A Garage as a Reptile Room

Hello Everybody.
As a result of a discussion that started in the BOI about the garage being too hot to be used as somone's reptile room, I wanted to share with you all some of my insight.
The background:
I just bought a home in Fremont, CA and the garage was unusable as a reptile room when I moved in. The walls had sheetrock sloppily put up, no outlets, a single incandescent light and the ceiling was the underside of the roof. During the day on a hot day (85 or so), the garage was about 110-115 and at night it would cool off to outside temps (mid 60's); way to hot in the summer and it would be way too cold in the winter. The main problem with a garage is that the ceiling is seldom finished and insulated so the heat dissipates through the roof at night and the sun beating down on the roof all day radiates heat into the space like an indirect greenhouse of sorts. When the garage is closed up it builds up to intensely hot temperatures.
I decided that my reptile collection would eventually grow to a point where the garage would be a necessary place to house them if I could make it habitable for them so I got busy.
I am a DIY guy with a lot of experience so I do have an advantage in that respect; the downside is the amount of time it takes to get everything done one weekend at a time, so when doing a project like this consider whether it may be better to hire someone.

The process:
I first had to rip out all the old sheetrock and put wiring for outlets and lighting everywhere. I used #12 romex as it can handle a heavier electrical load than the typical #14 that houses are wired with. I also added 20 amp breakers for every 2 outlets that were installed. Figuring that I will have a freezer running for my rat supply, and I may need to run a space heater if the winter gets really cold, I wanted to have the electrical capacity to do all that. When installing wiring you HAVE to get it done right or you will burn the place down or be electrocuted. If you do not know what you are doing, hire someone who does! My dad trained me and supervised me with his 45 years of PG&E experience so this was no problem.

Next I insulated all the walls and put the sheetrock back up. I used R-19 insulation because it is thicker than the R-13 that is in most Bay area houses and I wanted this garage to be a stable environment. You can go with thicker insulation if your area is hotter or colder. Also remember that the wall adjoining the house has to be done with 5/8" sheetrock to meet fire codes! everywhere else can be 1/2". Also do not cover the air vents on the side of the garage; those are there for combustion air for the gas burning water heater, if it is in the garage. I am putting adjustable vents over the space on the inside so I can reduce or increase the air as needed. I also added a vent next to the water heater at the ceiling below the eves and at the base to allow good air flow in that area. Do not forget to install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector!

Currently I have finished putting up insulation and sheetrock on the ceiling. This part can be tricky depending on what kind of studs you have to work with. My garage had no studs so I had to install studs every 24" and add vents under the eves to prevent moisture buildup in the attic space that was created. When you install eve vents you must be sure they are sealed all the way around and have a bug screen to keep critters out. I insulated the ceiling with R-19 insulation but you can use a higher number if you live in a hotter or colder area.

Next I plan to install this rigid styrofoam insulation board in the garage door sections to keep heat from radiating in during the summer and prevent heat loss in the winter; I am also putting in a utility sink to make cleaning more convenient.
If you live in a very hot area you may still need to add an AC unit; The insulated walls and ceiling will help it run more efficiently (same with heat in cold areas).

As things sit right now, the daytime temperatures in the garage on a hot day peak at 79-80 at most and drop to 70-73 at night, a dramatic difference from where I started. I suspect the temps will further stabilize in the mid 70's once I insulate the garage door. I plan to keep an eye on things for quite some time before anything is moved out there, and I will post any additional problems and solutions as they come up. My collection is not in immediate need of the space but I wanted to plan ahead for expansion and hopefully share something that may help other herpers get their reptile rooms set up. Please post questions and any additional advice here so we can build on this as a community resource.

Thanks For Reading,
Best Regards,
Jon

Well done man! Glad to hear your garage re-model went as planned. Did you take any before and after pics? Post them if ya got em! Thanks for sharing too. - Patrick

It sounds as if you are really planning for a safe and deluxe living area for your reptiles, that is awesome.

I had a few thoughts:
1) The vast number of garage doors I have seen are engineered in a way that it is not difficult to get into the garage if one might be intent on theft. I am sure you will address fortifications once you work on putting in the insulation board on the doors?
2) If you insulate and close off the garage door so it cannot be opened, and particularly of an air conditioner is installed, if your local taxing authority finds out they may count the resulting room as an improvement to the value of your home and raise your property tax. It may not happen, it may not be much if it does happen and it may not happen any time soon since there did not seem to be any permits taken out, but, there it is.

I do not have any before pics but will get some pics posted when I am finished.

As for the garage door issue, it is a standard roll-up garage door style, not unlike those you would find on a warehouse, with multiple sections and a slide through steel bolt with a space for a padlock. The insulating board will be cut to fit each section so the door can still be opened if needed. I can easily anchor bolts into the concrete at each side of the door to add additional locks but it seems to me that if somebody is going to break in they are going to do it regardless of what I do. The side door to the outside is a commercial grade steel door and I have a steel reinforced doorjamb with double deadbolts. The most likely point of entry would be the side door as the roll-up door faces the street in a populated area. There is only one window and it faces the street; I am putting a glass-break alarm system in also.

Anybody have any tips for reinforcing/securing roll-up type garage doors?
If I come up with anything I will post it

http://www.securedoor.com/
This device looks like the truth! Not sure how much they want for one but it looks like something a DIY'er could make if they are on the expensive side. Take care and keep us posted. - Patrick