Insulation

Garage conversions often need supplementary insulation as the garage space will be converted into a habitable room, and consequently needs to comply with building regulations for insulation in this type of room. These regulations specify a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofing. To meet building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of these areas, but extra insulation can be installed to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is typically performed by making use of internal wall insulation, which adds insulated plasterboard to the existing walls. This will add thermal insulation and stop heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be added around windows and doors as these areas can leak heat especially severely. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs need insulation to the same level as the rest of your house. Flat roofs also require insulation. This is performed utilizing a cold roof system, where insulation is fixed between the roof joists along with ventilation to avoid condensation forming. The other possibility is a warm roof, where insulation is added above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also required in garage conversions. This is less difficult if the floor level of the garage requires raising in order to meet the rest of the home as another layer of insulation can be easily put into either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor does not need to be raised it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.