Overhead garage storage question.

[STXDriver98544]

Ok SVTP architect home masters I have a question. As with pretty much all newer builders homes these idiots like to drywall the garage ceilings. The home I grew up in was a detached garage with open rafters and my dad was able to use it all for storage by simply laying plywood down and boom you have shelving. With these homes nowdays where the garage is attached to the house are they dry walled for temperature control and protecting the HVAC system? My question is, if I removed some dry wall to open up the rafters in my attic space what kind of problems would it cause if any, keep in mind this is a 1 story. Even though heat rises I would think it would help airflow up in the attic if you opened up some space but maybe I'm wrong. Just wondering the reasoning of why they do it if it's for aesthetic purposes or for an actual purpose. I've seen tons of videos on how to build overhead shelves but then I got to thinking why do that when you have all that un-used attic space over the garage. You can't haul anything wide through the width of that slim attic door like big coolers and stuff. Plus it sucks pulling the vehicles out every time you need to get something down.

 

[DHG1078]

I would like to know as well. Everyone tries to market new homes as "premium" or "luxury" out here, so I feel like its just to give the garage a finished look.

 

[KEVINS]

You could remove the drywall above the garage then wall off the attic area between the garage and the house. I've seen this done.

ks

 

[oldmodman]

In an attached garage the most important thing to make sure of is that the space you are going to open up is completely sealed from the house. Some builders cheap out and put in drywall ceilings to handle the sealing to keep exhaust fumes out of the living space. A properly built garage will have the entire space sealed off first. Then they can build a ceiling to make it pretty.
Also consider how the insulation is placed. Is the garage door insulated? Or did the builder rely on the drywall ceiling to hold up bats of insulation to keep the cold from transferring to the living spaces.

 

[sleek98]

Most trusses now are only designed for a 5 or 10 dead load. IE you really cant leave anything up there as they were designed to only hold the weight of drywall and some insulation.

The biggest reason they drywall it is to add strength to the rafters by tying them together.

 

[STXDriver98544]

In an attached garage the most important thing to make sure of is that the space you are going to open up is completely sealed from the house. Some builders cheap out and put in drywall ceilings to handle the sealing to keep exhaust fumes out of the living space. A properly built garage will have the entire space sealed off first. Then they can build a ceiling to make it pretty.
Also consider how the insulation is placed. Is the garage door insulated? Or did the builder rely on the drywall ceiling to hold up bats of insulation to keep the cold from transferring to the living spaces.

Most trusses now are only designed for a 5 or 10 dead load. IE you really cant leave anything up there as they were designed to only hold the weight of drywall and some insulation.

The biggest reason they drywall it is to add strength to the rafters by tying them together.

Interesting. Oldmodman, I actually had someone tell me that I needed to seal off my house attic area from the garage attic space, which wouldn't be hard because my attic door comes right up to that split so there is already an area there to stand on and I could put a wall up. My house does not have any insulation it's completely naked over the garage so my guess like you said is that they used the dry wall as a half ass way if insulating. They also used the cheapest materials possible on the garage door, it's a low grade Wayne Dalton POS system it opens and closes at least haha. It's a D.R. Horton home I've been in it for about 5 or 6 years and it's been a great house but I'd like add storage. Sleek 98 that makes sense because these cookie cutter builders cut spending where they can, I'll probably just keep bulky items up there like coolers and jack stands, etc. Just stuff that I can get up a regular A frame ladder to lift up there. I don't think I'll do the whole garage just about a quarter of it that should be plenty of extra space. I'll weigh the costs of both jobs of removing drywall and sealing off or building suspended overhead shelves and figure out which one would be more effective. I bet if I sealed off the garage with a wall my energy bills would plummet in the Texas summers here.

 

[ford fanatic]

Drywall is used for code as fire block in some areas...most likely it is doubled up on your main wall separating your house from your garage, but you never know.

 

[Equalbracket]

Interesting. Oldmodman, I actually had someone tell me that I needed to seal off my house attic area from the garage attic space, which wouldn't be hard because my attic door comes right up to that split so there is already an area there to stand on and I could put a wall up. My house does not have any insulation it's completely naked over the garage so my guess like you said is that they used the dry wall as a half ass way if insulating. They also used the cheapest materials possible on the garage door, it's a low grade Wayne Dalton POS system it opens and closes at least haha. It's a D.R. Horton home I've been in it for about 5 or 6 years and it's been a great house but I'd like add storage. Sleek 98 that makes sense because these cookie cutter builders cut spending where they can, I'll probably just keep bulky items up there like coolers and jack stands, etc. Just stuff that I can get up a regular A frame ladder to lift up there. I don't think I'll do the whole garage just about a quarter of it that should be plenty of extra space. I'll weigh the costs of both jobs of removing drywall and sealing off or building suspended overhead shelves and figure out which one would be more effective. I bet if I sealed off the garage with a wall my energy bills would plummet in the Texas summers here.

DR Horton built homes are built by bottom of the barrel everything. How old is the home? I'd personally sell it asap, his contractors rarely have a license. No insulation is surprising, even for dr horton.