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Insulated floor above garage - cavity insulation with 1 inch rigid insulation with 1x3 wood furring

Insulated floor above garage - cavity insulation with 1 inch rigid insulation with 2x2 wood furring

DWG

PDF

Insulated floor above garage - cavity insulation with 1 1/2 inch rigid insulation with 2x4 sleepers

DWG

PDF

Insulated floor above garage - cavity insulation with 1 1/2 inch rigid insulation with 1x3 wood furring

DWG

PDF

This heated garage plenum is insulated along the bottom and sides, and the insulation is fully aligned with an air barrier. The insulation at the bottom of the plenum space meets IECC insulation requirements.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Spray foam insulation air-seals and insulates the floor above the garage; the joist will be filled with fibrous insulation in this flash-and-batt approach.

Insulating Garages in Multifamily Buildings

Guide describing how to properly insulate garages in multifamily buildings.

Insulating Existing Floors over Garage

Guide with information about how to upgrade a garage ceiling when a portion of the interior of the house is located directly above the attached garage by adding insulation and air sealing.

This heated garage plenum space is insulated along its top, bottom and sides, and the insulation at the top of the plenum meets IECC requirements. The insulation along the top and sides is fully aligned with an air barrier.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Batt insulation is not an effective air barrier

Insulating Heated Garage Plenums in Multifamily Buildings

Guide providing methods for insulating heated garage plenums in multifamily parking garages.

This hot climate zone home uses high quality batt insulation between studs to insulate this connecting garage wall.

Publication Date

Thu, 01/01/2015 - 12:00

Wrong – Insulation is misaligned with floor above

Publication Date

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:00

Right – Insulation is in contact with floor above

Publication Date

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:00

Insulation Installation Guide: Air Sealing Garage

Publication Date

June, 2017

Video describing a technique for airtight drywall installation on garage walls using foam gasket strips.

Drop-in ceiling assemblies consisting of suspended ceiling tiles (common in multifamily buildings) are often insulated with fiberglass or mineral wool batt insulation.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Unfaced batt insulation completely fills the wall cavities.

This assembly for above-grade or below-grade garage walls in any climate zone uses a hybrid of continuous rigid insulation and cavity insulation on the interior side of the wall.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Right - This heated garage plenum has insulated ceiling tiles.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Rigid foam insulating sheathing installed over an existing garage ceiling with retrofits to air seal exterior wall before adding exterior wall insulating sheathing

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Rigid Foam Insulation Installed Between Existing House and Garage Walls

Guide describing how to upgrade walls that separate the garage from the house by providing a continuous air control layer on the garage side of the wall and adding rigid foam insulation.

Right - This heated garage plenum is insulated along the bottom of the plenum space.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Right - The ceiling above the garage is air-sealed and insulated with spray foam.

Right – Spray foam insulates the walls and ceilings separating the garage from the home.

Publication Date

Mon, 09/30/2019 - 12:00

Right – The band joist over this wall was properly insulated and air-sealed.

Publication Date

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:00

Garage ceiling with spray foam, flash air-seal, and batt insulation.

Reference

Building America Best Practices Series - 40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Cold and Very Cold Climates, Volume 12

Author(s)

Baechler Michael C,

Gilbride Theresa L,

Hefty Marye G,

Cole Pam C,

Love Pat M

Organization(s)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Guide describing measures that builders in the cold and very cold climates can take to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Publication Date

Tue, 02/01/2011 - 12:00

Insulating the exterior and garage-side faces of the plaza deck can reduce thermal bridging. If the garage is heated or partially heated, the faced batt insulation on the garage side of the plaza deck should extend to perimeter of garage.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Heated or partially heated garages with podium decks should be thermally isolated from both ambient exterior space and interior conditioned space by insulating the interior of the garage walls and ceiling and extending the insulation below grade.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Air barrier at garage band joist - 1 inch rigid insulation with 1x3 wood furring

DWG

PDF

Air barrier at garage band joist - 1 inch rigid insulation with 2x2 wood furring

DWG

PDF

Air barrier at garage band joist - 1 1/2 inch rigid insulation with 2x4 sleepers

DWG

PDF

Right - This heated garage plenum is insulated and has an opening to access the interior, allowing for repairs and maintenance.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Right - Walls and ceilings shared by the garage and living space must be air sealed and insulated.

Wrong - Rigid insulation blocking is installed but not air-sealed with spray foam around edges.

Insulating both exterior and garage-side faces of plaza deck can reduce thermal bridging. If garage is heated or partially heated, hybrid spray foam/batt insulation on garage side of plaza deck should extend to the perimeter of the garage.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Rigid foam insulation is installed on the garage side of the shared garage wall and roof of an existing home

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Right - Fiberglass/mineral wool insulation thermally isolates the garage from the interior occupied space above.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Air-seal and insulate the rim and band joists of walls separating an attached garage from the home’s conditioned space.

Publication Date

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:00

Wrong - The faced batt insulation does not provide an air barrier in the joist bay between the garage and the conditioned space of the home.

This assembly for above-grade and below-grade garage walls in any climate zone uses continuous rigid insulation along the interior of the wall.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Rigid insulation and air-sealing can be used to thermally isolate garages from interior occupied space in multifamily row houses/townhouses.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Spray foam insulates the rim joist and air seals the subfloor-rim joist and rim joist-top plate connections

Reference

Building America Best Practices Series - 40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Cold and Very Cold Climates, Volume 12

Author(s)

Baechler Michael C,

Gilbride Theresa L,

Hefty Marye G,

Cole Pam C,

Love Pat M

Organization(s)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Guide describing measures that builders in the cold and very cold climates can take to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Publication Date

Tue, 02/01/2011 - 12:00

Right - The ceiling above the garage is insulated and air-sealed with open-cell spray foam to keep garage fumes out of the living space above.

Publication Date

Thu, 09/30/2021 - 12:00

Right – Closed-cell spray foam insulates and air-seals the rim joist above a shared wall between the garage and living space.

Rigid foam insulating sheathing is installed on existing garage ceiling and covered with a new gypsum board fire protection layer installed over the foam.

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Rigid insulation can be used as a thermal break between a garage slab with a heated plenum space and a separately cast garage slab without a heated plenum space.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

To ensure a complete air barrier between the garage and the house, the wall between the garage and the house was insulated and air-sealed with four inches of high-density spray foam.

Air-seal the floor above a garage when there is living space above the garage and make sure floor insulation is in full contact with the underside of the subfloor.

Publication Date

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:00

Side view showing air-sealing and rigid foam insulation is installed over existing wall and ceiling under a room above, then covered with new gypsum board.

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Side view showing how the existing garage wall and ceiling are air-sealed prior to installing rigid foam insulation on the garage side of the shared wall of an existing home.

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Rigid insulation and air-sealing can be used to thermally isolate garages from multifamily row houses/town houses with basement foundations in IECC Climate Zones 3 or higher.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Right – Closed-cell spray foam insulation in the shared wall between the garage and living space helps to air-seal the wall and protect occupants from garage pollutants.

This wall assembly for above-grade garage walls uses cavity insulation and should only be used in IECC Climate Zones 4 or lower due to the risk of condensation on the interior surface of the concrete wall.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Insulating the exterior and garage-side faces of the garage plaza deck can reduce thermal bridging. If the garage is heated or partially heated, the spray foam on the garage side of the plaza deck should extend to perimeter of garage.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Assembly can be used in IECC CZ 3 and above to thermally isolate garages in multifamily row houses with slab foundations. For unheated garages, it is unnecessary to insulate wall between garage and exterior of slab or slab underneath garage.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Plan view (from above) showing how the existing garage wall gypsum board is cut away to air-seal the shared wall before adding rigid foam insulation on the garage and exterior walls of the home.

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Thermally isolate heated garages in multifamily buildings from ambient space, and thermally isolate all garages in multifamily buildings from interior occupied space. This parking garage is thermally isolated from space above with spray foam insulation.

Publication Date

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:00

Floor Above Garage

Guide describing how to create an air barrier between the garage and the conditioned space above it to prohibit pollutants from entering a home's interior.

Garage Rim/Band Joist Adjoining Conditioned Space

Guide describing the air-sealing of rim joists on walls connecting homes and attached garages.

Garage Rim/Band Joist Adjoining Conditioned Space

Publication Date

July, 2015

Video describing best practices for air sealing an attached garage during construction using plywood and spray foam in the band joist and providing an exhaust fan to ventilate and depressurize the attic.

Builders Challenge High Performance Builder Spotlight: Kacin Homes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Author(s)

U.S. Department of Energy

Organization(s)

DOE

Publication Date

January, 2008

Case study describing a building project in the cold and very-cold climate zones.

Air Sealing Attached Garage

Guide describing ways to air-seal an attached garage in new and existing homes.

Heated recirculation plenum spaces can be installed in parking garages in cold climates to prevent pipes from freezing and warm the floor of occupied space directly above the garage.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

No Ducts or Air Handlers Located in Garage

Guide describing how to design HVAC systems to be located within the conditioned space of the home, either in a utility closet or in an air sealed conditioned attic, basement, or crawl space.

This assembly can be used to thermally isolate heated or partially heated garages with slab foundations from the exterior in multifamily row houses/townhouses in IECC Climate Zones 3 and higher.

Publication Date

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:00

Floor Above Garage

Publication Date

July, 2015

Video describing best practices for air-sealing floors above garages.

A Thermally Broken Steel Connection

Author(s)

West Chris

Organization(s)

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Publication Date

April, 2017

Article describing methods for thermally isolating a garage in a Passive House-certified multifamily building.

The original corner seam is air-sealed with caulk, then rigid foam is installed on the existing garage ceiling and walls, and finally covered with drywall.

Publication Date

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00

Existing Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Historic Home in Eastern Washington

Author(s)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Organization(s)

PNNL

Publication Date

December, 2011

Case study describing a cost-effectively reducing energy use by over 50% in an existing home.

Air Sealing the Air Handler Closet

Guide describing the repair and reconfiguration of the air handler closet and platform when replacing the air handler.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Nelson Construction: Hamilton Way, Farmington, CT

Author(s)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Organization(s)

PNNL

Publication Date

April, 2012

Case study describing the design and testing of 10 high-performance homes in Farmington, Connecticut.

Mechanical Ventilation for Attached Garage

Guide describing how to install an exhaust fan in an attached garage to pull fumes out of the garage and to depressurize the garage with reference to the home.