[Bud9051]

Hi James,
Not sure of your climate, does it get really cold?
How about the use of the garage, any snow melt or water?
Not finishing the tape step will leave a lot of air leakage paths, only a concern in those very cold climates.

And I agree, local code officials have the final say, be sure to keep them happy.

Bud

 

[Bud9051]

Having recently gone through the house hunting process for a friend one of my first stops after inspecting a home for sale was to the building department to see what permits were pulled and what inspections had been done. Very powerful approach for knocking the asking price WAY down when work has been done that does not meet building codes or has not been inspected. We made offers that were $50,000 below asking and in one case the house was pulled off the market because the city had no record of the total remodel.

If you do any work under the assumption that the local officials don't care you need that in writing so that 10 years down the road you are not held responsible for any failures to follow codes and get inspections. This is the beginning of EVERYTHING being entered into computers which will provide instant review of all work done. And remember, improvements may be related to increased property taxes so cities have a motivation to go back and collect for unknown work.

NJ did that 40 years ago when aerial photos showed homes with swimming pools and ac units for which there had been no permits issued. They collected a fortune in back taxes and penalties. Today all town have aerial records of all properties and will be happy to add instant review of inside improvements to theirs tax revenues.

On topic, if that heated garage will be subject to rain water and snow from vehicles, that moisture will go somewhere and those walls and ceilings (and all other penetrations) need to be well sealed.

Bud