Insulation

Garage conversions often need extra insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and therefore must comply with building regulations for insulation in this type of room. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which assesses the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofing. To adhere to building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all three of the areas, but additional insulation can be installed to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally accomplished 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 installed around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat especially poorly. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally 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 by using 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 required 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 additional layer of insulation can be easily put into either a elevated concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor does not need to be raised it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.