Re: adding insulation to garage roof in Home Repair & Improvement http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21314013 en Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:26:01 EDT Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:26:01 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331903 liverdude : It might still be an option for you if the insulation in your ceiling is more substantial than mine. The problem with mine is the eight and a half inches of air between the insulation and the floor.

I was all prepared to do the no nails and styrofoam but the big gap pf air would of been a problem and it would of been a waste of money.

I would do what I did and cut a hole in the ceiling to see what you have up there in terms of insulation before deciding not to go the styrofoam route. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331903 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:54:22 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331771 anon : I also received the same advise to buy liquid nails and glue styrofoam insulation to the existing ceiling. I am glad that prior to doing so I checked on line to see if this would correct the problem. I appreciate your response. Sure wish it was as easy as adding to instead of ripping down ceiling.

Thanks again and good luck to you.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331771 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:25:28 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331608 liverdude :
said by sak :

Since I have the same issues with cold bedroom over the garage I am interested to learn what you did to correct this problem
I did absolutely nothing.
I had a buddy come over who is skilled at doing such projects as this (or a little more skilled than me).

We cut a hole into the drywall ceiling to expose the joists.
Turns out the joists are 12 inches deep with 3.5 inches of insulation sitting on the drywall ceiling leaving 8.5 inches of space between the insulation and the vapor barrier.

The solution? Like Maynard and many others have said... spray foam.

I sat down and did some calculations and although I would save a couple of hundred (possibly $400) to go with pink insulation or blown. I would have to do this myself and it would be a messy project.

I am going to have my brother in-law back his truck into the garage and from there we can rip the existing ceiling down right into the truck and haul it away.
After that have the spray foam guys come in and spray it all up.
Unfortunately I don't want to do this during the cold months so it looks like I ride this winter out and do it next year because my budget for the house is all but tapped out (Geothermal heating, insulation in the roof, new windows and doors for entire house). ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21331608 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:42:48 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21320320 anon : Since I have the same issues with cold bedroom over the garage I am interested to learn what you did to correct this problem ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21320320 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:12:01 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315919 anon :
Best thing you can do is to rip down the existing ceiling in the garage and take out any old insulation (fiberglass or mineral wool). Then call a spray foam contractor to spray 2.0 lb. foam to R40 to the underside of the bedroom floor and all walls exposed in the floor cavity that were exposed when the garage ceiling was taken down.

This will accomplish many things:
a) insulate the floor
b) stop air and carbon monoxide movement between the garage and the room above (and rooms beside the bedroom)
c) insulate any air ducts above the garage

After the spray foam insulation is installed, drywall the garage ceiling with 1/2" or 5/8" drywall (thickness depends on the building code in your area). Make sure that the drywall is 'greenboard' - the type that is often used in high moisture area like bathrooms and kitchens. Make sure that the drywall is also properly taped and mudded at the joints and screw holes (building code issue) for prevention of fire getting to the insulation above.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315919 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:33:09 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315750 anon :
said by liverdude See Profile :

We got a new (old) house.
The bedroom sits above the garage.
The bedroom is four or five degrees colder than the rest of the house.
the garage has a finished roof which I assume is insulated.
The garage is not heated so it will drop in temperature during the winter.

My question is, Can I add a second layer of studs and insulation to the existing ceiling without doing any prep to it?
If so can I go with metal (aluminum)studs as they are lighter than wood?
Once completed can I just seal it with plastic sheeting until next year?

Also can I buy 6 inch insulation and squish it into a 4 inch space or does that defeat the purpose and I should just go with a 3.5 inch insulation?

Any advice is appreciated as I am looking for a quick weekend job to fix the problem and this seems like the best way to go about it.
said by liverdude See Profile :

We got a new (old) house.
The bedroom sits above the garage.
The bedroom is four or five degrees colder than the rest of the house.
the garage has a finished roof which I assume is insulated.
The garage is not heated so it will drop in temperature during the winter.

My question is, Can I add a second layer of studs and insulation to the existing ceiling without doing any prep to it?
If so can I go with metal (aluminum)studs as they are lighter than wood?
Once completed can I just seal it with plastic sheeting until next year?

Also can I buy 6 inch insulation and squish it into a 4 inch space or does that defeat the purpose and I should just go with a 3.5 inch insulation?

Any advice is appreciated as I am looking for a quick weekend job to fix the problem and this seems like the best way to go about it.
double insulate the ceiling............it works perfect

I did my outside garage for working in the winter and it's fine.....]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315750 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:03:04 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315319 liverdude : It doesn't appear to be shutting down without heating the house as the rest of the house is sufficiently heated.
It's just this one bedroom that is suffering from heat loss at the moment.

I could try throttling down the other rooms but I think it is just the fact that the garage retains no heat that the bedroom can't hold the heat.

Good points and I will take a look at those options as well.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315319 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:51:55 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315266 jack b : One thing to look at is whether the thermostat heat anticipator is set properly. If the furnace short cycles, those rooms especially over the garage, will be lacking.
Another thing to try is to get more air over there. See if you You can throttle-down the supply registers in other rooms (if so equipped), thereby redirecting the flow to the bedroom. This is especially important in the room with the thermostat: if it heats up quickly in there, it shuts the furnace down.
--
~Help Find a Cure for Cancer~
~Proud Member of Team Discovery ~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315266 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:45:47 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315155 liverdude : 40 year old house so maybe the insulation has pulled away but I am not sure how long ago the garage ceiling was finished.

The bedroom is the farthest room away from the furnace and it is forced air.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315155 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:28:59 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315020 jack b : You don't mention what type of heating system you have, forced(cold)air, (warm)water baseboard, steam/radiators, other, etc.?
Bedrooms over an unheated garage have a significant additional area to heat, where the entire floor is a heat-loss exposure. They also usually tend to be furthest distance away from the boiler or furnace, and the supply/distribution may not have been properly sized for these factors.
Maybe the heating/distribution system just needs balancing.
If there is insulation in the garage ceiling, chances are it could have pulled away from the floor above over time, leaving an air space with that surface exposed. You would need to replace it and put it back up in contact with the floor above.
--
~Help Find a Cure for Cancer~
~Proud Member of Team Discovery ~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21315020 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:06:58 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314968 HarryH3 : Styrofoam is quite flammable and should be covered with sheetrock to minimize flame propagation. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314968 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:59:33 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314747 Sweet Witch : We love pictures (hint, hint, hint) :D]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314747 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:29:45 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314467 liverdude : Called a buddy of mine and he said I should just get some "Liquid nail" and put Styrofoam directly to the ceiling.
Seems like a lot better solution than the messy one I was going to go for.

Either way I am still going to cut into it this weekend and see if there really is insulation in there and if not I will rip it all down.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314467 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:42:21 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314040 liverdude :
said by coldairreturn :

I would guess that you are lacking a cold air return on the second floor or you need an additional return added near the bedroom. Poor circulation of the heated air will cause rooms to be cooler than other parts of the home.
There are two other bedrooms and a bathroom on the same floor (1 has two outside walls and the other has 1).
The other bedrooms and bathroom do not have the problem with being cooler. Only the one bedroom above the garage.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314040 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:23:05 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314013 anon : I would guess that you are lacking a cold air return on the second floor or you need an additional return added near the bedroom. Poor circulation of the heated air will cause rooms to be cooler than other parts of the home. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21314013 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:19:32 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313971 liverdude : No, the cinder blocks are exposed but painted a very nice shade of green.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313971 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:12:28 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313710 Kringle :
said by liverdude See Profile :

Can I add a second layer of studs and insulation to the existing ceiling without doing any prep to it?
If so can I go with metal (aluminum)studs as they are lighter than wood?
Once completed can I just seal it with plastic sheeting until next year?
Short answer: NO.

Look into your local building code. Garages have strict requirements regarding fire propagation and air egress (carbon monoxide) that must be respected.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313710 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:24:52 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313543 jjoshua : Are your garage walls insulated?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313543 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:57:37 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313501 liverdude : Are you saying I should look at the walls before the floor/garage ceiling?

I'm going to cut into the ceiling this weekend before I do anything and make sure that there is something in there.

I can only imagine that the floor is the reason for the cooler temps in the bedroom.
We just had new windows put in and the ceiling above the roof has blown insulation and we are going to have more put in because of the rebates offered out here pretty much pays for 80% of the costs.

The walls don't feel overly cold so I can only guess that the floor is where the temp change is occurring.

I figured as much about compressing the insulation but was not completely sure that it would do anything.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313501 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:51:50 EDT Re: adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313278 cdru :
said by liverdude See Profile :

the garage has a finished roof which I assume is insulated.
The garage is not heated so it will drop in temperature during the winter.
First, don't assume anything. Check and make sure it's insulated. If it's not, that's your first problem.

Adding insulation isn't likely to make it much warmer. Heat rises. The Garage is unheated. Connect the dots. Insulation is designed to prevent heat transfer, but it won't add additional heat. The bedroom has 3 outside walls which also contribute to the problem.

Also, don't compress the insulation. It won't make it perform better and will actually reduce it's R-Value.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313278 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:17:19 EDT adding insulation to garage roof http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313130 liverdude : We got a new (old) house.
The bedroom sits above the garage.
The bedroom is four or five degrees colder than the rest of the house.
the garage has a finished roof which I assume is insulated.
The garage is not heated so it will drop in temperature during the winter.

My question is, Can I add a second layer of studs and insulation to the existing ceiling without doing any prep to it?
If so can I go with metal (aluminum)studs as they are lighter than wood?
Once completed can I just seal it with plastic sheeting until next year?

Also can I buy 6 inch insulation and squish it into a 4 inch space or does that defeat the purpose and I should just go with a 3.5 inch insulation?

Any advice is appreciated as I am looking for a quick weekend job to fix the problem and this seems like the best way to go about it.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21313130 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:48:12 EDT