The garage at 8 Alpha Crescent in Brantford had the same list of problems that a lot of attached garages in this neighbourhood have: uninsulated exterior walls, a cold gap around the stairwell opening, a garage door that let heat out and cold in, and not enough receptacles. None of these issues are dramatic on their own, but together they add up to a garage that costs more to heat and is less useful than it should be.
The solution was to address all of them at once, in the right sequence, with materials that will hold up.
Insulation
The three exterior walls were insulated with R-12 Enerfoil ISO foam board panels — 2" thick, 4×8 sheets, adhered directly to the wall surface with PL foam adhesive and sealed at all joints with sheathing tape. This method works well in a garage where you're not doing a full stud-wall rebuild: the boards go up cleanly, the adhesive holds them firmly, and the taped seams close off any air infiltration at the joints.
- 24 sheets of 4×8 Enerfoil R-12 foam board
- PL foam adhesive (gun-applied) at all panel contacts
- 4 rolls of sheathing tape at all panel seams and perimeter
OSB sheathing
Once the insulation was in, 7/16" OSB was installed over it on all three exterior walls and the ceiling. This gives the insulation a durable surface that can take a screw, support shelving brackets, and handle the incidental abuse that a garage wall gets. It also closes off the foam from any open-flame ignition sources, which is a code requirement for exposed foam insulation in an attached garage.
Stairwell wall and storage
The stairwell opening to the basement had an old metal railing as its only guardrail. That came out, and a new framed wall was built in its place — proper stud framing, plywood ceiling above, complete enclosure of the stair opening. The top of the wall was framed to carry a storage shelf, giving the space a dedicated place for bins, seasonal items, and whatever else accumulates at the top of a garage stair.
- Removal of existing metal railing
- New stud-framed wall with ceiling at the stairwell opening
- Upper storage shelf framed at the top of the wall
- New handrail along the man door side entry
The stairwell wall also improves the fire separation between the garage floor and the basement — a practical code benefit that comes along with the storage improvement.
New garage door
The existing garage door was replaced with a new 9×8 insulated door in Desert Sand — the closest available colour to the existing cream. The new door was connected to the existing opener, so there was no new opener cost. An insulated door versus an uninsulated one makes a meaningful difference to garage temperature in a Brantford winter: the R-value of the door is a significant component of the building envelope when the garage is attached to the house.
New exterior man door
The side entry man door was replaced with a new 32" exterior door — a left-swing 9-lite unit with half glass, installed in the existing opening with new shims, spray foam sealing, and a new handle with lockset. The old door was leaking air at the frame; the new installation is tight.
Electrical
Two new 15A receptacles were added on the garage walls, and the existing ceiling receptacle was relocated to a better position for extension cord reach. The electrical work was done by our electrician, coordinated with the carpentry so the boxes were roughed in before the OSB went up.
A properly insulated, OSB-sheathed garage with a new insulated door and tight man door will be noticeably warmer, quieter, and more usable than an uninsulated one. The difference shows up on the heating bill and in how long the garage actually stays at a working temperature after the car comes in.
What this project shows
This is a modest scope — but everything was done right, in the right order, with the right materials. ISO board with adhesive and sheathing tape holds up in the thermal cycling of a Canadian garage where batts would eventually fall down. OSB over foam gives you a wall surface you can actually use. And coordinating the insulation, sheathing, electrical, framing, and door installation in one pass means you don't have to manage four separate contractors or create work that has to be undone when the next trade shows up.
If your garage has the same list of problems, book a free site visit and we'll work through what makes sense for your situation.