Want to convert your garage into a man cave? Here are some practical ideas.

Converting a garage into livable space takes some planning but is well worth the effort. A carefully planned mancave doesn't have to break the bank either and can become a hangout haven for everyone.


Start with an idea

Have you been looking for a place to display a sports or hobby collection, or maybe you are just looking for a place you can call your own to unwind, or would you like a media and entertainment center to watch your favorite movies?  Draw your layout of the room on graph paper. Typical garages are about 20' x 20', give or take. Plan where you will hang your cool collections, watch TV and sit and draw lighting, electrical, cable and plumbing plans around the design.  You may find you run out of space and have to rework the design based on the layout of the garage.

We can't help you on the design, but here are the essentials you need to do to create a comfortable, functional and low cost man cave.

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1. Insulate the walls

No, you don’t have to remove the drywall to insulate the walls, a simple drill and fill is all that is needed.  A drill and fill method is easily done from the inside of the home where a two to three two inch holes per stud will be drilled and the wall cavity backfilled with cellulose insulation.  Cellulose insulation has a higher R-value per inch then loose fill fiberglass.  Because it is loose fill, it will fit around the electrical boxes, plumbing vents and electrical outlets.  The holes are replaced with a foam plug by the insulation contractor.  Garage door slots can be filled with 2" foam board reflective insulation and/or insulated and drywalled right over, taking away about 6" of space from the wall.


2. Insulate the ceilings

Here in Phoenix our attached garages are not insulated when our homes are built but if you are from back east or the Midwest most attached garages are insulated.  Why?  Well the temperature swings in cold climates are much more dramatic than here, even in the desert.  In Chicago, for example they go from 0 degrees outside to 65 degrees inside, a change of 65 degrees.  In Phoenix, we go from 110 degrees outside to 75 degrees inside, a change of only 35 degrees.  That difference and also because sub-freezing temperatures are much more damaging than super hot temperatures, makes the difference when insulating attached garages in Phoenix.  An R-38 or 12 inches of blown insulation is recommended for an attached garage.


3. Add ducting or a minisplit

You will need to take a look at your air conditioners size if you want to add more ducting to the garage for this upgrade.  If your system is oversized, it will actually work to your benefit here where you can use the extra cooling capacity to help cool the garage.  A rule of thumb is 1 ton of cooling capacity satisfies 400 sq ft.  An energy efficient homes can stretch that ratio out to about 600 sq ft per ton.  The location and size of the ductwork is also important and a function of your main home size, HVAC system size and airflow. Another alternative is to add a minisplit ductless AC system to cool the garage.  These mini splits are great because they have no ductwork and potential for duct leakage.  They can be framed into an external wall and can only be used when needed, helping to save energy.


4. Radiant barrier above the garage to keep the heat out

A radiant barrier will help keep the garage cool in the summer time and should be stapled along the roof truss not laid on top of the insulation.  The reason is that once a radiant barrier gathers a layer of dust, it is totally ineffective.  That is why radiant barrier chips or radiant barrier laid on the insulation do not work. 


5. Electrical, cable and fiber lines

Plan where you will need electrical outlets, overhead lighting and light switches for electrical runs.  Have an electrician check if your sub panel has enough space for the additional loads. Smurf tubes with a looped rope are convenient if you think you may need to add more cables like cable or power cords through the walls. Plan the location of your TV and if you will need an internet connection and their location. To minimize work, try to keep your major plumbing and electrical on the shared wall to the main house. Watch only movies or what can be accessed through the internet via a smart TV or a game console may not warrant the need for cable lines to be run.


6. Plumbing

If you plan on having a separate bathroom, wet bar or kitchen area, try keeping it close to your existing home. If your existing water lines run under the slab, a plumber will have to find a manifold behind the common wall and run new lines through the attic of even through the wall.  If you have an existing laundry room or bathroom against that common wall, you can tap into the drain for new plumbing if you are planning on having a bathroom or kitchen sink.


7. Drywall

You may need to relocate the attic hatch to a new storage closet along the wall of the main house to conceal the existing attic hatch if it's in the middle of the garage. Usually 5-6 feet of length is taken off of the garage area and sectioned off into a bathroom, bar area, storage closet with the attic hatch, and a media cabinet.


8. Flooring

Since most garages are concrete slabs, you want to make sure it's not post-tension before hammering it up. If you plan on using your garage more as a work space, a coating of acrylic paint can transform the room by itself.  If you plan on using the man cave more as living space, a sub floor base is essential just like the main part of the home.


Cool man cave ideas and links
http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/poker-man-cave/42441.html

Man Cave Club http://www.mancavesite.org/


Those are the essentials, next step is to decorate, get a 70" flat screen or movie projector and a comfort chair to kick back in.  When done right, a man cave doesn't have to break the bank or drive your energy bills through the roof.  For help with HVAC, duct design and insulation needs, contact Green ID to schedule your free assessment.

Air Seal: The "Flu Shot" For Your Home

http://www.greenintegrateddesign.com/blog/air-seal-the-flu-shot-for-your-home

Do you have problems with sickness, allergies, and asthma in your home?

Are you looking for a way to breathe easy and feel better without medication?

We have the solution:

Air seal your home!

We liken air sealing to getting a flu shot – it protects your health and saves you money in the long run.

Air that leaks through your home’s envelope not only wastes energy and increases costs, but creates an unhealthy (and potentially unsafe) environment for you and your family.

Air leakage occurs when outside air enters and conditioned air leaves uncontrollably through cracks and openings. This results in poor indoor air quality and moisture problems, both of which can affect the health of the occupants. In addition, sealing air leaks reduces outside noise; causes less pollen, dust, insects, and pests to enter the house; and controls humidity – all of which will improve your health in your home.         

                                                                         

Fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles, and dust can enter your duct system, aggravating asthma and allergy problems. Sealing ducts can help improve indoor air quality by reducing the amount of pollutants entering ducts and circulating through your home.

During normal operation, gas appliances such as water heaters, clothes dryers, and furnaces release combustion gases (like carbon monoxide) through their ventilation systems. Leaky ductwork in your heating and cooling system may cause “backdrafting,” where these gases are drawn back into the living space, rather than expelled to the outdoors. Sealing leaks can minimize this risk.

In addition to the health aspect, leaky ducts can reduce heating and cooling system efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Sealing and insulating ducts increases efficiency, lowers your energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings. Plus, if you’re planning to install new heating and cooling equipment, a well-designed and sealed duct system may allow you to downsize to a smaller, less costly heating and cooling system that will provide better dehumidification.

For more information about how you can live healthier in your home, be more comfortable, and save money, contact Green ID at (602) 926-1650 today. Ask us how you can get started with air sealing – the flu shot for your home. Protect yourself and your family!

Comfort & Payback in Your Home

Making green upgrades to your home can majorly increase your comfort. Unfortunately, comfort and quick paybacks don’t always go hand in hand. Upgrades like window replacements, garage insulation and increasing insulation levels to assure they’re up to the R-38 standard, are all upgrades where the most cost effective solution may not align with your lifestyle conditions. For example, replacing single pane windows in good condition is not cost-effective but the price paid for one south or west-facing window may be well worth the cost if it cools down a hot office or reduces traffic noise at night. It’s clear that in some situations the lifestyle conditions may outweigh the cost or payback of upgrades.

Insulation changes are another popular upgrade that homeowners choose to make. Adding insulation can often times give homeowners greater temperature control in their home but not every home is the same in terms of insulation. If a home has already met a R-38 Energy Star standard adding more may still save you money on utilities but only by a small margin opposed to adding insulation to an aged home where the insulation has sank. In the later example the upgrade would most likely save the home owners much more on their utility bills. Often the more important issue is finding out how the insulation installed.  A 5% defect in the installation will cut the R-value (its effectiveness) by 50%.

All considerations for upgrades can be discussed with an energy auditor who will give you their professional and unbiased opinion of the most cost effective upgrades you can be making in your home. It’s important to get a professional opinion when making investments that could save you money and increase your comfort. 

Can I Use Spray Foam Insulation In My Cement Block Home?

So you’ve heard about spray foam insulation, but you live in a block home. This makes you wonder, is it even possible to have spray foam in a cement block home? What about in an older home?
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The answer is YES!

The ideal way to install spray foam insulation in a cement block home is during construction. This allows our professional installers direct access to the empty concrete block cells that will be filled with the spray foam product.

However, even after construction is finished, or during a remodel or retrofit of an older home, we can get foam insulation into a block wall by drilling a series of holes near the top of the wall and filling the wall one vertical cell at a time.

Working from the inside face (or the surface most likely to be covered with a finish), contractors drill 5/8-inch or 7/8-inch holes into the face of the blocks about 4 feet up from the floor to fit an injection tube running from a “mixer” that combines a non-toxic liquid resin, a foaming agent, and air.

Once the foam starts to seep through the injection holes (indicating a full cavity encompassing several blocks), the process is repeated along the length of the wall every 4 feet, and then again along the top of the wall about a foot short of its full height.
Here is how that works: as one cell fills up, the foam will start to exit from the hole in the adjoining cell, signaling the installer to move the hose to the next cell and seal the hole that was just filled. One vertical cell is filled at a time, until the entire block wall is full of foam insulation.

Another option would be to fur out an interior wall with wood or steel studs and spray the foam directly into place over the face of the block wall and in between the studs. Be advised, this option would imply added material costs in the form of studs, sheetrock, etc…and it would result in a slight – although measurable – loss of interior square footage.

These are only two examples of how spray foam insulation can be retro-fitted to existing concrete structures. Spray foam is a highly adaptable material, and it can be used on nearly any project.

Here at Green ID, we have the needed experience and expertise to assist you with all of your insulation needs!

If you have any questions or concerns about whether our spray foam products can be used at your home, call us at (602) 926-1650.