If you plan to do any work in your garage during the winter then you absolutely must have a heat source. Believe me, I have spent lots of cold weekends trying to work on my car and it is no fun when your fingers are numb and you can’t pick up a dropped nut or bolt. Sometimes I have even went so far as to start up the car and warm my hands on the exhaust manifold. But to be safe you have to open the door so you can get fresh air. This really defeats the purpose because the garage gets even colder.
If you’re lucky enough to have a natural gas line in your neighborhood then your best bet is going to be installing a natural gas garage heater that you can use during the cold season. This is because natural gas has a high BTU content which means it will provide a lot of heat for the cost. It is really quite easy to install a new line, the only thing you need are pipes and the heater itself. You can be sure that the gas will burn clean and it will be easy to start unlike if you are using a wood stove. Nowadays, there are many heaters that are considered to be ventless, which means that you don’t even need to have a smoke stack or chimney and you can still have great heat.
If you already have a natural gas furnace or water heater in your garage then it is even easier to install this type of heater. You can usually hook your gas heater up in less than an hour. Just install it and then have a plumber hook up the pipes. You can do it on your own if you are capable of doing so, but, if you think you can’t, then hire someone who can do it to avoid messing up. The thing with gas piping is if you have a leak you may not know it right away but it can cause a fire or explosion after the gas builds up in the garage. If you have a water leak in your home it will not harm people but a gas leak can be very dangerous. So be careful.
If the pipe joints are tightly bonded, then you shouldn’t have a problem and you can enjoy your natural gas heater during the winter for years to come.