How to make garage more snug?

[H2OWoe]

We've just moved into a house with a double garage which is attached to one side of the house. The garage is single brick skinned. We want to make it slightly less cold without going OTT - it's going to be used for keeping our classic cars inside so if it's 1C outside I would like the garage to be, say, 10C.

What do you think are our best options? I was thinking of lining the walls with some kind of insulating material (if so what?) and then fitting a couple of electric panel heaters on the walls. Theoretically we could extend the CH heating system and add a radiator in there, but that feels totally OTT. I'm hoping the electric panel heaters will take the worst of the chill off the garage.

Any feedback or thoughts greatly appreciated!

my honest thoughts are that if you are heating a garage for a couple of classic cars using electric panel heaters then you are bonkers.

If you need to raise the temperature slightly then I would look at foam insulating board since presumably it doesn't need to look particularly pretty. But panel heaters for cars is madness, will cost you a fortune and is bad for the environment.

cars benefit from being kept dry.

They do not benefit from being kept warm.

Ok I didn't actually ask for anyone to tell me what was bad for the environment (one could argue that producing children is bad for the environment, but i resist the urge to say that on MN).

I thought it was a detail too far too explain why we might want a garage to other other than freezing, but I will now justify this.

So - I don't mean the garage to be heated 24/7. But if DH is going to spend an afternoon doing maintenance, or I'm in the garage doing some DIY stuff, then I want it to be warm enough to be tolerable for humans (eg 10C). It doesn't have to be as warm as a home office for example but I would like it to be less cold than say, the garden shed.

I was already looking at internal wall insulation but I am yet to see an insulating product that can spontaneously turn a 1C garage into a 10C garage. If I heat the garage up a bit on one Sunday afternoon in january then I agree the insulation will prevent heat loss.

Now if any one has any comments or thoughts on how to achieve the above, that would be appreciated.

DH has heating in his two storey garage which he uses when he is working in there.

I should think most of the draughts/breezes/heatloss is from the garage doors (or maybe that's just ours?)

you can add internal insulation to the walls (Kingspan and others do an insulated plasterboard bonded to a layer of phenolic foam, which is better insulator than mineral wool) and you can also apply foam slab (which is very lightweight) to the doors.

Stored cars suffer from rust and corrosion caused by condensation, and a fluctuating temperature is bad for that. So provide ventilation.

If the garage floor does not have a dpm, dig it up, or provide lots and lots and lots of ventilation, or a 24-hr dehumidifier.

Put brush-strip draught excluder on the garage doors. Ensure that rainwater cannot run in under the doors, even in heavy storms.

Insulation reduces heat loss, but does not provide heat. You will need a low but constant dry heat source with a thermostat. Possibly a small storage heater would be suitable. The garage will contain petrol and other flammable materials and vapours, so no convector heater with an exposed hot element. An oil-filled radiator, or several pipe heaters, would do. Nobody must ever put wet washing or a tumbledrier in there.

We have a radiator in our garage as I think the previous occupants did something like that. It is just next to the utility that has the boiler in it, so it was probably pretty easy to fit. We don't use it though.

Is it too obvious to say have a couple of plug in oil radiators for when you work there?

The financial cost would be too high to keep it at ten degrees as there's so much heat loss from the doors which are this thin garage ones? And the single skin brick

You either convert it properly (double skin/insulate/get rid of the doors for insulated ones) or you heat it for occasional use.

A roller shutter door would help as they are fully insulated. A roller shutter has made a difference to our garage and is more secure for your cars anyway.

DH has a 'big rad' for when he is working on his cars. Keeps the chill off www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009BNTESG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1385073229&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

We paid a lot less than this price in CostCo though.

The best advice for your particular cars will be through your owners club if you are a member?