need new garage door: insulated or non-insulated?
 

simple question. $625 for non-insulated or $895 for insulated. the price difference would pay for my next project, RS carpet kit. i like to tinker year round on the p car. does it really make a difference here in the summer and winter?

In the bay area I wouldn't really worry too much. If your garage roof is uninsulated you're getting so much heat escaping that way that the door won't really matter.

Considering your location I would say non insulated, Here in Minnesota insulated a must. I installed a new door last fall , with a southern exposure, I filled it up with as many windows as possible so I would get more light in like a service station. Not the budget door, but up here in the winter when we cant drive our P cars, a nice warm garage to tinker to help pass the time is whats needed.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1072814150.jpg

I insulated my garage door myself using 1" styrofoam and liquid nails. Last time I was at HD, they actually sold pre-cut styrofoam for this purpose.

In the bay area the only reason you would need an insulated door would be if it is facing west and the direct afternoon sunlight was too much, or if the rest of the garage is insulated and the garage is heated.
If neither is the case I would say it is a a waste of money.
I replaced mine a few years ago and got the un-insulated variety, hasn't bothered me a bit.

Hold on a minute here - I have to disagree. I highly recommend the insulated garage door. We had the fully insulated door installed on our last home and it made a noticeable difference. Plus, the kids bedrooms were above the garage, and their rooms were also positively affected.

Thom has a point - you can insulate yourself with kit from HD, but the door we bought was really nicely finished and even had panels with anti-pinch joints to protect little kids fingers. Was money well spent in my book - plus the Bay Area gets slightly colder than San Diego :D

I have a 50,000 btu heater that is controlled by its own thermostat, as my bedroom is baove my 3 car garage. I called the local garage door place and they came out and insulated it for me for $150. They used the styrofoam thom mentioned, but not liquid nails. It almost looks liek a drop down ceiling. The side facing out looks really nice and has a texture it. The installer even left me some extra panels incase something happened to one of the ones I had.

Call around first and get quotes on how much to insulate a door. My guess is you might save about $50, and that can go to your RS carpets. Having the insulated door here in Colorado is nice.

Bill

i appreciate the feedback gentlemen.

i guess i should give a little more detail. the home is new to my wife and me and the house is about 15 years old. it was a model home meaning insulated/finished textured walls and closed popcorn ceiling. it is a single story home (no rooms above). house faces south.

i am favoring the non-insulated thus far based on the feedback.

You can always add it later like Thom said. Go for the uninsulated, so we can see the RS carpet insatll pics!

As a one-time former garage door salesman, I say insulated. Helps keep the house and garage cooler/warmer. They have a studier build with the insulation and are a helluva lot quieter. If it is a sandwich type door with steel outside of foam, it is much less dent resistant. Clopay makes a good door, the wayne Dalton/Crawford door ain't bad either, I like clopay for the dollar. They aren't too hard to install if you have a good buddy. I hung my 18x7 by myself, although I realized I was too old for that anymore!

Well, since my existing garage is very utiliarian (sounds like a church!) and the new shop even more so, I ordered the new door un-insulated and will be giving it the styrofoam treatment.

I have a 45k BTU propane heater and a 9' drop ceiling in the existing garage (25x20) - let the heater run for 20 minutes and you can work in shorts and a t-shirt. The new garage is 25x25, but with a 13 1/2' foot ceiling - hope this little heater will be enough!

I shudder to think what a 9'x16' insulated door would have cost!

Thom,

If it isnt enough of a heater, mine is moline hot dawg, just plumbed into my houses natural gas. it has a roof vent so I don't have to wworry about fumes or anything. I know what you mean, it can be snowing outside, I can have the garage door open and sit on a lawn chair in shorts drinking a beer. Ofcourse I don't, as money doesn't grow on trees...

I'd say insulate it and do it right the first time. There no harm(except $) in overbuilding, and when your using air tools at 2a.m. or it's 45deg outside you'll be glad for it.
What's the price difference divided over the total span of use? 5 cents per day? Quite drinking Starbucks and smoking.

My next-door neighbor is a home-builder ( and a good one at that) and he said if you,ve got an attached garage, use an unsulated door and if it's a detached garage, use a non-insulated door, but we're in Michigan, where it get VERY cold during the winter. If I were you, I'd get the non-insulated door, then insulate it at a leter time if you really need to... just my .02 worth.

an insulated door is just quieter. wind, outside noise, during opening and closing, etc. i think you are getting a good deal either way, or my gfriends parents got ripped off.

I have to second (or fifth) the insulated route. A much better opening and closing door as well. I have that Minnesota problem in the winter, also. Installed an 8x8 and a 16x8, both insulated in my new shop for under $1100.
With the 125,000 btu Reznor furnace, and a fire in the fireplace, we're toasty!

Door of size 40 * 20 only one small insulation kit is require to make your dog fit and perfect, also it saves your lot of bucks. It is very simple to use and apply with just single hand. Garage Door insulation Kit makes your Door strong in terms of life and Durability.

Just to throw out another option for consideration. On my recent garage build I installed a coiling door. It is insulated, slightly but not to the extent of a standard sectional door. The primary reason I went this route is that with the door open it does not consume any overhead space. This allowed me to install lighting throughout the ceiling area and not have it block when the door opens. I also installed a small tackle system so I can hoist the roof rack off the range rover and leave it suspended, where I can just lower it back on when needed. It also preserves ceiling height, so I can stack cars on a 4 post lift without fear of the car or door colliding when opened (still in the planning stage need to choose mylift) A side benefit is that cooperation is nearly silent.
I ordered through SteetDoorDepot . I got the Janus 2500i with the Pantheon opener system.

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