Insulation

Garage conversions typically necessitate extra insulation as the garage space will be altered to a habitable room, and consequently needs to comply with building regulations for insulation in this kind 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 comply with building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of the 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 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 especially poorly. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs will demand insulation to the same level as the rest of your home. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This can be performed utilizing a cold roof system, where insulation is fixed between the roof joists along with ventilation to prevent condensation forming. The other option is a warm roof, where insulation is added above the roof joists. Floor insulation is also needed in garage conversions. This is easier 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 elevated concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be lifted it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.