John Mikes wrote:
> > I have a 25'X48' (that's not a typo) garage that is masonry block all the
> > way up to the roof. The garage also has an extra high ceiling so warming
> > it could be expensive. First thing was to replace the windows with glass
> > block (I did this for security as well) I added a wood stove in there.
>
> Check with your local authorities--some communities won't allow
> wood stoves in garages that are attached or within a specified
> distance of the house. Same goes for your insurance company.
Just for a data point, in my municipality you need
a building permit to install any solid fuel burning
appliance (ie: wood stove).
To comply with the permit, you have to take a lot of
(useful) precautions, like space between it and the walls
and so on.
The space is not trivial, because it means that the
stove, if you put it in a corner, consumes a LOT of
floor space. Maybe not a trouble for the guy with
the 25x48' garage, but out of the question for
us in the 20x20 club.
Gas is no big deal, the gas company here will
even hook it up for free since it's another way you
are going to burn their gas.
Personally though, here's what I did, a lot less
work than any of the above solutions. (and also a
lot less investment, important because IMHO sinking
$20K into a shop won't add a fraction of that
to your asking price when you sell the place)
Started with plain 20x20 attached suburban
garage, one outlet.
One day running circuits and installing outlets, $100
or so in parts.
One day doing insulation in the ceiling and
the far wall, $100 in the pink stuff, just R12.
Two days drywalling the walls, no mud or tape,
just sheets of light grey drywall to remove
the gloominess.
Anyways, after all that, all I need is a
normal 240V construction heater, $75 at
home depot, plus maybe $50 for the breaker
and thick cable to run the 240V circuit. Hard
to beleive in a way, but this thing the
size of a car battery heats the whole place.
I don't heat year round, I switch it on
as I go out to work, or if it's really cold
a half hour or so before I go out there.
Even when it's 20 below, it's still workable
in there, i usually wear a flannel shirt but
that's about it.
Not exactly shangri-la but in my opinion
very workable for a very minimum outlay. I
am in Canada here too, so if you live somewhere
a little warmer the same setup should
be more than enough heat-wise.
--
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
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