To insulate... or not to insulate...

[Andrew Wayland]

Should be a simple answer, right?

I’m adding a mini-shop/storage shed to the rear of my garage (as some of you have heard). I’m planning on running electrical this weekend (which may open another thread), and then it’s time to add interior walls.

But I’m unsure if I should take the time now to insulate?

The main reason I’d want to insulate now is just to avoid the hassle of removing cabinets down the road (whatever I use for a wall covering will have exposed screws... no plaster or anything at this point)

But right now it’s added cost without any benefit (The roof/ceiling is un-insulated... and the garage it’s attached to isn’t insulated...so I wouldn’t benefit from insulated walls).

Then: when I am working out of my garage, 90% of the time my doors are open anyways...

I’m curious if anybody can help sway me one way or the other?

[Adam Herman]

if given the chance, always insulate. Its not that expensive in the long run and much harder to do later.

[Jack Llewyllson]

I’m adding a mini-shop/storage shed to the rear of my garage (as some of you have heard). I’m planning on running electrical this weekend (which may open another thread), and then it’s time to add interior walls.

But I’m unsure if I should take the time now to insulate?

The main reason I’d want to insulate now is just to avoid the hassle of removing cabinets down the road (whatever I use for a wall covering will have exposed screws... no plaster or anything at this point)

But right now it’s added cost without any benefit (The roof/ceiling is un-insulated... and the garage it’s attached to isn’t insulated...so I wouldn’t benefit from insulated walls).

Then: when I am working out of my garage, 90% of the time my doors are open anyways...

I hate tearing things out to re-do what I should have done in the first place.

My shop is still in progress, due to me being slo-ow. I'm not gonna get any faster with age and I don't want to re-work my walls later. I put insulation between the studs after wiring, prior to starting on paneling the inside. Insulation always sounds like a pain, but it goes fast.

Wife and I settled on mineral wool, at about the same cost as fiberglass. It won't hold much heat until the ceiling gets insulated, but it cuts the sound transmission of shop noise to neighbors. It also makes the shop quieter inside when I'm puttering around on low-noise tasks, so I can hear the radio and that's a win.

Once the walls are nailed up (I killed my 16-gauge P-C nailer and now have a 15-gauge Metabo to go pick up), I'll tuck thick batts between the trusses overhead and feel immediately less guilty about running my wall heaters.

My rule of thumb is to try to think of how badly I might be screwing myself for later. As a matter of personality, I'd always rather have a novel project in front of me than a boring re-do. Insulation is cheap and easy when your walls are open, somewhat more expensive and more than twice as annoying once they're closed. If you think you'll ever want it in there, perhaps consider harnessing your horses before you climb up on the seat.

[Jim Becker]

No question in my mind...insulate it. Even without HVAC, it will be more comfortable.

[Andrew Wayland]

I suppose one of the other considerations here is Pests: We have plenty of Field Mice... and they've infested my shed (the reason we built the new workshop).

Fiberglass is out of the question. Mineral-wool seems so-so when it comes to Pests... Which leaves me with Rigid Foam for now? Thoughts on this?

[roger wiegand]

They like to chew through rigid foam as well. Dense pack blown in cellulose gives the best bang for the buck. Seal up the holes so the critters can't get in.

[Andrew Wayland]

They like to chew through rigid foam as well. Dense pack blown in cellulose gives the best bang for the buck. Seal up the holes so the critters can't get in.

My thoughts with foam is that it wouldn’t be nice place to nest, and still lets me take the plywood off the walls to access the cavities if I want to run new wire down the road.

Cellulose seems like a decent option for me to add down the road should I choose to insulate, however...

[Jim Andrew]

Mice can cause problems with your wiring. Think I would wire, insulate, then cover the walls with either wall board or wafer board.

[Jim Becker]

Most insulation products need to be covered for fire resistance. As to future wiring...I'm all about surface mount in the shop at this point for machine circuits.

[Mike Wilkins]

Insulate while the walls are still bare. Moving cabinets, machines, duct work, etc. is a real PITA if you wait. Been there, done that and no fun at all. Makes a big difference in the summer when the sun is beaming and in the winter while the chill winds blow.

[Andrew Wayland]

I didn’t even consider it... but the slab isn’t even insulated... Not sure how that affects this decision?

[Dave Seng]

I wouldn't be concerned about the fact that the slab isn't insulated. Water under the bridge. You'll gain more from insulating your overhead and walls anyway.

[vince dale]

Definitely insulate now. Insulation works to keep the heat in but also helps to keep heat out. I've seen my shop can be as much as 6* C difference inside to outside in the summer.

[Dave Seng]

Definitely insulate now. Insulation works to keep the heat in but also helps to keep heat out. I've seen my shop can be as much as 6* C difference inside to outside in the summer.

That's roughly 11F for those of us that don't speak Celsius...

[William Hodge]

You can insulate with cellulose. It has borax in it for pests. It's also not plastic, and will rot away when it's removed from the building. Plastic that insulates for 30 years, then sits in a landfill for hundreds, doesn't make sense.

Wiring in conduit will allow you to add to the system easily. An machine requiring a larger wire size isn't a problem, just snake new wire, as long as it meets code in the size conduit you are using.