2017.12.09 - SPRAY FOAM....
Maybe.
I've got a couple of local shops coming over this morning to talk to me about spray foam for the shop space.
One thing that I've heard over and over (already) is that with a south-facing garage in Austin, the summertime "build season" is going to be miserable. The amount of heat-drive coming down from the roof (and through the uninsulated steel rollup doors) is going to make the garage more like a sauna. Even with a split-system AC unit, it's going to be tough to keep the space comfortable.
The garage has 9' ceilings and a big open attic above it. The entire thing is already sheetrocked which is unfortunate because I need to still run my air lines and 220V circuits... so a lot of that sheetrock is going to get removed for access. It seems like a "Might As Well" moment where I could get the entire inside structure sprayfoamed and make it a LOT easier to keep the garage space conditioned properly, seal out fumes from the house and maybe even vault the ceiling area (or at least create a more open storage space) to keep my overflowing parts off the floor?
Let's dig into the details:
Open Cell foam can be installed to an R21 value (5.5" thick) at a cost of 1.50 sq ft
Closed Cell foam can be installed to an R21 value (3.0" thick) at a cost of 2.70 sq ft
The guys I've spoken with on the phone say that around here R21 is kind of the sweet spot to balance cost / R-value. Obviously, costs add up quick as you add material.
First sprayfoam guy just arrived for an in-person quote. I will post up more later on...
-G