Insulation

Garage conversions will most likely need supplementary insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and consequently has to comply with building regulations for insulation in this type of space. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, floors, and roofs. To meet building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all three of these areas, but extra insulation can be installed to exceed these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally performed by making use of 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 poorly. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs need 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 prevent 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 house as an extra layer of insulation can be easily added to either a elevated concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring does not need to be raised it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.