Insulation

Garage conversions will often need additional insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and consequently has to adhere to building regulations for insulation in this type of space. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, floors, and roofs. To comply with building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all three of the areas, but supplementary insulation can be added to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally performed by making use of internal wall insulation, which adds insulated plasterboard to the pre-existing walls. This will add thermal insulation and stop heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be installed around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat particularly badly. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs need insulation to the same level as the rest of your home. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This can be performed utilizing a cold roof system, where insulation is fixed between the roof joists along with ventilation to avoid condensation forming. The other option is a warm roof, where insulation is added above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also needed in garage conversions. This is less difficult if the floor level of the garage requires elevating in order to meet the rest of the home as an extra layer of insulation can be easily put into either a lifted concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be elevated it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.