I am cold

[Dmichels]

My garage / shop is a wood frame 2 car. It is not insulated. I have a 220 radiant panel above my work bench. I also have an old wood stove that has a squirrel cage blower on it. I also use a 1 burner 20# propane unit but I do not like using that much because of CO. I can usually get it up to 60 or 70 down to about 25 Then it is really tough to get the temp up What is the cheapest way to insulate the roof? There is too much crap on the walls to get that done yet. Will just doing the roof help?
Thanks Dave

[twodko]

Not what you're going to want to hear but you have
to do both otherwise any heat you generate will escape
as it does now.

Easy to insulate the roof using standard rolls of insulation and
a staple gun....another set of hands is a must.
Same same for the walls but you'll want to drywall them too. 

[69wannabe]

My shop is not insulated either, I got two kerosene heaters that make it ok to be out there when it's in the 30's and 40's outside. Any colder than that and I just go in the house and hit my spot on the couch!!!

[stripedelete]

Visqueen or plastic will go a long way.  You could also drape it on the walls to create  some dead space.

How big is the shop?

[Dmichels]

25x25 more or less

[stripedelete]

You have plenty of firepower for the size.

On the cheap, the plastic will help more than you'd expect. 

If you had a free stack of plywood you could go after the giant ice cube you're standing on.

[c00nhunterjoe]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-50K-200K-LP-Convection-Heater/202895383/

This is what i use to heat an oversized 5 car garage that is uninsulated. Kast weekend it was 20 degrees. In 5 minutes on high, it was 70 degrees. Shes thirsty on high, but its crazy fast heat and after its warmed up i can leave it on low and even cycle it on and off. A 20 lb bottle will last about all day in the garage working.

[Dmichels]

I think my biggest problem is everything gets cold soaked including the concrete pad (giant ice cube)I will probably start throwing up some insulation walls too. I need to reside the thing as well It was made with T111 not sure if I will just re-due it with that or vinyl siding.

[Dmichels]

I worry about those un vented propane units. CO sneaks up on you, I had a friend that almost died from CO. Working all day a few beers ect ect

[c00nhunterjoe]

Been using it for 15ish years now. Havnt died of co poison yet. If your garage is so drafty that all the heat sources you have are not working, then you really have nothing to worry about. Worse case, crack a window to allow a draft

[sunfire69]

Not sure about Canada but in the states, you can get blown in insulation from Lowes or homedepot and if you buy 20 bags you get to use the blower for free.....probably the cheapest way to go if you have a ceiling in your garage....if you don't then as some have said just stapling plastic sheet to your rafters to keep the heat down in the garage will really make a difference

[gtx6970]

I have a 40x50 shop, with VERY little insulation and concrete floors it gets cold.
I use a 70,000 BTU torpedo heater. I can have it warm enough to work in a long sleeve shirt in no time.
Temps were in the high teens yesterday and I worked all day wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

[johnnycharger]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-50K-200K-LP-Convection-Heater/202895383/

This is what i use to heat an oversized 5 car garage that is uninsulated. Kast weekend it was 20 degrees. In 5 minutes on high, it was 70 degrees. Shes thirsty on high, but its crazy fast heat and after its warmed up i can leave it on low and even cycle it on and off. A 20 lb bottle will last about all day in the garage working.

This looks like a great heater to me but with our old cars gas fumes can sometimes be present. Is there an explosion hazard or am I overly paranoid? 

[b5blue]

1/2" foam board, foil tape the seams. Easy to put up in mostly full sheets with drywall screws and a few furring strips under for support. Leave the rafters open between foam and roof for venting condensate. In the summer it will help block heat also. 

[Hard Charger]

insulating the ceiling/roof is the best first effort, also seal the drafts around windows and any holes in the walls.

heat rises fast if it meets resistance the heat will work down.


those propane heaters work good. when they get dirty is when you get in trouble with CO. however you will begin to feel sick long before that and your cloths will stink of CO when you go home.

[Steve P.]

Many good responses above. All valid and some will surprise you..

My first repair shop had low ceilings and zero insulation. I was not about to put another dollar into fixing someone else's shop up for them, but winter was on the way. I put up 4 mil. visqueen and stapled  it pretty tightly. Then U put a small fan in the high corner and set it on medium. What heat I was putting out before doing this and being totally lost was now less and I was much more comfortable working in there...

Being your own place I would say to spend the money and at least insulate the ceiling and close any holes you may have around windows and doors. You will be happy you did...

[Dmichels]

Thanks for all the ideas guys
I was thinking about foam board just need to check pricing
Visqueen= plastic sheet vapor barrier British/Canadian thing?

Dave

[Steve P.]

^^^ USA thing as well... lol...

[67tbird]

Don't know how the building inspectors are in your area but they are pretty aggressive where I am, with foamboard if they catch you with the garage door open and no drywall covering they will cite you, might want to check into something like rock wool thats fireproof and if you have standard joist cavitys it stays where you put it, no need to staple or nail.

[b5blue]

That's a good point......paint it white and it will still be a bit of a hazard but look like sheet rock. 

[Hard Charger]

sheet rock is cheaper then foil insul sheets.

you could insulate and rock for less money.

[b5blue]

  Let me clarify a little, He's cold, it's mid winter, the car is in the garage. Tacking up some foam would get him in a better situation ASAP "for now" with the car still in place is all I'm saying. It's what I would do. Having fed my family for 25 years doing steel framing/drywall and 1,000's of sheets of foam board installed I get what you mean but now is not the time to tackle pulling the car out and "finishing" the garage. (Having hung drywall ceilings in the cold, it gets brittle and cracks much easier.  )
  It's more of a scope of work in the cold thing then a do it correctly by the numbers situation.  25 X 25=625 sq. ft. 20 sheets would cover the ceiling and a novice should be able to tack that up in 4 hrs. working around whatever is in the garage, drape some of the sides with plastic and the garage is fairly "tented for this winter". 

[67tbird]

That's a good point......paint it white and it will still be a bit of a hazard but look like sheet rock. 

rock wool doesn't need covering 2000+ degree heat resistant, stuff it in and forget about it.

[Dmichels]

Thanks for all the ideas and advise. I was never much of the carpenter builder type. So what seams like common knowledge and easy for you is a learning experience on my end. Thanks for the help. After running the wood stove for 2 days strait I have it up to 50 I can live with that. We are having a cold snap 5 and wind is cold. 

[stripedelete]

The OP was insulation on the cheap.  The plastic will accomplish that.  But, drywall is not expensive and while it will not offer the R value of foam board,  it will be the first step in properly insulating the space. (the next would be fiberglass on top of the drywall.

Remember, the trick to insulation is dead air space.  Foam (Styrofoam) does not create a dead space.   And it's not cheap.  Therefore, it would be the most expensive and a short term solution.

With that said, if you did use foam you may be able to recycle it later.   Which takes us Back to the big ice cube you're standing on. The cold cement is sucking up your heat.  The reason the temperature  has taken so long to stabilize is that you've been heating the floor and it sucks it up!

The second (or 3rd) phase of insulating could be the floor.   Cover the floor with plastic and then foam board and don't forget B5's foil tape.   Next lay down 5/8 pr 3/4 plywood.   The plastic is a moisture barrier.  The foam acts as a big ole beer koozie.  The plywood keeps the foam from bieng crushed.

Of course you will want to stay back from the wood burner.  And the safety issue here would be spilled fuel.  The fumes might collect under the plywood and foam.   The positive side is that combined with the properly insulated walls and ceiling, you could probably heat the space with a couple of oil over electric space heaters.  With maybe just a kick start from the propane or wood burner.

I realize this way more than you are looking for in the short term, but, maybe it will help with a long term plan or help others in the same situation.