<VV> New Garage - Heating

[John Beck]

If you want to keep the ceiling open, you might consider using insulated
stressed skin panels for the roof.  Excellent insulation and depending
on your design they might save you a few bucks in construction costs. 
Radiant heat in the floor would be great.  The downside is that you will
either need to turn the heat on hours before you want to work in your
garage or heat it all the time.  If you really want the benefits of
radiant heat you might consider a dual heat source system.  In floor
radiant heat to keep the building above freezing and a second big
furnace for fast heat when you want it.  Heat pumps are worth
considering.  They have one of the same drawbacks as in floor radiant
systems.  Unless you install a monster of a heat pump you will not get
the kind of instant heat that lends itself to a spur of the moment
desire to go work on the cars.  If you can apply a heat pump to your in
floor system it might be a good combination.  One word of caution about
heat pumps.  I have two Trane air source heat pumps in my house.  the
energy savings I've gotten from them has been almost exactly offset by
higher maintenance costs.

This is a great garage you're building!!  --J.B.

dcvjrv at comcast.net wrote:
> 
> I am in the process of building a garage to store and work on my
> vehicles.  It will be 50' x 64' with 13' from floor to bottom of trusses
> and will be clear span.  I am looking for comments and
> recommendations as to the best type of heat to install.  I am located
> in Southeastern Michigan, so it does get cold here.  I am considering
> gas, electric or radiant heat.  The walls will be drywalled (sheet rocked)