Our Garage is HOT!
September 13, 2011 10:49 AM Subscribe
Cooling a garage rec room? We are buying a house and want to use the garage as an informal hangout space. Problem - we live in Austin, where we've had over 80 days of 100+ degree weather this year. Solution?
We can't install a window unit because the outer walls are stone. We spoke with a contractor who said it would be fairly easy and inexpensive to add a duct and vent from the ac unit into the garage, but we're concerned that it will negatively affect the ac in the rest of the house, even if we close off the vent when not using the rec area. We also don't want to lose too much of the cool through the garage door. Has anyone had a similar vent added, and were you happy with the results? Any suggestions for sealing the garage door to hold in the cool air? Any other ideas for how to make this work? Thanks in advance for your help!
We can't install a window unit because the outer walls are stone. We spoke with a contractor who said it would be fairly easy and inexpensive to add a duct and vent from the ac unit into the garage, but we're concerned that it will negatively affect the ac in the rest of the house, even if we close off the vent when not using the rec area. We also don't want to lose too much of the cool through the garage door. Has anyone had a similar vent added, and were you happy with the results? Any suggestions for sealing the garage door to hold in the cool air? Any other ideas for how to make this work? Thanks in advance for your help!
Response by poster: Odinsdream, do you know approximately how much the unit would cost? The garage is about 15'x20'.
posted by odayoday at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2011
posted by odayoday at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2011
even if we close off the vent when not using the rec area
Regardless of the hardware you choose, cooling the room only when you're using it will substantially reduce its usefulness. AC is not like electric lighting, where it's 100% effective the moment you turn it on. You'd have to plan well ahead to cool the space only when needed. If you hope to use the space frequently and/or spontaneously, you'll probably end up keeping it cooled all the time, in which case it might be better to spend some money on insulation.
posted by jon1270 at 11:42 AM on September 13, 2011
Regardless of the hardware you choose, cooling the room only when you're using it will substantially reduce its usefulness. AC is not like electric lighting, where it's 100% effective the moment you turn it on. You'd have to plan well ahead to cool the space only when needed. If you hope to use the space frequently and/or spontaneously, you'll probably end up keeping it cooled all the time, in which case it might be better to spend some money on insulation.
posted by jon1270 at 11:42 AM on September 13, 2011
Response by poster: The garage actually is insulated, if that makes much of a difference in the cost effectiveness of the plan.
posted by odayoday at 11:44 AM on September 13, 2011
posted by odayoday at 11:44 AM on September 13, 2011
I have a friend in Austin who was looking to do the same thing. One thing to note, adding AC to your garage makes it part of the living space of your house and therefore taxable. So if you're planning on doing this with permits (or legally, as it is known in the local parlance), you'll be upping your property tax by some amount.
posted by doctor_negative at 12:14 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by doctor_negative at 12:14 PM on September 13, 2011
Does the garage have a door to the outside other than the car door? If so, would it be feasible to purchase a portable air conditioner and place it near said door then punch a couple of 4" holes in the door near the hinge side to use for intake and exhaust? You can always cover up the holes when not using the AC and when selling the house replace the door if needed. This option would cost you $500 or less.
posted by barc0001 at 1:06 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by barc0001 at 1:06 PM on September 13, 2011
Response by poster: Unfortunately, the only door other than the car door is into the house, so I don't think a portable ac unit will work for us.
posted by odayoday at 1:12 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by odayoday at 1:12 PM on September 13, 2011
Best answer: Just do the duct and vent. I live in Houston and a few of my buddies have done it. The thermostat isn't moving out to the garage, so it's not going to negatively affect the rest of the A/C. When your A/C is cooling the house it dumps cool air in your garage. You're not overcooling the rest of your house to get the garage comfortable, you're just pushing in some cold air when the system is running.
posted by IanMorr at 1:34 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by IanMorr at 1:34 PM on September 13, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Babblesort at 11:07 AM on September 13, 2011