Garage insulation/sheetrocking - any last thoughts/tips?

[Brian]

Finally saved up and am planning to have my 2 car attached garage (approx 22' x 25') insulated and drywalled soon. Both the walls and ceiling, and I plan to have it lightly textured and then painted very light grey (white ceiling) as well. If I'm clearing everything out to do this, I don't want to do it again.


I had a subpanel put in, and extra outlets have been run along the walls at regular intervals. There are now two switched outlets on the ceiling that I plan to use for some costco linked LED shop lights. POE cam is up and running, a couple cat6 ethernet lines, as well as a coax+cat5e from the original build. Only thing I may be missing I can think of would be a ceiling fan box and maybe one more outlet in an upper corner somewhere for an electric heater, but a built-in heater is probably overkill for relatively mild CO winters. Not planning to do any floor coating, etc. at this point. There's a hose spigot I put in when we built the house as well, though it's in a dumb place. No floor drain. A sink would have been nice, but couldn't figure out how to make that work.


Had a couple questions / looking for feedback on a few things though for those that have done this.


1) Do I need a permit just for drywall and insulation for an attached garage? If so, is that a city or county thing? Is there any benefit to me other than "following the rules"?
2) There's not a ton of space in the "attic" - but I believe I may have to have an access hatch anyway? If so I was debating sticking a couple pieces of plywood up there to use for lightweight storage or storing things like spare long lumber, empty gun shipping boxes or PVC pipe, Christmas lights maybe, etc. Worth messing with? Pic or two attached. If so, is a drop-down ladder way overkill?
3) There are three roof vents near the top of the garage roof already. So I'm assuming I don't need to add any add'l venting...?
4) Do I need to tell the contractor to do anything special with the ceiling drywall to prevent it from sagging or having issues in the future? I believe they're competent as they've done work for us before, but just wanted to try to think of anything I could in advance, and I don't know if they just screw/nail to the trusses or...?
5) Do I care / need to tell them how to handle the garage door and opener framing, etc. (drywall "around it" or remove/reattach the brackets/wiring, etc) or should I just let them do their job?
6) Any reason to get specific with what type/level of insulation I want other than the basics?


Anyway, any thoughts/feedback appreciated before I kick off this work soon.

[ray1970]

I went with OSB instead of drywall. I work on stuff in my garage and the wood will take an accidental hit better than sheetrock. It also makes hanging things in the walls way easier. At the time I did mine the OSB was actually a little cheaper too. Plus, since I did the work myself I didn?t have to mess with any taping or sanding or whatever on the joints like you do with sheetrock. Paint it white or light gray and from ten feet away it?s hard to tell it isn?t sheetrock.

Sorry I?ve got no answers to your questions. Let us know how it turns out.

[def90]

Put in the hatch so that there is future access in case anything up there needs to be serviced, technically the bottom cord of trusses aren’t designed to hang heavy stuff from nor to use as a storage platform but everyone does it anyway. Drywall is a fire barrier vs OSB which would be highly combustible, I don’t think OSB would pass building inspection inside of a garage, especially on an adjoining wall. Wire for some speakers for a stereo.

[fitterjohn]

I went with OSB instead of drywall. I work on stuff in my garage and the wood will take an accidental hit better than sheetrock. It also makes hanging things in the walls way easier. At the time I did mine the OSB was actually a little cheaper too. Plus, since I did the work myself I didn?t have to mess with any taping or sanding or whatever on the joints like you do with sheetrock. Paint it white or light gray and from ten feet away it?s hard to tell it isn?t sheetrock.

Sorry I?ve got no answers to your questions. Let us know how it turns out.

I did osb in mine also. Exactly the same reasons. Love it would never go back to drywall in a garage

[ray1970]

Drywall is a fire barrier vs OSB which would be highly combustible, I don?t think OSB would pass building inspection inside of a garage, especially on an adjoining wall.

Good thoughts. The wall between my garage and living space was already sheetrock so when I did the OSB I only did the rest of it and left the existing sheetrock on the one wall.

My house is old. I bet there is a shit ton of stuff that wouldn?t pass inspection these days or doesn?t meet code.

[3beansalad]

Do you use air in your garage? Air lines are always a nice addition to a garage. Rated PVC above ceiling in case they need service.

Any attic space makes the hatch a necessity. For storing the things you listed if nothing else. Drop down ladder just makes it easier to get there so why not?

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[BPTactical]

Do not texture a garage. It will collect dust, paint overspray, smoke etc and you will NEVER get it clean.

[XJ]

Do you use air in your garage? Air lines are always a nice addition to a garage. Rated PVC above ceiling in case they need service.

Any attic space makes the hatch a necessity. For storing the things you listed if nothing else. Drop down ladder just makes it easier to get there so why not?

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PVC pipe is unsafe for compressed air. When it fails you get many small and jagged pieces flying about at high velocity, I've seen where those penetrated through insulation and aluminum siding.

[3beansalad]

PVC pipe is unsafe for compressed air. When it fails you get many small and jagged pieces flying about at high velocity, I've seen where those penetrated through insulation and aluminum siding.

A danger for sure. I've never had problems but understand your point. The available nylon air kits would be a better choice I suppose if you don't want to hard pipe.

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[DeraldR]

I might be a NEWBIE, but I am definately NOT a TRADING POST TROLL.

We extended an attached 24 x 24 by 20 feet into a 44 x 24 about 10 years ago.

I used 1/2 inch ply instead of OSB for the "working walls" of the garage, kept drywall on the common walls and behind the shelving on one wall. Same reasons as some have already mentioned.

Insulating the ceiling will really help. I have a Modine Hot Dawg overhead heater, and very tight sealing garage doors, and I lose very little heat overnight.

Install as many outlets as you can. I did outlets every 48 inches, 48 inches above the floor. Also, use as many circuits as possible to avoid overloading any one circuit. Use GFI breakers on all garage circuits. Plan for a 220 compressor, even if you dont have the need now.

A suggestion on the compressor circuit. I wired it through a relay from the overhead light circuit. When I turn off the lights, it is impossible for the compressor to cycle in the middle of the night. Wife is happy. Also used 3/4 in copper. Agreed that PVC is dangerous.

install as many lights as you can . In my 44 x24, I have 54 4 foot T8 bulbs. LEDs are more popular now, but some people come by, and they have commented that my garage can be seen from space. You can never have too much light. Install some lights in the attic so that you can see what is up there when you go exploring.

Windows are great for ventilation and natural light. But for security sake, they can be a problem with too many people seeing what is in your garage, and they can be an easy entry point for bad guys.

If you want, go to WWW.GarageJournal.com and visit some other garagemahal ideas.

I really love spending other peoples money.


Derald.