If you’re like most homeowners, insulating a garage may not be high on your list of home improvement projects – but it should be.

Adding insulation to a garage provides a great return on investment in terms of year/round energy saving, and the benefits don’t stop there.

A well-insulated garage can help extend the life of your vehicles, increase the value of your home, and even provide critical protection against fires.

 

What Are the Benefits of Insulating a Garage?

Your garage is one of the largest and most frequently-used rooms in your home, and chances are it is also one of the most neglected spaces. The good news is that giving your garage a little love can lead to huge benefits. 

The cost to insulate garage walls and ceilings is likely much lower than you might expect.

 

Here are some of the many perks you’ll enjoy by insulating your garage:

Regulates Garage Temperature

The air temperature in your garage will be much warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

That is because insulation eliminates that uncomfortable rush of frigid or humid air that enters your home every time you open the door to the garage.

You’ll be able to store temperature-sensitive cleaners, paints, and tools without worrying they’ll either freeze or melt.

If you have water lines running through the walls of your garage, adding insulation will help prevent frozen pipes.

In hot, humid climates, insulating your garage can help keep moisture levels down to combat rust on your car, metal tools, bicycles, and other metal surfaces.

 

Improves Your Garage Hobby Space

If your garage serves double-duty as a workshop, adding insulation will dramatically decrease sound transmission, helping to keep your family (and neighbors) happy while testing out your latest power tools.

Car lovers can rest easy knowing that their precious possessions will be safe with effective garage insulation.

 

Adds Safety Precautions

Insulating the walls of your garage and adding drywall places a layer of protection around electrical wires and cables in your walls from damage caused by mice and other rodents.

Garage insulation can help prevent deadly carbon monoxide gases from seeping through your walls into your living spaces.

Insulating a garage can also add a significant level of fire protection for your family, as the best garage insulation is fire resistant rating. This means the insulation will not release toxic fumes, smoke, or burn quickly if exposing it to flames.

This protection can make all the difference if an accidental fire starts in your garage.

 

Can Insulating a Garage Help Extend the Life of a Car?

Absolutely. Parking your ride in a well-insulated garage protects it against temperature extremes that can cause premature weather-related wear and tear.

In addition, today’s vehicles are full of sensitive electronic components, plastic parts, and foams that can break down faster than you might expect when exposing them to long periods of hot or cold environments.

Low temperatures slow the chemical reactions necessary to power your car battery to turn over your engine. It can make the starter motor and alternator work even harder to start the car in a cold garage.

And because today’s cars have electronic systems that are constantly draining the battery, a battery that is not full can freeze in garages that reach -1 C.

Parking in a hot garage can also take a toll on your car battery. Hot temperatures can literally ‘fry’ your battery, leading to irreversible heat deterioration from corrosion.

On the other hand, storing your car in a well-insulated garage is a simple way to extend the life of your vehicle. With the trends moving towards hybrid and electric cars, insulating your garage makes sense.

 

What’s the Best Insulation for Garage Walls?

The best insulation for garage walls depends on where you live, whether the walls are already covered with drywall or not, and if you have a living space located above your garage.

 

Fiberglass

Is the most common type of insulation used in garages. It is inexpensive, efficient, and widely available. It also comes in various pre-cut sizes, which helps reduce installation costs.

 

Fire-resistive rigid foam

Also, an insulation option offers a relatively high insulation value (R-value) relative to its thickness and can use it in shallow spaces.

 

Spray foam insulation

That is a premium product that will increase the cost of insulating your garage walls. However, it may be worth the investment if you use your garage as a workshop or store high-value vehicles.

 

What About Insulating a Garage Door?

If your existing garage door isn’t insulated, you can either add insulation to it or replace it with a ready-made insulated garage door. 

Which option you choose comes down to a few factors, such as the age and condition of your current door. It’s also important to consider whether or not you’re up to tackling a DIY project.

For example, there are several garage door insulation kits on the market, or you can opt to insulate metal door panels by fitting rigid foam.

Keep in mind that a new, insulated garage door will have a fresh rubber gasket along the bottom. This gasket will prevent both harsh weather as well as unwelcome critters from getting into your garage.

 

Don’t Forget to Weather-strip Your Garage

You wouldn’t leave the weatherstripping off a window or door in your living space, and the same rule applies to your garage.

Be sure to complete your garage insulation project by sealing all gaps around the windows and doors.

Selecting high-quality weatherstripping will maximize the efficiency of your garage insulation project.

The next time you’re looking for a home improvement project that delivers a great return on your investment, give some serious thought to insulating your garage.

 

The company you are looking for in New Jersey for your home

If you are interested in acquiring your new home or selling the one you already have, do not hesitate to contact our EXP Realty consultants.

We guarantee quality attention and the best homes in the area, with personalized marketing strategies to achieve the most significant benefit.

You will not regret working with us because we seek your best interests. Our clients certify them.