Insulation

Garage conversions often need extra 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 space. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which measures 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 additional insulation can be installed to surpass these values and increase energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally done by using internal wall insulation, which adds insulated plasterboard to the pre-existing walls. This will add thermal insulation and prevent heat from dissipating through the walls. Insulation must be installed around windows and doors as these areas can leak heat particularly severely. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs need insulation to the same level as the rest of your house. Flat roofs also require insulation. This can be done 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 required in garage conversions. This is less difficult if the floor level of the garage requires elevating in order to meet the rest of the house as another layer of insulation can be easily put into either a lifted concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be elevated it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the necessary insulation.