Insulation

Garage conversions typically necessitate additional 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 room. These regulations designate a U-value for insulation, which gauges the rate of heat loss. These are set differently for walls, floors, and roofing. To meet building regulations the garage conversion must meet the U-values in all of the areas, but additional insulation can be installed to surpass these values and improve energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is typically performed by employing internal wall insulation, which adds insulated plasterboard to the 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 badly. Roofs for garage conversions will also require insulation. Pitched roofs will demand insulation to the same level as the rest of your house. Flat roofs additionally require insulation. This is performed by using 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 installed 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 house as an extra layer of insulation can be easily put into either a elevated concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If flooring doesn’t need to be elevated it might be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.