Video Notes:
- The heat got to me a little bit so I took some time off from shop work.
- I now have air conditioning in the shop. I went with a 18000btu mini split with a heat pump for the winter months. So far so good. AC unit info: Quietside brand model Qs18-Vj220. It’s an 18 SEER efficiency. I didn’t install it. I had someone else do it as I don’t know anything about cooling units and wanted it done right with a warranty on install and parts. I had a huge range in quotes for the job from $2600 to over $4000 so if you aren’t doing it yourself be sure to shop around. With it on it’s lowest fan speed and the temp set to 70 it keeps my non insulated shop in the 70’s. No clue on how much it will affect my energy costs though.
- Chest of drawers build is complete. Arguably my favorite build ever. Maybe a toss up between it and the toilet cabinet I made a while ago.
- Easy bench vise video will be this Thursday if all goes according to plan. Modeled after my moxon vise but to fit my Paulk table.
- Check out:
- Tim’s Woodworking:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9wg8J49H_c
- Jackman Carpentry: https://www.youtube.com/user/JackmanCarpentry
- Ted Alexander: https://www.youtube.com/user/TedCAlexander
- Dominic Benderl: https://www.youtube.com/user/DominicsWoodworks
- Chris Tittiger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X0zv4gwyb0
- Beach Bum Livin: https://www.youtube.com/user/BeachBumLivin
- Bellevue Woodshop: https://www.youtube.com/user/bellevuesnekkeri
- The Wood Whisperer: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWoodWhisperer
My house that I gutted had blown in insulation in the walls. Every random nail or splinter of wood created a bridge for the insulation so pretty much it looked like swiss cheese with the drywall off. Blown in = huge was of time/money for the walls. Doing your attic will give you the most bang for your buck, and it was kind of fun to do too.
Thanks for the feedback Dave. I was thinking that would be the case with nails.
Stickers on the ceiling when you run out of cabinet space.
When I built my shop (detached garage 24×30) I did insulate all of it. Don’t know what it would be like without any. I to have a hard time in the summer, I live in TN. Have thought about air but I have run out of amps. When I built the shop everyone said I was putting in too much power and would never need that much. Wrong. About to pull the trigger on a Sawstop not because I need a better saw. Power for it will be challenging. Put stickers on you breaker box cover. Might not be a selling point but probably not the deciding factor.
Forgot to mention. The attached garage on the house was not insulated. I insulated it several years ago. The walls are paneling so not hard to do the walls. Blown in the ceiling and an insulated door. It made a big difference especially in winter. Garage rarely gets below 50 with no heat, except what leaks from the house.
Thanks for the feedback Gary.
Insulate the garage door yourself. Spending money on an insulated door will not increase your resale value. It should but good luck getting someone to actually pay for that. Here’s an idea to work with. Try knocking the sun off an exterior garage wall with a tarp, etc., if that makes a notable difference, then swap out the tarp with large venetian style blinds from the eave to do the same. What about knocking the sun off of your roof? I’ve always thought that PV panels on a roof would shade the roof and knock down the heat in your attic, as well as provide electricity. MS. may not be ideal for PV panel investment, I don’t know. What other method could one ‘canopy’/shade the roof? Insulation maybe the most cost effective way, but still your attic is heated. You can add an attic exhaust fan attached to a thermo active switch. The A/C cost savings should offset the price of a fan and a switch pretty quickly. If you had a metal roof you could paint it with white Elastomeric paint to reflect the sun’s heat away. That works a treat in the desert on flat roofed houses. IF not metal roof, light colored shingles possibly?
Luckily I have large trees on the property that shade my garage for all but 4 or 5 hours of daylight.
Did you receive a military discount?
I insulated my garage door last Fall with 3/4″ foam insulation panels from the home store and cut to fit the open voids in the door. Used Tyvek tape to hold it in place. Been working great ever since. Also filled the enclosed voids in the door with spray foam. I was worried that the extra weight might bog down the opener but it hasn’t been an issue. I’ve seen at least a 20 degree improvement on the temp at the door.
And Chet, thanks for all those awesome suggestions!
Gets to 105 in m garage here in Houston. I m sweating like a hog
Jay, On your cell phone, next time check Republic wireless. I have had them for about two years now. $10.00 month unlimited talk and text, unlimited data on wi-fi. I love them.
Just wondering from one of the previous comments…are you In the Military?
His wife is!
My wife is in the Army Reserves.
From experience; you may find it less expensive to hire a contractor to blow in the insulaton. In AZ the cost to hire it done is the same as getting the insulation, the machine (the horror stories of the machine clogging),a second person(one to shoot and one to load the machine)… Get a quote to have it done. As for the door, I did it once and would not do it again. Price out the cost of materials and time vs a new upgraded door. My money is on a good door in a working garage.
I’m leaning that way for the door. Thanks for the info.
Put them under your overhead storage that can be seen while fliming. Great channel
Thanks. I might look into that option.
Make some type of lightweight removable panel (maybe that corrugated sign board) that goes on the inside of your garage door, and put stickers up there. Then when you need to move, the panels come off with all of the stickers.
Hmmmmmmmm. I do want to cover the garage door. I might look into that option.
I would like some info on your heat pump unit in your shop. What brand and model? I think that it would be just the thing in my shop as well
Keep up the good programs, I enjoy them.
Take care and stay cool
Just added the model info in the text above. Thanks for stopping by Gary.
Yes Jay. Tell us more about the AC/Heat pump you installed.
That seems to be the hot topic so I just added it to the notes above.
I agree with Ben for the stickers, under your overhead storage. May need to prep the ply so they stick better
I might look into that. Thanks.
Jay I installed a 5K BTU window a/c in my garage (20×22). It does not get very cold but it does remove the humidity and that makes it bearable. I live six miles from Galveston so I know humidity. Thanks for the videos and keep up the good work.
Removing humidity makes a huge difference.
The best decision I made when I built my shop was to put in heat and air conditioning!
I put insulation on the garage door from Home Depot. They have the garage insulation that has a plastic barrier and I used clear tape to secure it to the door. Also, do you have a military id. If so you can get the 10% discount at most home stores along at other stores. My two cents.
If you use Fiberglass blown-in it doesn’t sag like Cellulose does.
Since some of the topics have touched on AC/HEATING, maybe one of you can answer a question for me? Can I use a regular window AC as a thru wall unit or does it have to be one built just for the wall? I have a small 5000-6000 unit and my shop is 10×16 so I don’t need anything bigger than that. Also, I was looking for a hanging heating unit-any suggestions?? Thanks Guys I appreciate any help you can pass on.
~Dolly
My 2 cents on the sticker issue= Once the door is insulated I think thin sheets of aluminum would work nicely, painted black of course.
~Dolly
Hi Jay
Many thanks for the sticker rec’d today.
I wondered if you are planning to build any beds in the near future. I liked the bunk beds you built, but I need to build a double bed.
Kind regards
Derek