my free-standing garage is separated into three walled-in rooms, so to
speak, and i want to convert the middle room, which is 14 x 14, into a
studio for my girlfriend.
The two inside walls (ie the walls b/ the two other rooms) are wood
boards on the studio side and open 2x4s on the other side. if i use
kraft-faced insulation, do i put the paper facing the studio side with
the pink facing out into the two outer rooms?
also, what might you recommend me covering the insulaton with in
those two walls? i was thinking that something like pegboard might be
the cheapest and easiest for me, since i have no skills whatsoever.
next, there's an attic over the ceiling and i don't use the attic for
anything. can i just lay insulation down on the ceiling board?
finally, the room has a cement floor. what do you guys do about that
in colder climates? I'm in rhode island. someone told me to put down
sleepers, fill in with insulation, cover that with plywood, etc; but
that seems a little much. so: how much cold will come in through the
ground, do you think?
thanks!

So many questions. We may need some more information.

What kind of studio?
Are you going to create heat - space heater, propane, candles,
nothing, duct from the house?
What kind of comfort level are trying to provide?
Is this a temporary thing that you would like to be able to remove
if and when?
Do you own or rent?
Are you trying to stop sound?

A few thoughts:
Vapor barrier goes to the occupied side - if you use
fiberglass insulation with paper face, place the paper side to the
studio.
You could cover up the insulation with visqueen, cardboard
sheets, plywood, masonite, wafer board, drywall, rigid Styrofoam,
metal panels. Your peg board idea sounds good if you need a place
to hang up lots of tools, but is about the worst for stopping
infiltrated air.
You could cover the floor with a lot of things: roll out some
indoor/outdoor carpeting, go with carpet and padding, put down
rigid Styrofoam with laminated wood floor, rigid foam with a throw
rug, rigid foam with plywood. Cardboard sheets right on the
concrete are just not bad and you can always add a new layer to
increase R value/cleanliness/etc.
The attic needs the most insulation. You can use loose blow
in type insulation, just dump it on. You can use fiberglass
batts. The loose stuff 12" deep sounds about right, don't block
any roof or soffit vents, be careful where you walk.


(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)






--

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"flipper" wrote in message
oups.com...
my free-standing garage is separated into three walled-in rooms,
so to
speak, and i want to convert the middle room, which is 14 x 14,
into a
studio for my girlfriend.
The two inside walls (ie the walls b/ the two other rooms) are
wood
boards on the studio side and open 2x4s on the other side. if i
use
kraft-faced insulation, do i put the paper facing the studio
side with
the pink facing out into the two outer rooms?
also, what might you recommend me covering the insulaton with
in
those two walls? i was thinking that something like pegboard
might be
the cheapest and easiest for me, since i have no skills
whatsoever.
next, there's an attic over the ceiling and i don't use the
attic for
anything. can i just lay insulation down on the ceiling board?
finally, the room has a cement floor. what do you guys do
about that
in colder climates? I'm in rhode island. someone told me to
put down
sleepers, fill in with insulation, cover that with plywood, etc;
but
that seems a little much. so: how much cold will come in
through the
ground, do you think?
thanks!

great info, and thanks.
my girlfriend is a landscape gardener and she's going to use the
studio as a place to work on her designs when she's not doing it at the
office.
as to heat, i'm not sure yet. i'm thinking propane but am open to
suggestions, if you've got any.
it's not really temporary so i would like to do a pretty good job
with it, given my limited skills. i own the garage, am not worrying
about sound, and would like a pretty good level of comfort.
can i really cover the walls with something like visqueen or
cardboard? there is one interior wall that i'd like to cover with
something better but the two that'll get the insulation from the
unoccupied side, i don't care how they look as long as they're not too
easily punctured.
i am thinking of using fiberglas batts for the ceiling, just laying
them right on top of the attic floor.
as to vents -- along the back wall, where it meets the ceiling, it's
all open there but for the studs or joists of whatever you call em. is
that a soffit? anyway, the opens run from one side to the other. are
you saying i shouldn't block em up? won't the wind come rushing in and
the heat go rushing out?
thanks again!

flipper wrote:
great info, and thanks.
my girlfriend is a landscape gardener and she's going to use the
studio as a place to work on her designs when she's not doing it at the
office.
as to heat, i'm not sure yet. i'm thinking propane but am open to
suggestions, if you've got any.
it's not really temporary so i would like to do a pretty good job
with it, given my limited skills. i own the garage, am not worrying
about sound, and would like a pretty good level of comfort.
can i really cover the walls with something like visqueen or
cardboard? there is one interior wall that i'd like to cover with
something better but the two that'll get the insulation from the
unoccupied side, i don't care how they look as long as they're not too
easily punctured.
i am thinking of using fiberglas batts for the ceiling, just laying
them right on top of the attic floor.
as to vents -- along the back wall, where it meets the ceiling, it's
all open there but for the studs or joists of whatever you call em. is
that a soffit? anyway, the opens run from one side to the other. are
you saying i shouldn't block em up? won't the wind come rushing in and
the heat go rushing out?
thanks again!


Fiberglass bats laid between the rafters is good. Do not block the
vents at the soffit. You can buy a plastic spacer to keep the vent area
clear. The insulation will keep the heat where it belongs, not in the
attic.

For the two walls which are open studs I would either nail masonite or
CDX grade plywood after insulation if the spaces are used for garage
type storage. You could use plasterboard for a better finish.

If the studs are 2 x 4 you might consider building out the wall to 6 or
8 " to get a higher R vaue in insulation.

The floor is going to depend on how much heat loss you get through it.
I would consider laying 2 x 2 furring strips,2" solid foam insulation
and a plywood floor to keep heat loss to a minimum.

You may be able to get away with a ventless propane heater, but if you
have natural gas to the property I would invest in a vented furnace run
from the house gas supply. More expensive to instal but cheaper to run.

You should also post this inquiry on alt.home.repair

--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.
"flipper" wrote in message
oups.com...
my free-standing garage is separated into three walled-in rooms, so to
speak, and i want to convert the middle room, which is 14 x 14, into a
studio for my girlfriend.
The two inside walls (ie the walls b/ the two other rooms) are wood
boards on the studio side and open 2x4s on the other side. if i use
kraft-faced insulation, do i put the paper facing the studio side with
the pink facing out into the two outer rooms?
also, what might you recommend me covering the insulaton with in
those two walls? i was thinking that something like pegboard might be
the cheapest and easiest for me, since i have no skills whatsoever.
next, there's an attic over the ceiling and i don't use the attic for
anything. can i just lay insulation down on the ceiling board?
finally, the room has a cement floor. what do you guys do about that
in colder climates? I'm in rhode island. someone told me to put down
sleepers, fill in with insulation, cover that with plywood, etc; but
that seems a little much. so: how much cold will come in through the
ground, do you think?
thanks!

----- Original Message -----
From: "flipper"
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:39 PM
Subject: help with garage to studio conversion ...


my free-standing garage is separated into three walled-in rooms, so to
speak, and i want to convert the middle room, which is 14 x 14, into a
studio for my girlfriend.
The two inside walls (ie the walls b/ the two other rooms) are wood
boards on the studio side and open 2x4s on the other side. if i use
kraft-faced insulation, do i put the paper facing the studio side with
the pink facing out into the two outer rooms?

You always install insulation with the paper facing the living area.

also, what might you recommend me covering the insulaton with in
those two walls? i was thinking that something like pegboard might be
the cheapest and easiest for me, since i have no skills whatsoever.

Pegboard isn't really cheap, but it is handy as hell. It's a good solution
in my opinion. Just screw it up over the insulation and you'll be fine. If
you are more comfortable putting something over the insulation before
putting up the pegboard then just make sure it is a breathable fabric - no
plastic.

next, there's an attic over the ceiling and i don't use the attic for
anything. can i just lay insulation down on the ceiling board?

Yes. You'd probably be a little better off using a paper faced insulation,
but not by a large margin.

finally, the room has a cement floor. what do you guys do about that
in colder climates? I'm in rhode island. someone told me to put down
sleepers, fill in with insulation, cover that with plywood, etc; but
that seems a little much. so: how much cold will come in through the
ground, do you think?


I live in Syracuse, NY so we get the cold too. You'll be fine with just the
cement floor. If you want a pretty cheap way out and something that your
girlfriend's feet will appreciate as well, then consider those rubber-like
floor mats that interlock. They go down easily, give a nice cushion instead
of standing right on the concrete - which can really get to the feet after a
while.

While you're at it, make sure to seal the gaps around the garage door.
You'll be letting more cold air in through those than any cold she will
suffer from the concrete floor.

--

-Mike-

"flipper" wrote in message

also, what might you recommend me covering the insulaton with in
those two walls? i was thinking that something like pegboard might be
the cheapest and easiest for me, since i have no skills whatsoever.


Drywall. Just screw it up and paint it. No need to do the taping if you
just want to cover the walls. That is all I did in my garage/shop.


next, there's an attic over the ceiling and i don't use the attic for
anything. can i just lay insulation down on the ceiling board?

Yes, but you can also use that space for some light storeage.


finally, the room has a cement floor. what do you guys do about that
in colder climates? I'm in rhode island. someone told me to put down
sleepers, fill in with insulation, cover that with plywood, etc; but
that seems a little much. so: how much cold will come in through the
ground, do you think?

No cold will come through the ground. It will suck out the heat though. If
you want comfort, insulate it. If you want to heat the earth through your
garage, just leave it.