Insulation

Garage conversions will often require 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 space. These regulations specify a U-value for insulation, which assesses 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 three of these areas, but supplementary insulation can be installed to surpass 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 prevent heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be added around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat especially badly. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs will require insulation to the same standard as the rest of your home. Flat roofs also require insulation. This can be done 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 lifting in order to meet the rest of the house as an extra 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 might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.