Insulation

Garage conversions often require additional insulation as the garage space will be changed into a habitable room, and consequently must comply with building regulations for insulation in this type of space. These regulations set a U-value for insulation, which measures the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofs. To meet building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of these areas, but additional insulation can be installed to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is typically performed by using 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 also be added around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat especially badly. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will require insulation to the same standard as the rest of your house. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This is done by using a cold roof system, where insulation is fixed between the roof joists along with ventilation to prevent condensation forming. The other possibility is a warm roof, where insulation is installed 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 house as an extra layer of insulation can be easily added to either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring does not need to be raised it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.