My new, warmer garage!

[andyf]

Yes, radiant floor heat is the way to go if you're building new. It costs me about $100 a month to keep my shop at 65 degrees. Of course our winters are not super cold, we are rarely below zero here and most of the time we are just in the 30's or 40's. I had my shop insulated when it was built and that helps a ton too.

 

[moparsaver]

It’s pretty much Perfect! Excellent work.

 

[HawkRod]

Yes, radiant floor heat is the way to go if you're building new. It costs me about $100 a month to keep my shop at 65 degrees. Of course our winters are not super cold, we are rarely below zero here and most of the time we are just in the 30's or 40's. I had my shop insulated when it was built and that helps a ton too.
View attachment 1035200

Wow! Nice elbow room!

 

[Thrashingcows]

What a huge shop and work space, I see the costco gorilla racks...;)

I really wanted to do radiant heat for the floor, and I had planned on at least just putting the piping in but when i went to get my permits I was informed that I could not do it myself and it had to be an engineered system...which meant a ton more money then my budget would allow.

Figured it would be better to get the shop built and finished and not have the heated floors, then to have a partially finished shop with heated floors and no funds to finish it. ;) But the wood stove does a pretty good job heating the shop, and I have wooded acreage so there is basically no cost for the wood, just some time and effort to cut and stack.

 

[moparwacko]

Funny how great minds think alike Hawk.
I over insulated my shop by starting with a 30 x 32 pole building, installed that foil bubble wrap stuff. Before I did the sheetrock walls I added 6 in fiberglass. Then the ceiling is 2 in reflective foam board w/6 in fiberglass laying on top.
It reflects light great!
The only heat is from 2 - 5000w electric wall mount units, and 2 re-purposed ceiling fans to move it around. I don't heat it continuously, but in the dead of winter will be comfortable within an hour. Next up is an 80k propane ceiling mount for full time use. A few mistakes I've made:
Should have built bigger, lol
Should have built higher, Currently 10'
Only pic I have with a glimpse of the ceiling:

 

[747mopar]

Yes, radiant floor heat is the way to go if you're building new. It costs me about $100 a month to keep my shop at 65 degrees. Of course our winters are not super cold, we are rarely below zero here and most of the time we are just in the 30's or 40's. I had my shop insulated when it was built and that helps a ton too.
View attachment 1035200

Damn... I'd get tired from walking so far to get to the toolbox lol.

 

[HawkRod]

...Figured it would be better to get the shop built and finished and not have the heated floors, then to have a partially finished shop with heated floors and no funds to finish it.

Totally agree with that mindset. Don't let perfect get in the way of better!

... A few mistakes I've made:
Should have built bigger, lol

Ain't that the truth! We should have taken a page from @andyf !!!

Damn... I'd get tired from walking so far to get to the toolbox lol.

Haha. True. But I'd like to have that problem! One side of the shop could be for shop tools, lift, etc. and the other can be the classic car parking area! Never enough room for that!

 

[6PKRTSE]

Man, some of you guys have all kinds of room. I have like 5 cars worth of stuff in a 2-1/2 car garage. Need to go double deep someday. I have insulated, dry walled, heated and just added A/C this summer. Man, can't believe I never did the air sooner. It was so nice in the garage at 70-75 when it's 90+ outside. A 4 post hoist is next.

 

[HawkRod]

Man, some of you guys have all kinds of room. I have like 5 cars worth of stuff in a 2-1/2 car garage. Need to go double deep someday. I have insulated, dry walled, heated and just added A/C this summer. Man, can't believe I never did the air sooner. It was so nice in the garage at 70-75 when it's 90+ outside. A 4 post hoist is next.

Like me, you need to make do with the space you have. I had an original two car garage attached to my house. If you park two B bodies in there you can fit nothing else (and damn near can't get out of the cars either!). It is small! So I added my "third bay", which is what you see in the pictures in my original post. So it is a 3 car garage that I often squeeze 4 cars into, one under the other on the lift!

But sounds like you are doing OK with it heated and air conditioned! Nice!

 

[Hilljack68]

I also don't want a wood or coal stove since I don't want to give up the footprint on the floor - I need all the space I have! Any heater must be in the ceiling!

Good point Hawk. I've been thinking ahead - beyond next years insulation project - to the heating options. A ceiling mounted unit will definitely be required if I'm going to fit another project car in there. (Don't tell my wife about "another project")

 

[HawkRod]

Good point Hawk. I've been thinking ahead - beyond next years insulation project - to the heating options. A ceiling mounted unit will definitely be required if I'm going to fit another project car in there. (Don't tell my wife about "another project")

Yeah, I have seen some nice propane ones that mount in the ceiling - if I only had a supply of gas! (Besides the natural kind I make myself, and that is not so useful unless I want to clear the room!)

 

[Hilljack68]

I've already determined my next project will have to be a late-60s Fish. Fitting another B-body in there probably isn't in the cards. But I love the Fish anyway, so I'm cool with that.

 

[mrhemi]

I really wanted to do radiant heat for the floor, and I had planned on at least just putting the piping in but when i went to get my permits I was informed that I could not do it myself and it had to be an engineered system...which meant a ton more money then my budget would allow.

I was faced with a similar situation when I built in Ontario, the trick was to designate it "floor warming" instead of "in floor radiant heating". I have the same in the basement of my home.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

I moved last year, it came with a unfinished barn. I spent all last fall and winter getting insulation up on the ceiling and walls. I did a metal ceiling, haven’t decided on the walls yet. I took a break to work on the cars. It was a pain doing all that mostly by myself. I had a buddy that lent a hand a few nights.

 

[Thrashingcows]

Since I was building new code stated R24 for the walls, and R52 for the attic....I did all the wall insulation myself, and then once drywalled had the R52 blown in insulation done.

 

[HawkRod]

Since I was building new code stated R24 for the walls, and R52 for the attic....I did all the wall insulation myself, and then once drywalled had the R52 blown in insulation done.

Wow, R24 and R52!

R24 for walls must equate to a 2x8 stud or similar. A 2x4 stud nets you an insulating value of only R13 with standard fiberglass. Do you have to use some other type of insulation to get R24?

 

[Thrashingcows]

Wow, R24 and R52!

R24 for walls must equate to a 2x8 stud or similar. A 2x4 stud nets you an insulating value of only R13 with standard fiberglass. Do you have to use some other type of insulation to get R24?

2x6 walls up north are standard even on house construction, the R24 was just your standard bundle of fiberglass bats, 41 bundles to do all my walls, I bought them from the local hardware store. When I first got my permits the code called for R40 for the attic, but 2 years later the code changed to R52. ;)

I'd planned on going with high R-values in both the walls and attic...originally I thought R22 and R40, but when the code changed I was not too put out to have to go with a higher R-value for everything. So far this winter with just my wood burning stove I can keep the shop at a comfortable...for me at least...10-12*C (52-56*F), with minimal effort.