Insulation

Garage conversions frequently necessitate supplementary insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and therefore must adhere to building regulations for insulation in this kind of room. These regulations specify 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 three of these areas, but supplementary insulation can be added to exceed these values and increase energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally accomplished by using 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 also be added 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 level as the rest of your house. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This can be achieved by 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 added above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also essential in garage conversions. This is less difficult if the floor level of the garage requires raising in order to meet the rest of the home as an extra layer of insulation can be easily added to either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor doesn’t need to be lifted it may be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.