Trevor writes from Pflugerville, Texas: "I live in a house that has an unconditioned (not heated or cooled) attached garage with living space above. The garage has been taped and drywalled, but I don't believe that the space between the living areas and the garage (floor/ceiling and walls) were ever insulated, and as such, the room above the garage gets very hot in the summer and is cold in the winter. What is my best option for insulating the space above and beside the garage? I don't want to take all of the drywall down, but I don't have a problem cutting holes for access. Also, if I were to say blow insulation in, do I need a vapor barrier or an air space? Or, can I just fill the whole cavity?"

Answer: If you do not want to remove the drywall, your best option is to blow in PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation. Retail stores typically do not stock loosefill insulation because it must be installed with special equipment that fluffs it up to achieve the proper R-value. Blowing insulation into walls and ceilings is generally not a good do-it-yourself project because the walls or ceiling could be damaged by an inexperienced operator. We recommend hiring a contractor for this project.