Should I pay extra to insulate exterior garage walls? (house, water heater)

[javaman24]

I am building a house/new construction in the triangle area and the builder just started installing insulation. The house specification does not include insulating exterior garage walls (insulation within interior walls and ceiling is included) and my builder is willing to insulate the exterior walls at an extra cost.

The question I have is - How common is insulation of exterior garage walls in the triangle area? Does it make sense to do it in this area (granted, we had some really cold winters)?

Is the exterior walls of your garage insulated? What has been your experience in terms of cooling/heating?

I am trying to figure out if this is a worthwhile investment. I may use part of the garage space as a workshop in the future.

Thank you in advance for all comments/suggestions

[C_Lan]

FWIW, My exterior garage walls are not insulated. Most cold mornings the temp as I get in my car reads about 53 degrees. On very cold mornings it may read 48 or so. I do have a hot water heater and furnace in the garage though. I'm sure that helps with keeping it a bit warm. If your garage door is heavily insulated then the garage insulation will help in the winter.

[danielbmartin]

Originally Posted by javaman24

I may use part of the garage space as a workshop in the future.

Get the insulation, and get an insulated door.

.

[VickiR]

A couple of years ago, I asked a contractor about adding insulation to my garage.

Based on what I told him, he thought I'd over insulate the garage and there would be other issues to deal with.

I haven't thought about doing it since then but I wonder.

It seems like adding insulation to any area would be a good idea but I'd prefer to hear from an expert as to whether or not it would be worthwhile.

[carcrazy67]

Certainly much easier to do it now than later. If you are planning to spend much time in the garage during the colder months it will be money well spent--assuming the builder does it for a reasonable price!

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by carcrazy67

Certainly much easier to do it now than later. If you are planning to spend much time in the garage during the colder months it will be money well spent--assuming the builder does it for a reasonable price!

100% agree.

And, then I wonder...
Does the OP's builder intend to sheetrock the exterior walls, or leave open studs?
If open studs, I would consider doing it later, assuming I could save a fair amount of money on a fairly easy installation.

[javaman24]

Thank you all for the responses

Answers to questions raised:
(1) The builder will sheet rock the exterior walls and "finish" the exterior walls
(2) The builder is asking for an extra $1000 for about 750 sq ft (I am assuming R15)

Thanks again.. I appreciate all responses

[Emitchell]

I insulated and dry walled my exterior garage walls a few years ago. Not only does the temperature not swing as much, all that white drywall made the garage much brighter. Part of the motivation was also to learn how to hang and finish drywall. (I was bored) Makes for a nicer environment. An insulated door is also highly recommended.

[Sherifftruman]

They are totally screwing you charging $1000 for insulation only , but it will probably not be cheaper to do it later (though it might be close with someone doing blow in after the fact, so might be worth checking)

I had my garage sheetrocked and insulated for less than that and that was for a detached garage that needed all three walls. Since code requires the common wall with the house to be hung and insulated already, they only need to do two and just insulation at that.

A better idea might be to ask the builder for a deduct to not hang the outer walls then pay someone to do it later. Even if they give you nothing back, you might well come out ahead. If they do give you the material cost back all the better. Should be $100-150 at the low end for the material)

[pfish923]

I almost would suggest doing it your self. Then you can go with thicker insulation if you so choose. How tall of a wall are you talking and length? I can assume based on 750, but the actual dimensions would help too.

I'll bet you can save some money doing it yourself, but it comes down to if you want to tackle the project or not.