Insulation

Garage conversions will often require additional insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and consequently needs to comply with building regulations for insulation in this type of room. These regulations set a U-value for insulation, which assesses the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofing. To comply with building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all three of the areas, but supplementary insulation can be installed to surpass these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is typically done by employing 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 be added around windows and doors as these areas can leak heat especially poorly. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will require insulation to the same standard as the rest of your home. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This can be done 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 another layer of insulation can be easily added to either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor does not need to be elevated it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.