(Ive tried to upload this message several times so if any others appear, please respond to this thread and Ill delete the others.)

Im going to buy a house next month with a separate garage that I want to make into a workshop and music practice area. The building inspections were yesterday. Theres no insulation in the garage attic so the guy said the walls probably dont have any either. He said it would be an easy matter to blow foam in the attic but holes would have to be cut in the walls to insulate them. Im considering doing both. Do you agree that I should? Do you have any idea what this would typically cost?

The inside of the garage is 4400 cu feet. If it's sunny and 95 degrees outside, how many BTUs of cooling are needed to make it comfortable inside the garage in a reasonable amount of time?

The garage has power but not 220V at this time. Will I need that?

The cooling season here in New Orleans is around 9 months. Over 20 years, will the extra cost of a compressor and air handler pay for itself in reduced operating costs compared to a window unit?

Any other thoughts on this project?

On 6/24/2016 3:50 PM, Bob Simon wrote:
(Ive tried to upload this message several times so if any others
appear, please respond to this thread and Ill delete the others.)

Im going to buy a house next month with a separate garage that I
want to make into a workshop and music practice area. The building
inspections were yesterday. Theres no insulation in the garage
attic so the guy said the walls probably dont have any either. He
said it would be an easy matter to blow foam in the attic but holes
would have to be cut in the walls to insulate them. Im considering
doing both. Do you agree that I should? Do you have any idea what
this would typically cost?

The inside of the garage is 4400 cu feet. If it's sunny and 95
degrees outside, how many BTUs of cooling are needed to make it
comfortable inside the garage in a reasonable amount of time?

The garage has power but not 220V at this time. Will I need that?

The cooling season here in New Orleans is around 9 months. Over 20
years, will the extra cost of a compressor and air handler pay for
itself in reduced operating costs compared to a window unit?

Any other thoughts on this project?



You've received a lot of input from the group with not so much input
from youg

That said, the validity of the "solutions" is wholly dependent upon the
information that YOU need to provide. i.e. insulation factor, ampacity
of the circuits to the garage, etc.

That said:

1) If you want it as a shop and music practice area, you likely really
will need AC

2) The shop component, if you're serious about it, should have 220V
available. This also expands your cooling and (if needed) heating
solutions.

3) Insulation is cheap and worthwhile from several aspects. It will
help sound proof the garage something that may not be critical depending
on the neighbors but OTOH could be a real "saver."

4) Consider getting out the Sawz-all and frame in a space in a solid
wall to install that room sized AC unit. Almost every unit I've seen
can be disassembled to the point where the outer casing can be used as a
thru the wall sleeve, mounted security and then the guts reinstalled for
a more finished look. I've done this in several places including my own
shop which is in a large detached garage in the Chicago suburbs. Also
have an electric ceiling mount heater.

5) Doing the wall mount (or window mount) you take care of the
condensate issue. It simply drains out the back/bottom of the properly
installed unit onto the ground beneath.

6) important to consider sizing. Bigger is not necessarily better. You
need to calculate your cooling load based upon the average heat,
humidity and insulation factors for your specific application. If you
get a unit that is too big, you will achieve a rather quick cool down
which might seem to be just what you want. Unfortunately, the A/C will
not run long enough to dehumidify the air in the shop so you wind up
"cold and clammy" (sort of) and your tools will suffer for it as well.

On Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7:42:03 AM UTC-5, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
3) Insulation is cheap and worthwhile from several aspects. It will
help sound proof the garage something that may not be critical depending
on the neighbors but OTOH could be a real "saver."

Sound proofing IS a good idea. Thanks!

4) Consider getting out the Sawz-all and frame in a space in a solid
wall to install that room sized AC unit. Almost every unit I've seen
can be disassembled to the point where the outer casing can be used as a
thru the wall sleeve, mounted security and then the guts reinstalled for
a more finished look. I've done this in several places including my own
shop which is in a large detached garage in the Chicago suburbs.

I like your framing suggestion a lot too. The wall is going to be opened up in several places anyway to blow in foam.

6) important to consider sizing. Bigger is not necessarily better. You
need to calculate your cooling load based upon the average heat,
humidity and insulation factors for your specific application. If you
get a unit that is too big, you will achieve a rather quick cool down
which might seem to be just what you want. Unfortunately, the A/C will
not run long enough to dehumidify the air in the shop so you wind up
"cold and clammy" (sort of) and your tools will suffer for it as well.

Thanks for your thoughts. This kind of diversity of ideas is exactly why I come here for advice.

"Bob Simon" wrote in message
...

On Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7:42:03 AM UTC-5, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:
3) Insulation is cheap and worthwhile from several aspects. It will
help sound proof the garage something that may not be critical depending
on the neighbors but OTOH could be a real "saver."

Sound proofing IS a good idea. Thanks!

4) Consider getting out the Sawz-all and frame in a space in a solid
wall to install that room sized AC unit. Almost every unit I've seen
can be disassembled to the point where the outer casing can be used as a
thru the wall sleeve, mounted security and then the guts reinstalled for
a more finished look. I've done this in several places including my own
shop which is in a large detached garage in the Chicago suburbs.

I like your framing suggestion a lot too. The wall is going to be opened up
in several places anyway to blow in foam.

6) important to consider sizing. Bigger is not necessarily better. You
need to calculate your cooling load based upon the average heat,
humidity and insulation factors for your specific application. If you
get a unit that is too big, you will achieve a rather quick cool down
which might seem to be just what you want. Unfortunately, the A/C will
not run long enough to dehumidify the air in the shop so you wind up
"cold and clammy" (sort of) and your tools will suffer for it as well.

Thanks for your thoughts. This kind of diversity of ideas is exactly why I
come here for advice.

Do not install Friedrich are you will be sorry!

On 6/26/2016 2:59 PM, Tony944 wrote:


Do not install Friedrich are you will be sorry!

Why? I thought that years ago they were top quality. They were the most
expensive too.

You need cooling and humidity reduction in that area and you need to consider both.

Yes, you'll need insulation and vapor barrier, and have to do something about the overhead door. They rarely seal well at the base.

But consider something else. Shop requirements and music room requirements are not the same. A window knocker is loud and annoying, but you won't hear it when your saw or router is running. On the other hand, doing some recording or even practicing with the compressor in the same room is a no-go. I don't even like fluorescents buzzing.

Lighting is another problem. For either shop work or music, you want lots of light and then a little bit more. Most garages are just for storage and a single overhead fixture is plenty, so you'll have to add.