Insulation

Garage conversions will often need supplementary insulation as the garage space will be converted into a habitable room, and therefore needs to comply with building regulations for insulation in this kind of space. 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 comply with building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all three of these areas, but extra insulation can be added to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally performed by employing 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 also be added around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat particularly badly. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will demand insulation to the same standard as the rest of the property. Flat roofs also require insulation. This is achieved 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 installed above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also essential in garage conversions. This is less difficult if the floor level of the garage requires lifting in order to meet the rest of the home as an additional layer of insulation can be easily added to either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be lifted it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.