Adding Insulation over Garage or refreshing insulation in general
 

I'm looking for feedback from any Villagers who installed insulation in their garage attic.

Did you notice any difference in the temperature of your garage in the summer or winter here in the Villages? Any pros or cons?

Also, some companies offer what they call insulation refresh in the main home attic where they add an additional 4 or 7 inches of blown in insulation. I'm guessing the amount of insulation in our attic's are probably the minimal to pass code so i'm wondering if we added more blown in insulation to get any spots missed when the house was built and or increase the R value of what's already up there makes any sense. I understand as you increase the amount of insulation you get less benefit but I have to believe even 4 inches of additional insulation just to even out everything has to give some benefit given the Florida hear we experience.

I'm only interested in any additional cooling in the summer and warmth in the winter from additional insulation and NOT looking to save money to recoup the cost.

Any feedback from actual experience doing either would be appreciated.

Adding insulation is the most cost effective method to reduce HVAC energy costs
 

Yes add insulation - you will notice the difference and your cooling/heating bill will reduce.

Typically, the garage attic is not insulated. We have a 2000 sq ft east facing designer home. I've added insulation throughout the house, lani, and garage. The depth of insulation is 2 feet - it was blown in. I also insulated the garage doors with styrofoam panels obtained at Lowes (there is a specific kit for this). Previously, the garage and lani were not insulated.

The difference is noticeable and I believe well worth the $$. Don't do a "refresh", but obtain a couple of quotes. Have the quoting company either survey your existing insulation or require 2 feet of depth throughout - don't just fall for a R38 depth unless they define how deep the insulation will be. That way you can measure and verify.

Thanks for the feedback. So the Insulation "refresh" from the Solar Guys means they add a fixed amount, 4 or 7 inches or whatever you want of blown in insulation. We purchased the house 2 years ago and the inspector said the insulation was adequate and I can go look to see the number of inches since there are these ruler gauges all over. I've had them install insulation over my Lanai and it all worked out well. I'm always concerned that the guy blowing in the insulation will fall through the ceiling but they did a nice clean job and they do it every day in the Villages.

Did the garage, love it, would do it again.

Have not done a refresh.

Dependent on how old your house is, your R Value is most likely either 30 or 38. It should not need "refreshing" unless workers have been up there and trampled it. While there IS a law of diminishing return, R-38 should be the new minimum, you can go more. As to the garage, there are different views. You will notice more of a difference insulating your garage doors to fight the radiant heat than you will get from insulating the garage ceiling.

While many say they noticed a benefit, the ceiling insulation will also hold the heat IN the garage, especially from hot car engines, etc. Heat rises. Insulating the garage doors is a no brainer. There are different options for you to do that.

I increased R 30 by adding six inches myself as a DIY project, the payoff was something like nine years but only because I did it myself.

I certainly would not add insulation if I only have Solar Guys pricing. The payoff just isn't there.

I noticed no difference in home comfort. Although this is subjective I consider myself a good reference. As a burn victim/survivor I feel subtle temp differences and drafts that normal people don't. It just wasn't there with more insulation.

The true test is I did not add extra insulation on my current house. I have no regrets.

Thanks for the reply. So you bring up an interesting point that I've been wondering about and no one seems to have the answer. I have insulated my garage doors and have noticed a difference. But you are right, the garage is going to be at the outside air temperature plus the heat from the car and any solar gain from the doors. I can see that in the late afternoon my garage is hottest because the west sun is beating on the doors. Without garage attic insulation as I have it now, the heat will rise and go into the attic where I have 2 solar vent fans. Since i've installed the solar vent fans my attic never goes above 10 degress higher than the outside air temperature where before it used to super heat on the hottest days so it makes sense to me NOT to insulate the garage ceiling in order to allow the excess heat in the garage to escape through the ceiling to the attic, correct? In the winter you would want the heat to stay in the garage but since it's not living area it doesn't make much sense. BTW, my 2016 Ivy came with the radient heat shield installed in the entire attic including over the garage which i'm sure is making a huge difference.

As far as adding insulation to the main attic, I think I have R38, I have to check but I have no confidence that all the insulation is perfect up there so for the extra cost I can add 4 inches to increase what's there now and to make sure every spot is covered properly. You are right, everytime someone goes up there to inspect they are tamping down the insulation. When i had my Lanai done, I had them cover their steps on the way out which they happy did.

As far as the cost, I rather pay a little more and have someone licensed and bonded and does this stuff every day to lessen the possibiliy of having a problem with my ceiling when doing the job.

We rarely use our car, BUT "it's always hot outside in Florida"...........so trapping in heat from a hot car is extremely minor.

Jus looked: Garage attic temp = 120; Garage temp 86; Outdoor temp 94. I can notice a benefit.

I did the doors and the ceiling, and it’s just as hot as it was before. The only difference is when I turn the A/C on it cools down and stays cool as long as it’s on.

When we moved in we quickly added attic insulation to above R 42 over the whole attic including the garage. Noticed a big difference. We hired a company to blow it in...nasty hot job. I watched the guy and he crawled way back into the corners...did a nice job. We have a low pitched roof so it was not easy.

The purpose for insulation is to slow down the heat transfer process between a conditioned space and an unconditioned space. Builders do not insulate a garage ceiling because the space below the ceiling and the space above the ceiling are both unconditioned spaces.

No, waste of money.

We added some over the lani and garage. Helped both, and has prevented cracking of ceiling drywall both places. Make sure they don’t cover/block air vents in soffits.

Insulating your garage door (there are do it your self kits at box stores and Amazon) and insulation over attic (we had Solar Guys) was well worth it. We also put Gila film (did ourself) on window in garage. Everything made big difference in heat.

Insulation
 

South facing garage. Radiant barrier and 3/4 decking above, vented and insulated doors, and fan installed. Within 10 degrees of ambient air temperature throughout the day.