Hey there PK!! I'll throw my $0.02 in on this subject. I just recently converted

an attached garage into a recording studio. It will house lots of electronics,

computers, mixers, expensive monitors, etc... as well as vintage guitars, amps

and vintage drums as well.

I think if you can keep the temps around 45 - 50 when you are *not* in there,

then your drums will likely be fine. I opted to pay an electrician to install some

baseboard heat for me so I can use the space year round (I'm in New England).

Also, consider a humidifier if your area of the country gets dry in the winter.

I know my Kent drums don't like the dry, winter months (20 percent humidity

or lower) as they go out of tune quickly if not kept in a stable, humid

room - I keep the studio at 45 percent humidity, for my drums and guitars.

The worst thing for older instruments is going from severe cold to a warm

room in a short amount of time. Keep guitars and drums in their cases if

the temp difference is more than 20 - 30 degrees, especially if they are

lacquered. Let them warm up to room temp gradually and you'll suffer no

damage. Might have to re-tune, but that's not so bad.

It's no fun to have to set up each time you want to play - If needed, spend

some money and make your space drum friendly. You and your drums will

be happier in the long run!!

Is it a one or two car garage? If you were to wall off half of that space for a drum room it could be heated fairly cheap with some sort of electric heat. If you are useing half of a one car space an oil filled radiator type would suffice. Good luck

Just realized that you are in NJ, so we're looking at similar temps to what I see in Massachusetts. That said, and not to

step on Lucky's toes here, but a simple space heater will NOT

be able to keep the temperature in there at a reasonable level.

I know this because I tried going the route of plug in

baseboard heating. I tried using two 1,500 watt, 5,000 BTU

heaters in a single car garage, 21' long X 13' wide X 9' tall

Once the temps outside got to 35 or so, the heaters could not

get the temp in the room above 58. While that wouldn't hurt

your drums necessarily, it certainly wouldn't be comfortable to

play in. I like it around 68 myself.

Of course, my space is not insulated (another story) on 3 walls,

so that makes a difference. You generally need 12.5 watts of

heating per square foot of space. So my 273 square foot room

requires 3,412.5 watts. Add to this the fact that the ceiling is 9'

as opposed to 8' and you can tack on another say, 15% per

SF.

Anyhow, I ended up with 4,000+ watts of heating for my space

and even with that amount of power, on the coldest day we've

had so far (5 degrees with a severe wind chill of -10), I had

to use a plug in ceramic furnace heater to keep it comfortable

in there (66 to 68 degrees).

As Lucky said, walling off half of a 2 car garage would help with

your heating requirements. If this is possible, do it, but be

prepared to spend a few bucks on heating.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]A couple of other very important factors, as have been mentioned above:

1) insulation

2) humidity

1) : When you build the separation walls, insulate them w/ at least R13 Batt.

I would STRONGLY suggest that rather than using the concrete slab as your floor, you lay down a "sleeper" floor (this is done by placing 2x2's or 2x4's on top of the slab, then putting plywood subfloor on top of that.

In between the wood sleepers....lay down some rigid insulation. If you know a builder/carpenter/contractor in your area, they can help w/ this if needed.

It will end up being a 2-4" step up from the garage slab to the studio....but you will have done very, very well in insulating the walls and floor and this will keep temperature fluctuations down.

2) : If there is any sense of "dampness" to the garage....cold, clammy, a little smelly....consider also a dehumidifier for the room as well. Nothing kills chrome plating like wetness in the air. If you do 1) very well, this becomes less of an issue...

[/COLOR]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all this great info. Keep it coming!

Paul

Oh... I just checked out your site and pics (from another post you made) and I would like to volunteer to hang onto any of your kits for you while you get your space squared away - I promise I'll keep the warm and well used ;)

You can't hurt my toes! There is a key word to this discussion, Insulation! I am in the Chicagoland area and while I was waiting for my heat to be hooked up,I worked in a 30'x24' shop with 10' ceilings with only a plug in baseboard heater. Granted it wasn't 68 degrees but it was comfortable enough to be at it for eight hours in the winter. Insulate that space well!

Hey Lucky - My stepdaughter goes to school in Chicago. She's a skinny little thing and freezing her butt off :)

Yes - Insulation is KEY. I hope to insulate my space within the next year or so. For now, MEGA-WATT heaters are working just fine. Not to mention how it helps sound escaping/entering.

Stay warm dude!!

Heat wave tomorrow, 34 degrees!!! If you live in it you have to embrace it, pond hockey, cross country sking. I actually like when it gets real cold, those are usually the prettiest days.