam board insulation, be aware of the additional hazards if you have a wooden garage door. But, like I said, most garage door insulation is fireproof.

Installation Kits

You have a couple of options when it comes to purchasing insulation. The quickest and easiest way is buying a garage insulation kit and install it yourself. Or, you can hire a contractor to install it for you if you're not handy with the tools. The tools you'll need to install are pretty basic; tape measure, straight edge and a box cutter knife for cutting. Follow the directions very carefully, so you don't mess anything up.

So, this concludes my short benefit list of insulated garage doors. Not only is it a great way to add living space to your home, but also conserve energy. It's great; you can be green without speding tons of cash.