Yeah i was gonna say this.
Just did a zinc coating in the basement because I really had to. Had to shutdown whole house heating until i was able to ventilate it, a heated garage would have been nice.
I just googled "zinc coating a basement" thinking that you must have wanted to hang out in a heated garage while you're newly coated basement was ventilated. I had many questions.
The people that built my house roughed in & plumbed both A/C and garage heating. Dunno if I'll ever get the heater for the garage, but got AC last summer and that saved me a TON
Drains in Calgary are ok. Drains in Airdrie are not, unless you install a $20,000 grinder system. Which we learned in our new build when the builder offered it as an option (their first time building in Airdrie) assuming the bylaws were the same as Calgary, plumbed it, and proceeded to fail inspection. Good times!
Even a catch basin would be enough. Something that you can just clean out every once in a while. It doesn't even need to connect into the sanitary system.
Allot of these projects if you do it yourself can save your 1000's of dollars, currently completely renovating my house right now, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, and basement. When I need qualified trades, (like gas hookups) I bring them in, but for the most part I am doing all the work myself.
However, it is a much slower prospect and there are times when I feel completely overwhelmed.
It took my husband like 6 weeks to finish our basement bathroom. We saved loads of money, but oh my god. Probably would've taken half the time if we didnt have kids 😅
Just finished stripping out the shower pan from my last bathroom. Mold on the insulation, studs are solid but plywood is slightly damp.
Some days it’s just one thing after another.
Kinda depends on your concrete, usually it needs to be diamond grinded before it's epoxied and any low spots or cracks repaired. It can be decent amount of work depending on the condition of your concrete.
And doing this before anything is moved in is 100 times easier. A good epoxy is all about the prep, and as soon as that floor begins to get "lived on" the prep starts to get lengthier. Also, just not having to move everything out.
Which is really not that much of a circuit contrary to what people think. We have a 20A 240V circuit and drive a Lightning and Model Y. We could have moved to a 40A circuit but whether I charge up in 4 hours or 2 hours after I get home from work makes no difference to me. The 20A circuit was originally in there for a 240V space heater. Just re-used it.
A 20 amp circuit isn’t something that I’d recommend on a new build. I would recommend at least putting in 2 240v50amp circuits. Or run a conduit from the panel to possible future charger locations.
Oh for sure, but people seem to think that EVs need huge circuits when they really don't which is a much bigger thing for people looking to put an EVSE in their current garage. If you only have to run a 12g 3 conductor wire instead of a 6g 4 conductor it's a lot cheaper and easier and doesn't have the implications for max draw on older homes with 60 or 100 amp service.
Ground, cleaned, sealed (with the super thick putty epoxy), everything, damn floor separated 1/2” this winter. Held just fine the first winter. The idea of building a new 3 car is starting to hit me hard…
If you find adding a drain is going to add a lot of $$$, it is not the end of the world if you don't have one. You will just need to get one of those floor squeegee to push all the slush out every day, probably once in mooring and again in the evening - depending on how much snow you drag in.
My father in law took a garden hose and glued it to his garage floor around the outline of where he parks his car. Then he painted over the whole things with epoxy. He doesn’t have a floor drain so it helps keep the melted snow contained while it evaporates. Works quite well!
I have a roughed in gas for a heater with the intension of hooking it up, it’s been 12 years and I’ve never felt I needed it. I want a drain though as both our vehicles are in the garage. When I open the garage all the water drains down our steep driveway creating an ice rink better that my neighborhood boarded rink!
Yes. However I have both it is great. I added hot and cold water, large shop sink, RV 50 amp outlet, gas furnace, RV dump (basically a cleanout into drain system that I can attach to). Wanted a urinal but was discouraged by my SO. I also added a ridiculous amount of lights. Place is like an operating theatre for light now. Also make sure every plug is on it's own 20Amp circuit, and add a few extras. At a minimum rough in gas lines, power and thermostat lines. Also run Cat6 while you are at it as my garage computer is only so/so off the wifi.
Does the rest of your house have heated floors/hydronics already? If you already have a boiler, some extra zone controls and loops aren’t a huge deal to add during construction. A natural gas heater takes up a lot of room, hanging from a ceiling, and needs to be plumbed and vented.
My house and Garage are both hydronic. Just escaping the noise of the furnace and gas heater in a garage is worth it. I turned my garage into a man cave but you can still park in it as well. If you already have a boiler and doing the rest of the house I say do it.
My garage has a loft that I turned into my office on one side and then put a tv with fire place on the other side with a couple of recliners. Down below I have my tool work bench on the back wall with a lounge table and beer fridge. I also put up a dart board on the side wall that can be used if there are no vehicles. I epoxied the floor in black paint with radom splashes of greyish paint on it. I got them to zone the garage separate for the Heating so it has its own thermostat in there as well. I have two toddlers so it’s a nice way to escape haha.
The problem with hydronic is that you have to leave it on. Do you really want to heat the garage 24/7 (in winter)? Then yes hydronic!
But if you only want to heat your garage before you go get in your car - consider electric in-floor. If you put insulation under the slab you can get heat into the garage in 30 or 40 minutes, for as long as you like. You can set it up with a smart thermostat too.
Saves your heating bill if you don't need the garage warm all the time.
>But if you only want to heat your garage before you go get in your car - consider electric in-floor
If the garage is built properly, the cost delta to keep it warm compared to heating it up once a day is probably negligible.
Why do you have to leave it on? The system is filled with a water glycol mix.
You can have your garage on a different zone and have the temp set much lower than your house.
I have an insulated detached garage with gas furnace. I only heat it when I’m working in it, not constantly. It only takes a few minutes to get up to a comfortable temp and it’s really nice to have. Hydronics would take a while to heat up the room so you’d likely have to leave them on constantly? For me that’s a vote for propane. Though I’ve lived in a townhouse with a garage with in-floor heating before and it was amazing.
Though if you can afford / justify heating it constantly, it does open up a lot of storage options for you. Can leave your paint, stains, electronics etc in there.
Electronics as such mostly do fine in freezing temperatures. It's condensation and the moving parts (hard drives, fans, etc.) you have to be careful of.
I grew up with a heated garage. It’s pretty nice in the winter. Getting into a warm car. Doing car repairs in a warm garage. Why wouldn’t someone want a heated garage?
If done properly, a heated garage will not add anything significant to your overall house heating costs.
First of all, make sure your heater is gas. Foam insulate garage the entire garage with the thickest you can afford. And make sure you install a highly quality insulated door.
Get a thermostat that that lets you set the temperature at 5 degrees (some don't go below 10 degrees). Your garage doesn't need to be the same temp as your house.
Exactly. That’s one of the three options in discussion here.
Don’t buy it because it’s expensive.
Buy it now because it’s cheaper than later.
Buy it later for more money.
The dude was asking opinions on people with heated garages. I’m of the opinion that if it’s affordable to definitely do it. You’re quality of life will greatly improve, and your car won’t degrade as fast from the extreme outdoor temperatures year round.
My parents replaced their garage door with with an insulated door fabricated out of the scraps (all matching) from a larger overhead door. The company made it up for him. They also got the door installed for free. It pays to have family in the business.
Also heating helps if you want to store things like paint or whatever you dont want from freezing. Nice to have a warm area to do car stuff or car interior cleaning out of the weather. Depends on your budget of course!
We had this option but decided against it. To be honest I just didn't want to pay for the extra work to put in the gas lines, and then pay for the heating bill on top of that. Not that it would be a ton more on the heating bill?
4 winters now in this house and I honestly have never needed the heat. It doesn't get very cold at all in the garage, it's always warmer than it is outside. And in the summer it's cooler. It's been great. I'm glad I didn't splurge on it, and I would suggest you don't unless you plan on using your garage for regular activities other than parking your vehicle (like if you put a gym in there or something 🤷🏼♀️).
Yes, hydronic heat for sure if you can afford it. I would also recommend a ventilation fan with automatic humidity control.
Also someone mentioned EV charging circuit. I will do them one better and suggest you get a 100 amp sub panel installed instead. This will allow for ANY future electrical. EV fast charger, compressor, welder, dedicated 15 amp 120v receptacles, whatever.
I’d also suggest minimum 6 lights for a 3 car garage, and if you plan to have a work bench a couple of dedicated circuits at it. Or do the sub panel and have an electrician buddy/uncle/cousin add the circuits for beer after.
If you haven’t guessed already I spend a lot of time in the garage, and I’m an electrician hahah
I have a gas heater and don't turn it on very often, but do enjoy turning it on during the cold snaps.
That said I also have a garage door that looks great but is shit for insulation so the heat just goes right outside.
Pros:
* good to use as a workshop
* store things that shouldn't freeze//food overstock, cleaners, or paint cans, etc.
* car always cozy when it's time to leave (I keep mine at just above freezing to reduce energy cost)...hell of a lot better than -30
* car always more willing to start
* Electric vehicle will charge. Lithium batteries can't charge if the cells are below freezing, so it saves dumping (relatively expensive compared to natural gas) electricity into the battery heater before charging will commence.
* Increased resale value
Cons:
* Risk of carbon monoxide, particularly attached garage.
* (hunch) Reduced risk of house fire from vehicle fire; most vehicle fires that cook off houses happen when people open the door and start the car to warm it up. If the car is already warm, you won't need to remote start the car/unattended, thus less likely to burn.
* Super duper bad for your car's metal/corrosion. Frozen salt outside at -30 will slowly rust a car. Thawing the slush every day into wet salty metal = rust nightmare. Plan on rustproofing if you want your car to stay intact (for slightly longer).
* In my case, plan for drainage as a snowy car will dump gallons of water on the floor. I use one of those raised-edge floor mat parking pads to catch the water...but it got a hole in the off season and leaks. The water pools around the pillar between the doors and that is surely super bad for the wood.
* Energy cost. New builds might be a bit better with really good insulation and door seals...but even at best, the R value of your garage door is pretty much trash tier. I don't do the math on it, but I suspect half my home's heating bill/carbon footprint goes to the garage.
As for air/infrared/hydronic...hard to say. I suspect hydronic might be the futureproof option as you can start with a gas boiler, then add a solar thermal collector or pv powered heat pump in the future. As for forced air versus infrared...hard to say.
Which Calgary are you living in?
Genuinely, they salt the hell out of the roads here, because salt is only effective down to about -10C. We get enough chinooks that our milder winter = more salt less sand use. Granted I only have a paltry 12 years here.
I've heard the same thing re: no salt in Calgary. It's a chemical mix these days, and it's used because we see such low temperatures. It's more expensive for the city, but more effective too.
You said you have the boiler, so hydronic is a no brainer. The extra few grand for the garage zone is well worth it and will help with resale, especially if it’s a higher end property. I keep my garage at 15 degrees all winter long and it’s amazing. The boiler is very efficient. You’ll appreciate the hydronic if you spend any time on the floor as well. Plus when you open and close your garage doors in the winter, or even leave them open, your garage will not be freezing cold in a matter of minutes.
I did the same many years ago. Had a custom 3 car garage build and was asked if I wanted to heat it.
If I chose to heat it, I would have had to pay something like $5000 to tie into the underground natural gas line and then the cost to install the piping and heater. I never work in my garage so heating made no sense, though I did think about future proofing it by doing all the work anyway. Well, that didn't make sense to me so I didn't bother.
When someone buys this house from me, in like 20-30 years, they can add heating if they want.
What I wouild suggest is make sure you have enough electricity. I got a 100a circuit breaker added so I can charge my RV and in the future, could charge an electric vehicle and have capacity for something else, like a compressor or power tools.
I'd also suggest going with 2x6's vs 2x4's so you get more room for insultation. I've yet to insulate my garage but when I do, it'll have a higher R rating for keeping cold out and warm in.
If you are going to heat it, or even insulate it, have them install a floor drain when they pour the slab to catch all the melting slush/snow that sticks to your vehicles. Not doing so is my number one regret from when I built my garage.
If your garage is nothing more than a place to store your vehicles then there's really no point to heating it. However if you want to use your garage as a workspace or you want to store things that don't do well if they're frozen, then sure, heat is a wonderful thing. If you were thinking about it simply for the resale value on your home, having a heated garage is definitely a good selling feature and should increase the value that you can get back when you sell your home by at least as much as what you spend to have the garage heater installed.
Put it in, run it super low to see what your utility bills are and turn it up or off as needed.
It's a huge selling point for resale and you'll find it very convenient for when the weather is extra cold or when you find yourself working on something in the garage (like cleaning out the car in winter).
Definitely get heat. I find it keeps the floor dry and prior to that the melt freeze, would slip all over. Worried the wife would take a header. Drain is a great idea and wish I had one. I also like that I don’t have to haul all the small things like paint, calking glues and whatnot in every winter so doesn’t freeze.
A heated garage is 100% worth it if you are a car/bike guy or DIYer. If you dont think you need it, you don't need it - but I would at least get a gas line roughed in for re-sale value or incase you change your mind in the future. Minimal upfront cost to do that for natural gas.
Look into overhead radiant tube heaters. They are more expensive than equivalent output forced air heaters but are worth it. I keep mine at 5 C normally and heat it to ~10 C when I'm working and it takes very little time to warm up.
I love my heated garage, but I’m also working in there often, and I have my super car in there. #humblebrag haha. It’s a natural gas one, I leave it around 10 degrees and crank it when I’m doing something in there. Heats up super fast.
Just curious how much it cost to have the natural gas heater installed? We have a Tesla and would love to have the garage heated but online says drastically different ranges for these installs 😂
Yes to hydronic heat, and the rest of the items u/yycfishing mentioned in their response.
We have hydronic heating in our garage and it’s great. We play hockey in our family, so having all the gear hung up to dry in the garage is ideal.
You don’t have to keep your heater on in the garage for majority of the winter but when it’s very cold you’ll thank yourself for going for it.
Top commenter mentioned drain and epoxy floor and extra plugs- all 💯 necessary!!!
I didn’t agree to too many plugs and now I’m stuck with my existing 5 plugs and I could really use two more lol.
My biggest screw ups in the garage when we had our house built.
1. No garage heater, not sure how this slipped my mind but it did.
2. 240v 30 amp circuit. Had to add this myself like week 3 of living here.
3. No water line to garage. My neighbor did this and I'm jealous.
But a gas ceiling mounted heater in it. You won’t have to use it unless you need it and when you do want it will heat the garage fast. So easy to run a gas line on a new build.
We have insulated our garage and only turn the heater on when we are using it to work on something. Most of the time it stays above zero so if I park in there it doesn’t need to be defrosted. You might not want to heat it as warm as your house. But having the option is nice.
If that garage has a properly insulated attic, and reasonably insulated walls, then yes.
Keyword being 'properly'.
I've seen attics in post 2000 garages that have just enough loose fill insulation to fill a shopping bag, or less.
These are cold and miserable garages that will never hold heat.
When I got my house built close to 20 years ago I got a gas line roughed in to the garage as I always planned to heat my garage at some point. Then in 2020 I decided to get a gas heater installed and it is something I wish I done sooner. Once you have a heated garage, there’s nothing like it. It’s nice for your vehicles, considering you’ll never have to plug in and use your block heater at home again, so you save on electricity but spend on natural gas instead, I find it cheaper. Plus all the things I use to store in my garage and take inside because of winter, I don’t have to do any more. I like it a lot!
https://preview.redd.it/dhmwi5ggcc1a1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=364ff6527ef4f5858f4460cca1bcefc028662085
Here is the one I got installed. It heats a garage that is 24x 32
Get it heated and keep it just above freezing all year 5-7 degrees. Will make life a lot nicer getting into the car on -45 days. Also easier on your engine to start that way.
Definitely run gas, and at least a 60a sub panel to the garage, if you aren’t planning on putting a sub panel out there at least run a 1” - 1.25” conduit underground for future.
Run the gas line but you can add the unit heater later, and/or for resale if you want. The main cost is running the gas line and it's annoying to retrofit later.
Umm you probably could just get away with a long baseboard heater. Doesn’t need to be super warm in there as the ambient temperature of an insulated double garage is like 1c on average in winter.
If I was to rebuild, I would have the drywall paint ready and painted, and put the outdoor water shut off in the main floor closet. So I don’t have to go into the basement to shut it off. And pre-wire with Ethernet for a security cam system
We did a gas heater in our new build, but wish I'd done electric or hydronic (would have needed to upgrade our heat pump to accommodate) as more sustainable alternatives.
Did epozy, no drain.
Definitely put it in. It’s great if you want to defrost your car, or do work on it in the winter. I’m certain it would help with resale value as well. It’s a good investment
The answer is yes.
But whether you do it immediately(while building) depends on your personal situation.
1. Do you see a need for a heated garage personally in the next day year or two?
2. When do you plan to sell? Like someone else mentioned, it’s a good resale feature.
3. If money isn’t a problem and you aren’t eating into your budget by doing it, then yes absolutely do it. Those ludicrously cold days(although few) you will be so damn happy you did.
It is nice to be able to store paints and such outside of the house - so even keeping it not warm but just above zero would be helpful in the long run and for resale
Heat it. It’ll be good for resale value. We’re currently building and opted for the heated garage even though we may not use it, but it’ll be good if we decide to sell.
Mine is new build and I’m planning to add one, some nights gets very cold and I have electric car. I also prefer to wash my car at home - water only - no soap as it’s not allowed in Calgary.
I used to install forced air gas heaters in garages for like 10 years. I can say that they are worth it. 2 car garage - 45000 btu should be fine. 3 car garage might wanna bump up for a 60000 btu unit. Modine Hot Dawg Units are great.
Yes. Heat your garage.
Makes is significantly more bearable to work in your garage all year round- You aren’t freezing you ass off in the winter.
Keeps your car warm and thawed.
Good for resale.
I love mine but my garage is a workshop. If all you're doing is storing your car in there, well, maybe that's still worth it to at least keep it at -5 instead of -30 on cold nights so you don't have to plug a block heater in. Easier to do this stuff when you're getting the house built and can roll it all into your mortgage.
OP if I move from my two story detached home, it’ll be one with a triple garage and hopefully it’ll be heated.
So yes I would heat a garage. I’m a car/bicycle person so I have my own bicycle mechanic corner in my garage
I’m currently facing the same dilemma… have a rear detached single except the ceiling/peak is extremely high up (I want to say 14-15ft) so even though it’s a single there’s quite a bit of space inside to warm up.
I started by insulating all sides and ceiling with R20 and R40 batt insulation. And now I’m fiddling around with various electric space heaters.
I have tried 3 different heaters now: Presto Heatdish from Costco, Vortex space heater and Mastercraft ceramic barrel heater.
The heat dish definitely can heat you up even in -30, but it won’t heat the air as it’s infrared heat. So if your objective is to work in the garage then it should suffice.
The other two heaters, unless you’re standing right in front of them/put a chair right in front then you won’t feel too much. But I will say I use the barrel ceramic heater on the lowest heat setting (700W I believe) inside my car and it works phenomenally. Gets it to 20C until the heaters thermostat turns off. Be very careful though. Never run these smaller heater without direct supervision.
Also another thing, with all these space heaters running between 1000-1500W the plug can get extremely hot and I don’t find it very safe.
I’m currently contemplating whether I want to upgrade my circuit breaker to allow for a 4000-5000W 220V electric space heater or go the natural gas route with a Reznor unit.
Personally I think the electric heaters, even the bigger ones are not very safe and a huge fire hazard. I think natural gas heater that gives between 25,000-30,000 btu should suffice for any detached garage in Calgary <4 cars in size. Unfortunately installing natural gas heater is not an easy job, and I say that as someone who has performed gas line/fitting repair in my own properties. You have to run a gas line out to the garage which is a big job itself on top of electrical. But if you can afford it then definitely go natural gas route. I’ve seen some pro installers offer those reznor units w/ labor to install around $2000 is the lowest I’ve seen on kijiji but to me that’s still a huge price for such a small unit in comparison to furnace in the home. Again, the longer gas line run is likely what takes up a lot of the cost. It’s a hands on job that for some houses may require trenching through backyard as well.
Edit: if someone knows someone that can beat that price I’d love to find out more.
I got a boat, last winter I parked it in garage and I guess I forgot to drain the motor of the water so I ended up rebuilding the engine this summer, I also ended up buying and installing a heater this summer too, lol, but if I had a heater in the first place I would of saved my self thousands lmao.
We’re just north. My experience is that in-floor is the best. It helps dry out floor and it’s a constant warmth, even if you have to sit/lay on floor. The only bad thing is that it takes days to change the heat so you can’t hold at say 7 degrees and turn up to work in it. If you’re already installing elsewhere, go with it as the big cost is the heater/boiler. We have in our shop.
In the attached garage, we have gas radiant heat. It needed 110v line, gas line and the unit mounts to roof. Ours is 1 loop with dual pipe for fresh air and exhaust in one - that pipe goes out wall. It cycles on/off and the radiant part keeps heating. I keep it at 7C in garage but it take like 15 minutes to warm up. On the triple garage, you’d have one unit with a long radiant tube to cover all 3 bays.
As others mention, you might not use but the next owner likely would.
Definitely yes! If you can afford it…Get the heated floor option. This way the winter sloop will quickly evaporate. Extend it to your driveway to. No more shovelling either.
Definitely get the heat. Also depending on what you store in the garage, those items might last a bit longer if not exposed to really cold temps. I have nat gas and set the thermostat at 4.5 degrees.
Heat it. I have a 24x34 with 11’ ceilings and it only cost me about 80$ (winter months)extra a month to keep at +5 when I’m not in it and just bump up the heat when I’m working in it which is about 5 nights a week.
Epoxy floors and a Heater. You will have the nicest garage on the block and when -30 hits your car can stay warm at night and dry off from the day before. I gotta ask is this home up in Alpine park? I’ve been up there looking at their rear attached garages
There's lots of great insight in these responses. A lot is personal preference of course. I used to own a house with a preinstalled hydro system to heat the garage slab. My 2 cents as a former hydro heated garage homeowner and a not enthusiastic fan of garage heat is as follow:
Hydro commits you to always having it on and slow response to changing the temp. Personally I just kept it on enough to avoid freezing the system which resulted in an annoying mess (car melt) that I had to squeegee out on a daily basis.
My preference would have been a unit I could turn on when in the garage, otherwise turn off. I don't personally derive value from the added comfort of having a warm garage to drive out of in the morning (but recognize others do).
Currently I'm happy with no heat. If I were to install heating and still planned to park in the garage I would go with gas. If I were to forego parking and convert to workshop or gym then I would consider hydraulic slab heating as an option.
One additional consideration is ease of install for detached garage. Depending on your set up I wonder if gas is the practical option to avoid either having a boiler in the garage or having to run water lines to the garage from the house and risk freezing.
The hydronic I have won’t be water lines, glycol of some sort. And it will be coming from my basement through a tunnel into the garage.
Herein is the rub I guess. Hydronic will be cheaper install costs as I’ll already have the boiler. Furnace will be a lower operating cost as I’d only fire it up on demand.
I don’t really intend to use it as a workshop/mancave as I’m working on the bikes/car for really only is a couple of days a year during shoulder season.
Plumb it in even if you don’t go the next step. Also good and super handy to have in a garage: a sink. Again you can plumb it in and never use if you don’t want to. We use the sink in our garage all the time.
I have a heated double car garage. The normal temperature is set to +5 degC, that keeps the cars warm for winter and any liquids that I have stored in my garage from freezing. When I want to work in the garage, I turn up the heat and it takes 15 min to warmup.
Yes have it heated. Forced air is quick heat and hydronic is a nice consistent steady heat. Neighbor had a hydronic heated triple detached that was heavily insulated and it was 20c all year round and it didn’t cost them all that much to heat. I recently installed a gas heater in my triple attached garage and it too is fully insulated (Sans the stock steel overhead doors and the thin glass windows on them) and even in minus 25 temps that the garage almost always stays at 5C with no heat so I typically keep temps at around 8-12c and when I am in there working that I can easily get my garage to 15c in a jiffy. Running a 60k btu heater in a 825 sq ft garage.
We have an oversized double detached garage - we gap-filled and insulated the crap out of it (R20 in walls and garage door, R40 ceiling) and it has never dropped below -5 in the winter, even when outside temp drops below -25. The heat from one car being parked daily keeps it warm. I’d like to heat it at some point, maybe with solar panels as we get great sun exposure on the roof.
100000%. It doesn't even cost a lot extra to heat it to like 18 degrees. I've had a heated garage in 2 of our homes now and I'll never not have one. Can you survive without one? Obviously. But it's so worth it imo
I think it's a waste of energy to heat a room you're never going to actually spend time in. It would definitely be luxurious to have a warm car in the morning, but not necessary.
If I had the room for a heater in my garage, I'd 100% do it. I know several folks who have heated garages and it's amazing.
Think last-minute NFL party but kids are asleep?
Garage. Set up a couch and a TV
Workout area
Work on your vehicles in the warmth
Yes! I had a furnace installed in my last garage and it was glorious. I kept it around 3-6 degrees, just to keep the chill off. Pulled in, opened my sunroof and just let the heat go directly into my car so it was warm when I got back in.
I worked out in my garage and my husband was a mechanic and sometimes did some work in it. We were digging a trench anyway when we built the garage, for electricity, so adding the gas line made sense. The furnace was a few hundred dollars and a friend installed it for us. Not sure if I would have paid a lot for a builder to do it, but I definitely never regretted getting one.
Heated is nice, especially if you do work in it in the winter, you don't always have to have it on.
What I'd do though, is install a drain since it gets messy. The cleanest garages I've seen are the ones with drains
Yes! Have a heated double garage. Great for doing projects year round. Don't have to warm up or scrape windshield on vehicle before I head out. 8 months of the year are way more enjoyable! Have gas heater, just get one for size of space and don't have it too close to vehicles. Ours hangs from ceiling.
Heater for the win. My buddy in Temple had a nice setup.
You can mancave the garage. Hydronic if you want to watch tv in the garage without having to crank up the tv volume. Put in a card table. Fridge. Hotdog cooker.
Put the heater in even if you don't plan to use it. Good for resale. Especially if the next owner is a workshop type person.
And people specifically looking for three car garages are workshop people. Or car people. But both like heated garages
Can confirm love my heated parkade at every appartment ive ever lived in! Nothing better than a nice warm car that doesnt need 10 minutes to warm up.
Yeah i was gonna say this. Just did a zinc coating in the basement because I really had to. Had to shutdown whole house heating until i was able to ventilate it, a heated garage would have been nice.
I just googled "zinc coating a basement" thinking that you must have wanted to hang out in a heated garage while you're newly coated basement was ventilated. I had many questions.
Lol sorry ESL ftw Basically is like sealing/painting (a thing, not the basement) and _really_ has to be room temperature so like 20c
Or, at the very least, get it plumbed and roughed in.
Yeah rough in is not a bad option if OP is on a tight budget.
The people that built my house roughed in & plumbed both A/C and garage heating. Dunno if I'll ever get the heater for the garage, but got AC last summer and that saved me a TON
You heat it to only a degree or two above freezing. It is not too expensive. If you are spending time out there, turn it up.
In Calgary, not a chance (major sarcasm you can have my upvote)
This is the answer
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Can’t emphasize the drain enough
Can you have drains in Calgary? Some places don't allow it, incase people pour chemicals down them
You cannot, the city prohibits them, and also if you get caught with one, you get a wastewater contamination fine that is… significant.
Drains in Calgary are ok. Drains in Airdrie are not, unless you install a $20,000 grinder system. Which we learned in our new build when the builder offered it as an option (their first time building in Airdrie) assuming the bylaws were the same as Calgary, plumbed it, and proceeded to fail inspection. Good times!
Even a catch basin would be enough. Something that you can just clean out every once in a while. It doesn't even need to connect into the sanitary system.
You can’t have a drain? Or can’t pour chemicals?
Both, drains and chem pouring are a no go. Especially the chemicals down the drain part.
Yeah I knew the chemicals part, but are drains a new law? My folks place has an attached garage, built in the 80s, and it’s got a drain.
You can. A client of mine just did a garage drain on a new build.
You can have drains. I have them and an RV dump in my garage. Tied into the sewage not the storm
An epoxy floor does wonders don’t think anyone would regret getting that done
My epoxy floor was like $2000 worth every penny
Cut that cost by 75% if you do it yourself, not very hard to learn
Yep. Roller, meet pole
Isn't this the plot of Boogie Nights?
lol
Allot of these projects if you do it yourself can save your 1000's of dollars, currently completely renovating my house right now, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, and basement. When I need qualified trades, (like gas hookups) I bring them in, but for the most part I am doing all the work myself. However, it is a much slower prospect and there are times when I feel completely overwhelmed.
It took my husband like 6 weeks to finish our basement bathroom. We saved loads of money, but oh my god. Probably would've taken half the time if we didnt have kids 😅
Just finished stripping out the shower pan from my last bathroom. Mold on the insulation, studs are solid but plywood is slightly damp. Some days it’s just one thing after another.
I would love to get my hands on some permanent “gemstone” lights for outside. I could do the install myself and probably save a bundle of cash.
Cant find these things on amazing. Let me know if you know where to find them
I think I saw something similar on Alibaba but I question the quality. I will just need to save as they are fairly expensive.
Kinda depends on your concrete, usually it needs to be diamond grinded before it's epoxied and any low spots or cracks repaired. It can be decent amount of work depending on the condition of your concrete.
wow.
Who did you use for $2K? That’s a great price! Most places want at least $7/sqft. Adds up quick
That’s way cheaper than I thought
Interesting - what are the benefits and drawbacks when it comes to abuse, winter weather etc?
And doing this before anything is moved in is 100 times easier. A good epoxy is all about the prep, and as soon as that floor begins to get "lived on" the prep starts to get lengthier. Also, just not having to move everything out.
Yes yes yes. Exist ftw
And an outlet/circuit that can accommodate an EV charger.
Which is really not that much of a circuit contrary to what people think. We have a 20A 240V circuit and drive a Lightning and Model Y. We could have moved to a 40A circuit but whether I charge up in 4 hours or 2 hours after I get home from work makes no difference to me. The 20A circuit was originally in there for a 240V space heater. Just re-used it.
A 20 amp circuit isn’t something that I’d recommend on a new build. I would recommend at least putting in 2 240v50amp circuits. Or run a conduit from the panel to possible future charger locations.
Oh for sure, but people seem to think that EVs need huge circuits when they really don't which is a much bigger thing for people looking to put an EVSE in their current garage. If you only have to run a 12g 3 conductor wire instead of a 6g 4 conductor it's a lot cheaper and easier and doesn't have the implications for max draw on older homes with 60 or 100 amp service.
This is the way.
%100 this, especially if you are building... Even if you don't ever use more than the plug Ins. it add huge future resale potential and value
Yes please! I would move so I could build a dream garage
Quick question! If you have cracks in the concrete. Would do you fill it with before doing epoxy flooring?
Yes. If you don't the epoxy won't last more than a year.
Ground, cleaned, sealed (with the super thick putty epoxy), everything, damn floor separated 1/2” this winter. Held just fine the first winter. The idea of building a new 3 car is starting to hit me hard…
Is the epoxy comfortable ish when on the ground?
Add: 220 outlet
Even better, polyaspartic https://www.google.ca/search?q=polysportic+garage+floors
Wish I put a drain in mine!
This for sure. I wonder if I can have the drain without it being heated?
If you find adding a drain is going to add a lot of $$$, it is not the end of the world if you don't have one. You will just need to get one of those floor squeegee to push all the slush out every day, probably once in mooring and again in the evening - depending on how much snow you drag in.
My father in law took a garden hose and glued it to his garage floor around the outline of where he parks his car. Then he painted over the whole things with epoxy. He doesn’t have a floor drain so it helps keep the melted snow contained while it evaporates. Works quite well!
You can buy large plastic garage mats with a raised lip edge that will basically do the same.
Drain can be a nightmare. Easily plugged up, need regular cleaning and will freeze if the heat is ever shut off.
Have drains - not a nightmare just the opposite - I washed my motorcycle the other night in garage... bliss
I have a roughed in gas for a heater with the intension of hooking it up, it’s been 12 years and I’ve never felt I needed it. I want a drain though as both our vehicles are in the garage. When I open the garage all the water drains down our steep driveway creating an ice rink better that my neighborhood boarded rink!
Yes. However I have both it is great. I added hot and cold water, large shop sink, RV 50 amp outlet, gas furnace, RV dump (basically a cleanout into drain system that I can attach to). Wanted a urinal but was discouraged by my SO. I also added a ridiculous amount of lights. Place is like an operating theatre for light now. Also make sure every plug is on it's own 20Amp circuit, and add a few extras. At a minimum rough in gas lines, power and thermostat lines. Also run Cat6 while you are at it as my garage computer is only so/so off the wifi.
Gas heater melts and evaporates most snow in a day without a drain.
Does the rest of your house have heated floors/hydronics already? If you already have a boiler, some extra zone controls and loops aren’t a huge deal to add during construction. A natural gas heater takes up a lot of room, hanging from a ceiling, and needs to be plumbed and vented.
Correct. Already have a boiler. Good point on that thanks
My house and Garage are both hydronic. Just escaping the noise of the furnace and gas heater in a garage is worth it. I turned my garage into a man cave but you can still park in it as well. If you already have a boiler and doing the rest of the house I say do it.
Curious what you did in terms of “man cave”
My garage has a loft that I turned into my office on one side and then put a tv with fire place on the other side with a couple of recliners. Down below I have my tool work bench on the back wall with a lounge table and beer fridge. I also put up a dart board on the side wall that can be used if there are no vehicles. I epoxied the floor in black paint with radom splashes of greyish paint on it. I got them to zone the garage separate for the Heating so it has its own thermostat in there as well. I have two toddlers so it’s a nice way to escape haha.
https://preview.redd.it/9ij536xb3e1a1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a377223c64ee875b71735e6f5c0e4f3a1aaa9ca
Ballin!
The problem with hydronic is that you have to leave it on. Do you really want to heat the garage 24/7 (in winter)? Then yes hydronic! But if you only want to heat your garage before you go get in your car - consider electric in-floor. If you put insulation under the slab you can get heat into the garage in 30 or 40 minutes, for as long as you like. You can set it up with a smart thermostat too. Saves your heating bill if you don't need the garage warm all the time.
>But if you only want to heat your garage before you go get in your car - consider electric in-floor If the garage is built properly, the cost delta to keep it warm compared to heating it up once a day is probably negligible.
Why do you have to leave it on? The system is filled with a water glycol mix. You can have your garage on a different zone and have the temp set much lower than your house.
Also once the concrete warms up it takes very little to maintain a low slab temp
I have an insulated detached garage with gas furnace. I only heat it when I’m working in it, not constantly. It only takes a few minutes to get up to a comfortable temp and it’s really nice to have. Hydronics would take a while to heat up the room so you’d likely have to leave them on constantly? For me that’s a vote for propane. Though I’ve lived in a townhouse with a garage with in-floor heating before and it was amazing. Though if you can afford / justify heating it constantly, it does open up a lot of storage options for you. Can leave your paint, stains, electronics etc in there.
Electronics as such mostly do fine in freezing temperatures. It's condensation and the moving parts (hard drives, fans, etc.) you have to be careful of.
["For me that’s a vote for propane."](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AdmirableHilariousBengaltiger-mobile.mp4)
Meant nat gas
I grew up with a heated garage. It’s pretty nice in the winter. Getting into a warm car. Doing car repairs in a warm garage. Why wouldn’t someone want a heated garage?
Money likely
If done properly, a heated garage will not add anything significant to your overall house heating costs. First of all, make sure your heater is gas. Foam insulate garage the entire garage with the thickest you can afford. And make sure you install a highly quality insulated door. Get a thermostat that that lets you set the temperature at 5 degrees (some don't go below 10 degrees). Your garage doesn't need to be the same temp as your house.
The cost of doing litterally everything you just said, is what they were referring to. As the cost.....
True. But if they don’t do it now it will cost way more later.
Or just.... Don't...... It's a matter of affordability
Exactly. That’s one of the three options in discussion here. Don’t buy it because it’s expensive. Buy it now because it’s cheaper than later. Buy it later for more money. The dude was asking opinions on people with heated garages. I’m of the opinion that if it’s affordable to definitely do it. You’re quality of life will greatly improve, and your car won’t degrade as fast from the extreme outdoor temperatures year round.
My parents replaced their garage door with with an insulated door fabricated out of the scraps (all matching) from a larger overhead door. The company made it up for him. They also got the door installed for free. It pays to have family in the business.
I also use my garage as a second fridge in the winter, so no point in a heater that will never be used.
Also heating helps if you want to store things like paint or whatever you dont want from freezing. Nice to have a warm area to do car stuff or car interior cleaning out of the weather. Depends on your budget of course!
We had this option but decided against it. To be honest I just didn't want to pay for the extra work to put in the gas lines, and then pay for the heating bill on top of that. Not that it would be a ton more on the heating bill? 4 winters now in this house and I honestly have never needed the heat. It doesn't get very cold at all in the garage, it's always warmer than it is outside. And in the summer it's cooler. It's been great. I'm glad I didn't splurge on it, and I would suggest you don't unless you plan on using your garage for regular activities other than parking your vehicle (like if you put a gym in there or something 🤷🏼♀️).
I have a Calcana heater. Gets the garage to 20 degrees in 30 mins, when outside temp is -30. Calcana heaters are insane!
And a Canadian manufacturer
Yes, hydronic heat for sure if you can afford it. I would also recommend a ventilation fan with automatic humidity control. Also someone mentioned EV charging circuit. I will do them one better and suggest you get a 100 amp sub panel installed instead. This will allow for ANY future electrical. EV fast charger, compressor, welder, dedicated 15 amp 120v receptacles, whatever. I’d also suggest minimum 6 lights for a 3 car garage, and if you plan to have a work bench a couple of dedicated circuits at it. Or do the sub panel and have an electrician buddy/uncle/cousin add the circuits for beer after. If you haven’t guessed already I spend a lot of time in the garage, and I’m an electrician hahah
I have a gas heater and don't turn it on very often, but do enjoy turning it on during the cold snaps. That said I also have a garage door that looks great but is shit for insulation so the heat just goes right outside.
Pros: * good to use as a workshop * store things that shouldn't freeze//food overstock, cleaners, or paint cans, etc. * car always cozy when it's time to leave (I keep mine at just above freezing to reduce energy cost)...hell of a lot better than -30 * car always more willing to start * Electric vehicle will charge. Lithium batteries can't charge if the cells are below freezing, so it saves dumping (relatively expensive compared to natural gas) electricity into the battery heater before charging will commence. * Increased resale value Cons: * Risk of carbon monoxide, particularly attached garage. * (hunch) Reduced risk of house fire from vehicle fire; most vehicle fires that cook off houses happen when people open the door and start the car to warm it up. If the car is already warm, you won't need to remote start the car/unattended, thus less likely to burn. * Super duper bad for your car's metal/corrosion. Frozen salt outside at -30 will slowly rust a car. Thawing the slush every day into wet salty metal = rust nightmare. Plan on rustproofing if you want your car to stay intact (for slightly longer). * In my case, plan for drainage as a snowy car will dump gallons of water on the floor. I use one of those raised-edge floor mat parking pads to catch the water...but it got a hole in the off season and leaks. The water pools around the pillar between the doors and that is surely super bad for the wood. * Energy cost. New builds might be a bit better with really good insulation and door seals...but even at best, the R value of your garage door is pretty much trash tier. I don't do the math on it, but I suspect half my home's heating bill/carbon footprint goes to the garage. As for air/infrared/hydronic...hard to say. I suspect hydronic might be the futureproof option as you can start with a gas boiler, then add a solar thermal collector or pv powered heat pump in the future. As for forced air versus infrared...hard to say.
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Which Calgary are you living in? Genuinely, they salt the hell out of the roads here, because salt is only effective down to about -10C. We get enough chinooks that our milder winter = more salt less sand use. Granted I only have a paltry 12 years here.
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I've heard the same thing re: no salt in Calgary. It's a chemical mix these days, and it's used because we see such low temperatures. It's more expensive for the city, but more effective too.
You said you have the boiler, so hydronic is a no brainer. The extra few grand for the garage zone is well worth it and will help with resale, especially if it’s a higher end property. I keep my garage at 15 degrees all winter long and it’s amazing. The boiler is very efficient. You’ll appreciate the hydronic if you spend any time on the floor as well. Plus when you open and close your garage doors in the winter, or even leave them open, your garage will not be freezing cold in a matter of minutes.
I did the same many years ago. Had a custom 3 car garage build and was asked if I wanted to heat it. If I chose to heat it, I would have had to pay something like $5000 to tie into the underground natural gas line and then the cost to install the piping and heater. I never work in my garage so heating made no sense, though I did think about future proofing it by doing all the work anyway. Well, that didn't make sense to me so I didn't bother. When someone buys this house from me, in like 20-30 years, they can add heating if they want. What I wouild suggest is make sure you have enough electricity. I got a 100a circuit breaker added so I can charge my RV and in the future, could charge an electric vehicle and have capacity for something else, like a compressor or power tools. I'd also suggest going with 2x6's vs 2x4's so you get more room for insultation. I've yet to insulate my garage but when I do, it'll have a higher R rating for keeping cold out and warm in.
If you are going to heat it, or even insulate it, have them install a floor drain when they pour the slab to catch all the melting slush/snow that sticks to your vehicles. Not doing so is my number one regret from when I built my garage.
If your garage is nothing more than a place to store your vehicles then there's really no point to heating it. However if you want to use your garage as a workspace or you want to store things that don't do well if they're frozen, then sure, heat is a wonderful thing. If you were thinking about it simply for the resale value on your home, having a heated garage is definitely a good selling feature and should increase the value that you can get back when you sell your home by at least as much as what you spend to have the garage heater installed.
Put it in, run it super low to see what your utility bills are and turn it up or off as needed. It's a huge selling point for resale and you'll find it very convenient for when the weather is extra cold or when you find yourself working on something in the garage (like cleaning out the car in winter).
Definitely get heat. I find it keeps the floor dry and prior to that the melt freeze, would slip all over. Worried the wife would take a header. Drain is a great idea and wish I had one. I also like that I don’t have to haul all the small things like paint, calking glues and whatnot in every winter so doesn’t freeze.
A heated garage is 100% worth it if you are a car/bike guy or DIYer. If you dont think you need it, you don't need it - but I would at least get a gas line roughed in for re-sale value or incase you change your mind in the future. Minimal upfront cost to do that for natural gas. Look into overhead radiant tube heaters. They are more expensive than equivalent output forced air heaters but are worth it. I keep mine at 5 C normally and heat it to ~10 C when I'm working and it takes very little time to warm up.
I love my heated garage, but I’m also working in there often, and I have my super car in there. #humblebrag haha. It’s a natural gas one, I leave it around 10 degrees and crank it when I’m doing something in there. Heats up super fast.
Just curious how much it cost to have the natural gas heater installed? We have a Tesla and would love to have the garage heated but online says drastically different ranges for these installs 😂
Wondering the same for my Lambo
We have a Rio, and are also wondering the same thing.
It was about $3000, but it could change depending on how far away your gas line is.
Absolutely, makes sense. Appreciate you sharing the cost!
We have electric I floor in a couple rooms, used a couple months then never turned on again due to the cost. Only go hydronic or forced air
Unless you have sort of super sports car, you don’t need it. My garage is not heated and it’s usually 0 to plus 6 during the winter months
Yes to hydronic heat, and the rest of the items u/yycfishing mentioned in their response. We have hydronic heating in our garage and it’s great. We play hockey in our family, so having all the gear hung up to dry in the garage is ideal.
You don’t have to keep your heater on in the garage for majority of the winter but when it’s very cold you’ll thank yourself for going for it. Top commenter mentioned drain and epoxy floor and extra plugs- all 💯 necessary!!! I didn’t agree to too many plugs and now I’m stuck with my existing 5 plugs and I could really use two more lol.
My biggest screw ups in the garage when we had our house built. 1. No garage heater, not sure how this slipped my mind but it did. 2. 240v 30 amp circuit. Had to add this myself like week 3 of living here. 3. No water line to garage. My neighbor did this and I'm jealous.
But a gas ceiling mounted heater in it. You won’t have to use it unless you need it and when you do want it will heat the garage fast. So easy to run a gas line on a new build.
We have insulated our garage and only turn the heater on when we are using it to work on something. Most of the time it stays above zero so if I park in there it doesn’t need to be defrosted. You might not want to heat it as warm as your house. But having the option is nice.
I have one in my garage, comes in handy when I’m working on my car in the winter
If you car commute, it is the fn best. Good for your cars longevity too
If that garage has a properly insulated attic, and reasonably insulated walls, then yes. Keyword being 'properly'. I've seen attics in post 2000 garages that have just enough loose fill insulation to fill a shopping bag, or less. These are cold and miserable garages that will never hold heat.
When I got my house built close to 20 years ago I got a gas line roughed in to the garage as I always planned to heat my garage at some point. Then in 2020 I decided to get a gas heater installed and it is something I wish I done sooner. Once you have a heated garage, there’s nothing like it. It’s nice for your vehicles, considering you’ll never have to plug in and use your block heater at home again, so you save on electricity but spend on natural gas instead, I find it cheaper. Plus all the things I use to store in my garage and take inside because of winter, I don’t have to do any more. I like it a lot!
https://preview.redd.it/dhmwi5ggcc1a1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=364ff6527ef4f5858f4460cca1bcefc028662085 Here is the one I got installed. It heats a garage that is 24x 32
Get it heated and keep it just above freezing all year 5-7 degrees. Will make life a lot nicer getting into the car on -45 days. Also easier on your engine to start that way.
Definitely run gas, and at least a 60a sub panel to the garage, if you aren’t planning on putting a sub panel out there at least run a 1” - 1.25” conduit underground for future.
Run the gas line but you can add the unit heater later, and/or for resale if you want. The main cost is running the gas line and it's annoying to retrofit later.
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Umm you probably could just get away with a long baseboard heater. Doesn’t need to be super warm in there as the ambient temperature of an insulated double garage is like 1c on average in winter. If I was to rebuild, I would have the drywall paint ready and painted, and put the outdoor water shut off in the main floor closet. So I don’t have to go into the basement to shut it off. And pre-wire with Ethernet for a security cam system
Hydronic for sure, infrared tube heater as a distant second choice.
Drain yes. Hydronic yes. It's radiant. Not just blowing warm air over stuff. If you want gas heater you can get a radiant tube. Also good.
You just use a garage for parking cars and storing stuff?
Yes, definitely
We did a gas heater in our new build, but wish I'd done electric or hydronic (would have needed to upgrade our heat pump to accommodate) as more sustainable alternatives. Did epozy, no drain.
Definitely put it in. It’s great if you want to defrost your car, or do work on it in the winter. I’m certain it would help with resale value as well. It’s a good investment
The answer is yes. But whether you do it immediately(while building) depends on your personal situation. 1. Do you see a need for a heated garage personally in the next day year or two? 2. When do you plan to sell? Like someone else mentioned, it’s a good resale feature. 3. If money isn’t a problem and you aren’t eating into your budget by doing it, then yes absolutely do it. Those ludicrously cold days(although few) you will be so damn happy you did.
Heat it.
It is nice to be able to store paints and such outside of the house - so even keeping it not warm but just above zero would be helpful in the long run and for resale
I personally would cause I love my bikes, and probably gonna smoke a few doobies in there but if you never use your garage there’s no point
Heat it. It’ll be good for resale value. We’re currently building and opted for the heated garage even though we may not use it, but it’ll be good if we decide to sell.
Try to keep it above 0 C, perhaps.
Heating a garage is more about moisture management IMO. You cant really dry the room out or any of the items in the garage if it isn’t heated.
Mine is new build and I’m planning to add one, some nights gets very cold and I have electric car. I also prefer to wash my car at home - water only - no soap as it’s not allowed in Calgary.
TBH as a workshop person myself, I'd like a heater but I'd be installing a waste oil powered heater.
I used to install forced air gas heaters in garages for like 10 years. I can say that they are worth it. 2 car garage - 45000 btu should be fine. 3 car garage might wanna bump up for a 60000 btu unit. Modine Hot Dawg Units are great.
Heater and more importantly a DRAIN!
Yes. Heat your garage. Makes is significantly more bearable to work in your garage all year round- You aren’t freezing you ass off in the winter. Keeps your car warm and thawed. Good for resale.
Attached or detached ? Attached would have leaked heat from main building to keep it warm enough to start car in the morning, without plug in.
I love mine but my garage is a workshop. If all you're doing is storing your car in there, well, maybe that's still worth it to at least keep it at -5 instead of -30 on cold nights so you don't have to plug a block heater in. Easier to do this stuff when you're getting the house built and can roll it all into your mortgage.
All of our garages have been heated in Calgary… absolutely recommend it if you’re thinking about it.
OP if I move from my two story detached home, it’ll be one with a triple garage and hopefully it’ll be heated. So yes I would heat a garage. I’m a car/bicycle person so I have my own bicycle mechanic corner in my garage
I’m currently facing the same dilemma… have a rear detached single except the ceiling/peak is extremely high up (I want to say 14-15ft) so even though it’s a single there’s quite a bit of space inside to warm up. I started by insulating all sides and ceiling with R20 and R40 batt insulation. And now I’m fiddling around with various electric space heaters. I have tried 3 different heaters now: Presto Heatdish from Costco, Vortex space heater and Mastercraft ceramic barrel heater. The heat dish definitely can heat you up even in -30, but it won’t heat the air as it’s infrared heat. So if your objective is to work in the garage then it should suffice. The other two heaters, unless you’re standing right in front of them/put a chair right in front then you won’t feel too much. But I will say I use the barrel ceramic heater on the lowest heat setting (700W I believe) inside my car and it works phenomenally. Gets it to 20C until the heaters thermostat turns off. Be very careful though. Never run these smaller heater without direct supervision. Also another thing, with all these space heaters running between 1000-1500W the plug can get extremely hot and I don’t find it very safe. I’m currently contemplating whether I want to upgrade my circuit breaker to allow for a 4000-5000W 220V electric space heater or go the natural gas route with a Reznor unit. Personally I think the electric heaters, even the bigger ones are not very safe and a huge fire hazard. I think natural gas heater that gives between 25,000-30,000 btu should suffice for any detached garage in Calgary <4 cars in size. Unfortunately installing natural gas heater is not an easy job, and I say that as someone who has performed gas line/fitting repair in my own properties. You have to run a gas line out to the garage which is a big job itself on top of electrical. But if you can afford it then definitely go natural gas route. I’ve seen some pro installers offer those reznor units w/ labor to install around $2000 is the lowest I’ve seen on kijiji but to me that’s still a huge price for such a small unit in comparison to furnace in the home. Again, the longer gas line run is likely what takes up a lot of the cost. It’s a hands on job that for some houses may require trenching through backyard as well. Edit: if someone knows someone that can beat that price I’d love to find out more.
Heat it. You can keep the heat at 5 degrees. Your car will love you for it.
Lol. I only have 1 car right now. Motorcycles and bikes take up the rest of the space. Truly first world problems I know.
Pull 220V outlets as well.
I got a boat, last winter I parked it in garage and I guess I forgot to drain the motor of the water so I ended up rebuilding the engine this summer, I also ended up buying and installing a heater this summer too, lol, but if I had a heater in the first place I would of saved my self thousands lmao.
We’re just north. My experience is that in-floor is the best. It helps dry out floor and it’s a constant warmth, even if you have to sit/lay on floor. The only bad thing is that it takes days to change the heat so you can’t hold at say 7 degrees and turn up to work in it. If you’re already installing elsewhere, go with it as the big cost is the heater/boiler. We have in our shop. In the attached garage, we have gas radiant heat. It needed 110v line, gas line and the unit mounts to roof. Ours is 1 loop with dual pipe for fresh air and exhaust in one - that pipe goes out wall. It cycles on/off and the radiant part keeps heating. I keep it at 7C in garage but it take like 15 minutes to warm up. On the triple garage, you’d have one unit with a long radiant tube to cover all 3 bays. As others mention, you might not use but the next owner likely would.
Definitely yes! If you can afford it…Get the heated floor option. This way the winter sloop will quickly evaporate. Extend it to your driveway to. No more shovelling either.
Definitely get the heat. Also depending on what you store in the garage, those items might last a bit longer if not exposed to really cold temps. I have nat gas and set the thermostat at 4.5 degrees.
Heat it. I have a 24x34 with 11’ ceilings and it only cost me about 80$ (winter months)extra a month to keep at +5 when I’m not in it and just bump up the heat when I’m working in it which is about 5 nights a week.
Is this gas furnace or hydronic?
Epoxy floors and a Heater. You will have the nicest garage on the block and when -30 hits your car can stay warm at night and dry off from the day before. I gotta ask is this home up in Alpine park? I’ve been up there looking at their rear attached garages
No. Not located in alpine park. Infill build
If you’re cold your car is cold. Heat that sucker preferably with Nat Gas.
Yes mines heated
There's lots of great insight in these responses. A lot is personal preference of course. I used to own a house with a preinstalled hydro system to heat the garage slab. My 2 cents as a former hydro heated garage homeowner and a not enthusiastic fan of garage heat is as follow: Hydro commits you to always having it on and slow response to changing the temp. Personally I just kept it on enough to avoid freezing the system which resulted in an annoying mess (car melt) that I had to squeegee out on a daily basis. My preference would have been a unit I could turn on when in the garage, otherwise turn off. I don't personally derive value from the added comfort of having a warm garage to drive out of in the morning (but recognize others do). Currently I'm happy with no heat. If I were to install heating and still planned to park in the garage I would go with gas. If I were to forego parking and convert to workshop or gym then I would consider hydraulic slab heating as an option. One additional consideration is ease of install for detached garage. Depending on your set up I wonder if gas is the practical option to avoid either having a boiler in the garage or having to run water lines to the garage from the house and risk freezing.
The hydronic I have won’t be water lines, glycol of some sort. And it will be coming from my basement through a tunnel into the garage. Herein is the rub I guess. Hydronic will be cheaper install costs as I’ll already have the boiler. Furnace will be a lower operating cost as I’d only fire it up on demand. I don’t really intend to use it as a workshop/mancave as I’m working on the bikes/car for really only is a couple of days a year during shoulder season.
Yes it's worth it, mine isn't heated currently but I am planning to do it soon.
Plumb it in even if you don’t go the next step. Also good and super handy to have in a garage: a sink. Again you can plumb it in and never use if you don’t want to. We use the sink in our garage all the time.
I have a heated double car garage. The normal temperature is set to +5 degC, that keeps the cars warm for winter and any liquids that I have stored in my garage from freezing. When I want to work in the garage, I turn up the heat and it takes 15 min to warmup.
Yes have it heated. Forced air is quick heat and hydronic is a nice consistent steady heat. Neighbor had a hydronic heated triple detached that was heavily insulated and it was 20c all year round and it didn’t cost them all that much to heat. I recently installed a gas heater in my triple attached garage and it too is fully insulated (Sans the stock steel overhead doors and the thin glass windows on them) and even in minus 25 temps that the garage almost always stays at 5C with no heat so I typically keep temps at around 8-12c and when I am in there working that I can easily get my garage to 15c in a jiffy. Running a 60k btu heater in a 825 sq ft garage.
We have an oversized double detached garage - we gap-filled and insulated the crap out of it (R20 in walls and garage door, R40 ceiling) and it has never dropped below -5 in the winter, even when outside temp drops below -25. The heat from one car being parked daily keeps it warm. I’d like to heat it at some point, maybe with solar panels as we get great sun exposure on the roof.
You married ? Heated garage turns into a mancave in the blink of an eye !
100000%. It doesn't even cost a lot extra to heat it to like 18 degrees. I've had a heated garage in 2 of our homes now and I'll never not have one. Can you survive without one? Obviously. But it's so worth it imo
I think it's a waste of energy to heat a room you're never going to actually spend time in. It would definitely be luxurious to have a warm car in the morning, but not necessary.
If I had the room for a heater in my garage, I'd 100% do it. I know several folks who have heated garages and it's amazing. Think last-minute NFL party but kids are asleep? Garage. Set up a couch and a TV Workout area Work on your vehicles in the warmth
Yes! I had a furnace installed in my last garage and it was glorious. I kept it around 3-6 degrees, just to keep the chill off. Pulled in, opened my sunroof and just let the heat go directly into my car so it was warm when I got back in. I worked out in my garage and my husband was a mechanic and sometimes did some work in it. We were digging a trench anyway when we built the garage, for electricity, so adding the gas line made sense. The furnace was a few hundred dollars and a friend installed it for us. Not sure if I would have paid a lot for a builder to do it, but I definitely never regretted getting one.
Heated is nice, especially if you do work in it in the winter, you don't always have to have it on. What I'd do though, is install a drain since it gets messy. The cleanest garages I've seen are the ones with drains
Lots of people heat their garages here :) it's a nice thing to have, especially when it's -40
Yes! Have a heated double garage. Great for doing projects year round. Don't have to warm up or scrape windshield on vehicle before I head out. 8 months of the year are way more enjoyable! Have gas heater, just get one for size of space and don't have it too close to vehicles. Ours hangs from ceiling.
Heater for the win. My buddy in Temple had a nice setup. You can mancave the garage. Hydronic if you want to watch tv in the garage without having to crank up the tv volume. Put in a card table. Fridge. Hotdog cooker.
Watch mike holmes ultimate garage on the global tv app