Spring into action before the hot summer months
Whether you’re looking to set up a home gym or just want to create a convenient place to for your tools, your garage can offer a nice bonus space. But if your garage isn’t insulated, you may sweat a little too much during your workout—or catch a chill at your workbench. Insulating your garage can help create more livable square footage in your home and also cut down on utility bills. But not all seasons are ideal for taking on this project.
Here’s why spring is the best season to insulate a garage.
Not unlike hibernating bears, homeowners tend to retreat into their homes during the winter. Meanwhile, winter brings salt, snow and ice onto driveways and into garages. Floors, walls and concrete deteriorates, which can impact insulation in the garage. As winter weather fades, it’s natural to want to air out the garage, remove toys, and sort holiday decor, outerwear and other items that accumulate during the cold month.
You already associate spring with renewal, a time to clean and organize. Therefore, you’re mentally ready to take on a project like insulating the garage. To insulate, you’ll have to empty the garage of everything, which is the first step in organizing. Spring cleaning tasks such as power washing the driveway and decluttering your home are perfect precursors to insulating your garage.
A garage sale is a perfect way to make some extra cash off of all the items you’d otherwise toss in a spring cleaning. Home improvement stores know that homeowners wait until spring to take on indoor and outdoor projects. Whether you DIY garage insulation or hire a professional, home improvement stores offer spring sales. Some springs sales include items you need to insulate your garage, such as measuring tools, sealants, weatherstripping, ladders, gloves, face mask, and different types of insulation.
Before you install insulation in your garage, you should look for gaps and holes in the garage doors, floor, or ceiling that could allow air to escape. You can fill gaps with foam. In the spring, the weather is mild enough that you can keep the garage door open while you survey the space for holes. You’ll also need to keep the garage door open to protect yourself from insulation foam fumes.
Spring is a good time for remodeling, especially if you’re insulating your garage to convert it to an extra room, office or home gym. Most of the major holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas, happen during fall and winter. You’ll pay a premium trying to schedule contractors during that time.
During the winter, metal screws, springs and other garage door components can contract. Usually, you’d use lubricants, but those harden during the winter. Also, during the winter, an uninsulated garage is unbearably cold if you live in a region that experiences harsh winters. The only thing worse is trying to insulate a garage during the winter, with a garage door open. So instead, take advantage of daylight saving time in the spring, and knock out garage insulation installation first thing in the morning. You can hire an insulation pro near you to help with this spring project, so you’ll be enjoying your temperate garage by the summer.