Insulation

Garage conversions will most likely require supplementary insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and therefore needs to adhere to building regulations for insulation in this kind of room. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, floors, and roofing. To meet building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all 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 prevent heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be added around doors and windows as these areas can leak heat particularly severely. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will require insulation to the same standard as the rest of the property. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This is achieved using a cold roof system, where insulation is fixed between the roof joists along with ventilation to avoid condensation forming. The other possibility is a warm roof, where insulation is installed above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also needed 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 additional layer of insulation can be easily put into either a lifted concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring does not need to be lifted it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.