Insulation

Garage conversions will most likely need additional insulation as the garage space will be changed into a habitable room, and therefore must adhere to building regulations for insulation in this type of room. These regulations set a U-value for insulation, which measures 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 added to exceed these values and increase energy efficiency. Wall insulation for garage conversions is normally accomplished 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 doors and windows as these areas can leak heat particularly severely. Roofs for garage conversions will additionally require insulation. Pitched roofs will require insulation to the same standard as the rest of your home. Flat roofs also require insulation. This can be achieved 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 required in garage conversions. This is easier if the floor level of the garage requires lifting in order to meet the rest of the house as another layer of insulation can be easily put into either a raised concrete floor, timber joists or a floating floor. If the floor doesn’t need to be raised it could be necessary to dig out the floor to add the required insulation.