Garages are often thought of as utility spaces, rather than living spaces. However, as more and more of us look for rooms to do hobbies, let the kids play, or even as an extension of the home, we also look more and more to the garage. Unfortunately, the warmer weather can make them hot, humid and uncomfortable. This can lead to everything from mould and mildew to rust and odd smells, but all if can be easily overcome with these three tips.
#1 – look at the garage door
Is your garage door well-insulated and weather tight? This is an area almost the size of an entire wall, and if it is not up to the task, it can allow far too much heat in and cool air out. For more than ten years, many garage door makers have specialized in high performing doors and components. Though efficiency is the goal, many also make doors to keep garage far more liveable.
When inspecting your door, check to see if it features polyurethane foam insulation since this can fill every possible gap or space and solidly insulate the door. Also consider thermal bridges (areas that might allow the transfer of heat or cooled air from inside to out and vice versa).
Finally, think about interior doors, too. The hot or humid air in the garage easily passes into the home if you have a low quality door or you leave it open for even a short span of time.
Choosing superior quality garage doors means you reduce interior air conditioning costs and keep the garage far more comfortable.
#2 – deal with humidity
If you live in an area that experiences bouts of high humidity during the summer months, your garage is likely to be a humid and even damp place, too. Because of that you’ll want to consider ways of dealing with the issue. If the home or garage has humidity over 50%, you’ll need a home dehumidifier. There are high performance, commercial and small space models for any need, and by removing humidity, you make interior air healthier, breathable and unlikely to lead to mould, mildew, odour or rust.
#3 – expand the air conditioning or add ventilation
Air flow is helpful in tackling hot and humid air inside the garage and the home. If you have a central air conditioning system, you can always add ductwork that vents cooled air into the garage. If you have a good door, and low humidity, the cooled air will make the garage incredibly comfortable. If you don’t have a central unit, you can use a stationary ventilation system to exhaust the build-up of hot and humid air out doors.
First and foremost – the Door
Though we already mentioned your door as one of the best ways to improve the comfort of the garage, we need to reiterate. You need a well‑insulated, weather tight garage door as the first step in the process. Not sure how to get started updating the door and garage? Contact us at 860-666-9315 and we’ll offer you our expertise and knowledge, helping you make the right choices and offering an accurate quotation on any choices. You can pop into our show room, use our online Design Centre to test out a few looks or seek inspiration from the image gallery.
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