Ask ten people what a new garage roof costs and you will get ten answers, because a garage roof is not one product. A single flat roof in rubber is a small job. A double garage with a corrugated asbestos cement roof, rotten timbers and a tricky site is a different one. The published figures are real but wide, and they describe averages rather than your garage. This guide gives the typical UK ranges we can source, explains what pushes a price towards the bottom or the top, shows how the cost is made up, and sets out how to compare quotes so that you are looking at the same work.
The published ranges, and how to read them
Cost guides are written by trade and lead-generation websites, and they are a useful starting point rather than a price list. One guide reports that a fitted EPDM roof on a single garage typically costs between £1,200 and £2,500. For flat roofs generally, the consumer-facing ranges per square metre, supply and fit, are felt £60 to £100, EPDM £80 to £120 and GRP £100 to £160. A contractor-facing guide gives lower figures: EPDM £70 to £100, GRP £80 to £120 and modified bitumen felt £45 to £75 per square metre. All are typical UK ranges, and they overlap but do not agree, because they assume different jobs.
For old corrugated roofs, a specialist asbestos site reports typical UK figures of between £1,200 and £2,000 to remove and dispose of the sheets from a single garage, and between £2,500 and £4,500 for a double garage. That comes from one vendor and should be treated with caution. It covers taking the old roof away, not putting a new one on.
| Item | Typical UK range reported | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| EPDM roof, single garage | £1,200 to £2,500 fitted | New membrane on an existing sound deck, edges included |
| Flat roof covering per m² | £45 to £160, by material and guide | Supply and fit of the covering |
| Asbestos cement sheet removal, single | £1,200 to £2,000 | Removal and disposal only, single vendor |
| Asbestos cement sheet removal, double | £2,500 to £4,500 | Removal and disposal only, single vendor |
Your fixed quote follows the survey. Everything below explains why it may land above or below these figures.
How a quote is built up
A garage roof quote has the same layers as any roofing job. There is access and preparation, which means getting safely onto the roof, protecting the contents and ground, and removing the old covering. There is the structure: any repair to the deck, joists or purlins, and the work to give a flat roof its fall. There is the covering, whichever you choose. There are the details, such as edge trims, flashings against the house wall, upstands and outlets. And there is the finish: gutters and downpipes, the clearing of waste and the tidying of the site. Each layer can vary, which is why two quotes for similar garages can differ.
What pushes the price up
- Asbestos cement sheets. They need careful removal, wrapping and disposal as hazardous waste. The process and the rules are set out in a separate guide to removing asbestos cement garage roofs.
- Rotten timber. Garage roofs often leak for years before anyone acts, and the joists, purlins and boards can be wet or decayed. Replacing them adds timber and labour.
- Size and shape. A double garage costs more than a single, and a roof with several levels, a lean-to or a chimney costs more than a plain rectangle.
- Access. A garage in a block, up a narrow alley or behind other buildings is harder to work on, and scaffold or a tower may be needed.
- Insulation. A roof that must be insulated, for a workshop or conversion, adds board or quilt and thicker edges.
- Choice of covering. A pitched, tiled roof is far more expensive than a membrane or sheets.
- Rainwater goods. New gutters, brackets and downpipes are often needed, and they are not free.
Choosing a covering on cost
If budget is the main driver, felt is usually the lowest outlay, EPDM and GRP cost more and last longer, profiled sheets sit somewhere in between, and tiles or slate cost the most. The cheaper option is not necessarily the cheaper roof over time, because a short-lived covering has to be replaced again. A garage you expect to sell soon justifies a modest roof, and one that you will keep justifies spending a bit more for a longer life. Our guide to garage roof options compares the materials on pitch, weight and fit, and the answer on how long a garage roof lasts helps with the life-cycle sums.
Repair, overlay or replace
Money saved by not replacing a roof that still works is the biggest saving available. If the deck and frame are sound and the damage is local, a repair is a small fraction of the cost of a new roof. An overlay, a new covering over the old, saves the cost of stripping, though it only works when the old roof is dry and secure and no asbestos handling is involved. Full replacement costs the most but gives the longest life and a chance to put right hidden problems. We explain how to decide in our guide to garage roof repair or replacement.
Regulations and the cost of getting it wrong
Re-covering a garage roof with a like-for-like material is normally straightforward. Changing the shape, adding weight or converting the space can bring building control into play, with consequences for the specification and the price. Where the building is within a conservation area or the roof is visible from a listed building, ask your council's planning team what applies. We deal with the paperwork where work is notifiable, and fees are shown in the quote. Skipping the rules to save money tends to come back at sale, when a buyer's solicitor asks to see the approvals.
The same goes for asbestos. A cheap offer that skips proper handling and disposal is not a saving, because the responsibility for the waste stays with the householder. Our guide to asbestos disposal in Hampshire explains why.
A worked illustration
To see how the ranges behave, take two imaginary garages. The numbers below are arithmetic on the published ranges, not a quote.
A single garage with a roof measuring 3 m by 5 m is 15 m². At the consumer-guide EPDM range of £80 to £120 per m², the covering alone works out at about £1,200 to £1,800, which sits inside the £1,200 to £2,500 range reported for a fitted single-garage roof. The upper end of that range allows for edges, trims, a gutter and a few repairs to the deck. If the same garage had an asbestos cement roof, the reported removal range of £1,200 to £2,000 would sit on top, before any timber repairs.
A double garage of about 5.5 m by 5.5 m is roughly 30 m². At the same EPDM range, the covering alone would be around £2,400 to £3,600. Remove an asbestos roof first, and the reported double-garage removal range of £2,500 to £4,500 is added. The total is then a very different figure from the cost of a covering alone, which is why a quote that names only the per-metre rate tells you little. Real figures depend on the survey: the deck may be sound or rotten, the access easy or awkward, and the edges simple or complex.
Timing and booking
Garage roofs are less seasonal than they once were, but conditions matter. Adhesives, resins and some felts need dry surfaces and reasonable temperatures, so a settled spell is easier to work in. Autumn and early winter, when leaks show up, are busy periods for all roofers, and a quiet spring or summer slot can be easier to book. If your roof is leaking badly, do not wait for the ideal moment: make it safe and plan the replacement around the weather. If asbestos is involved, allow extra time for sampling and arrangements.
How to compare quotes
To compare like with like, ask each contractor to put the following in writing: the area being covered, the covering and its build-up, the treatment of the deck and any allowance for repairs, how the old covering is removed and disposed of, the edge trims and upstands, the gutters and downpipes, the guarantee, and what is excluded. Anything described as an allowance or provisional sum should say what it covers and what happens if the actual cost is higher. A very low price that leaves these things out is not comparable with a fuller one.
It also helps to see what has been found, not just what has been priced. A survey with photographs shows the deck, the sheets and the details, and lets you judge for yourself whether a proposal makes sense. Be wary of a quote given over the phone for a roof nobody has inspected, because it can only be a guess.
Hidden costs to ask about
A few items regularly appear late. Scaffold or a tower may be needed for a tall garage or one with poor access. A skip or waste collection is needed for old felt, timber and sheets. Replacement of fascia boards and bargeboards often becomes obvious once the old roof is off, as they may have been holding up rotten edges. New gutters and downpipes are often cheaper to fit while the roof is open. Making good brickwork or render where a flashing is chased in, or repainting after the work, may or may not be included. Ask which of these are in the price, and which are extras if needed.
Paying for it
Some people ask whether a garage roof is a sensible project to phase. In general, the roof should be done as one job, since a half-finished covering is a half-protected garage. You can sometimes phase other work, for example the guttering or a new door, to spread the cost. Ask your contractor about stage payments, and avoid paying a large sum upfront. Keep copies of the quote, the invoice and the guarantee, because they matter if you sell or claim on insurance.
What we offer
Our process starts with a visit to your garage, where we go over the roof and photograph it, and then we send a fixed written quote that lists each part of the job. If a repair will do, we price the repair. If the roof needs replacing, we explain why, and show the evidence. Our workmanship is covered by a written ten-year guarantee, and the old covering and waste are taken away. See our garage roof replacement in Basingstoke service, or phone 01256 213956 to arrange the visit.
