Insulation

Garage conversions will often necessitate extra insulation as the garage space will be converted into a habitable room, and therefore has to comply with building regulations for insulation in this kind of room. These regulations set a U-value for insulation, which assesses the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofs. To adhere to building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of the areas, but extra insulation can be installed to surpass these values and increase energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally done by making use of internal wall insulation, which adds insulated plasterboard to the pre-existing walls. This will add thermal insulation and prevent heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be installed around windows and doors as these areas can leak heat particularly severely. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will demand insulation to the same standard 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 installed above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also essential in garage conversions. This is easier 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 added to either a elevated concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor doesn’t need to be raised it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.