Insulation

Garage conversions will often need additional insulation as the garage space will be converted into a habitable room, and consequently has to comply with building regulations for insulation in this kind of space. These regulations set a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, flooring, and roofs. To comply with building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of the areas, but supplementary 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 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 particularly badly. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs will demand insulation to the same standard as the rest of your home. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This can be done utilizing 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 extra layer of insulation can be easily put into either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be elevated it may be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.