Planning to finnish a 20x20 loft located over a double garage into a game/media room with plumbing. It is at our cottage property which is winterized. However we plan to have the heat (electric) on in new space only when we visit and want to use room. What type of insulation and vapour barrier should be applied to floor over garagae and through-out new room. We would like to have good sound insulation qualities as weel. The garage is a steel covered building.
Answer:
Sound proofing a wall or ceiling, I’ve found, is best done by creating a sandwich with lots of bulk. I apply 5/8” gypsum board (roughly taped, jointed and sanded) to the studs or joists and then 7/8” sound absorbing fibrous panel manufactured for the purpose. On top of that, I apply resilient channel (16” O.C.) and then another layer of 5/8” gypsum board. This time the gypsum board is properly taped jointed and sanded.
Lower the garage ceiling creating a crawl space. The walls and floor of this crawl space are heavily insulated and the area heated. This makes the space above comparable to the rest of the house as regards heat. It will also keep the plumbing from freezing.
It would be best to insulate the walls with R-20 bats and the attic with a blown-in product to at least R-40 making sure there is good ventilation from the soffits up into the attic cavity and then a gable to gable baffled ridge vent at the peak of the roof. You would now have a games room as well insulated as any house and probably better than most.
Remember, even if you don’t do your own work around the house have to hire someone, you put yourself at a great advantage when you can intelligently discuss a project with the various trades people.
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