The short answer
Yes, but not with a sledgehammer. A small garage clad or roofed in asbestos cement can be dismantled sheet by sheet, which is non-licensed work under HSE rules, provided a risk assessment is made, controls are used and workers are trained. If the sheets are going to be substantially broken up, the work becomes notifiable non-licensed work. Other asbestos materials on site change the picture, so identify everything before work starts.
Dismantling is not demolishing
The word demolition suggests a digger and a skip. With asbestos cement it is the wrong picture. The safe approach is dismantling: unscrewing or releasing the fixings, lifting each sheet away whole, wrapping it and removing it. Whole sheets of asbestos cement hold their fibres bound in the cement. Breaking them frees the fibres.
HSE guidance covers the removal of asbestos cement sheets, gutters and the dismantling of a small structure such as a garage. Careful removal, with the sheets handled without breaking, is non-licensed work. A risk assessment, the right controls and trained workers are still always needed. It becomes notifiable non-licensed work if the material will be substantially broken up, for example by dropping a roof or smashing it into skips. That is the route to avoid.
What a safe dismantle looks like
The area is cleared and kept free of people who are not working. Sheets are kept damp where it helps, and removed in sequence from the top, with the fixings released so the sheets are not snapped. Each sheet is lowered, not thrown, wrapped in heavy-duty polythene or sheeting and labelled. Tools are chosen to avoid power-sawing or drilling that would make dust. Workers wear suitable protective clothing and respiratory equipment, and the ground is checked and cleaned afterwards.
The frame, walls and base are then taken down in the usual way, once the asbestos has been dealt with. If the garage floor is a concrete slab, it can usually stay or be broken out afterwards. Our guide to asbestos garage roof removal explains the roof part of the job in more detail.
Other asbestos on site
The advice for small structures does not apply if other asbestos materials are present. Insulating board, sometimes used as lining or soffits, is a different and more hazardous material, and its removal is a different category of work. Old gutters and downpipes, flue pipes and bitumen products may also contain asbestos. So the first job is to find out what is there. Our guide to testing a garage roof for asbestos explains how samples are taken and analysed.
An asbestos survey before work is worth doing for the whole building. The roof may be cement, but the lining or the fascias might not be.
Planning and neighbours
Taking down a building is not always something you can do without a word to the council, and a shared wall or boundary adds duties towards the adjoining owner. Ask your council whether demolition needs prior notice, and tell neighbours when work is due, since they will see the activity and may worry. Where the garage shares a wall with another property, our answer on party walls and roof work is a starting point.
Doing it yourself
Homeowners are legally allowed to work on their own property, but the risk does not shrink for being at home. Fibres do not respect the boundary of the garden, and a family and neighbours can be exposed. There is also the question of what to do with the waste, which cannot go in an ordinary skip or household bin. Our page on removing an asbestos garage roof yourself explains the risks and rules.
After the structure has gone
When the sheets are away and the frame is down, the site still needs attention. Fragments that dropped to the ground, dust on the slab and debris in the gutters or gullies are checked and cleaned up by wet methods, not swept dry. Soil under the eaves, where weathered sheets shed material for years, can hold fragments. Any rebuilding should start only once the ground has been looked at. A cleared plot is also the point to plan the new building, its foundations and drainage, which is easier than working around an old frame.
Disposal
Asbestos waste has to be double-wrapped, labelled and taken to a site that accepts it. Rules and charges vary, so it is worth checking in advance. Our guide to asbestos disposal in Hampshire explains the options. Keep any consignment paperwork, because a buyer's solicitor may ask for it later.
How we would handle it
We begin with a free survey, with photographs of the roof, walls and any lining, so that you can see what we found and what we think should be tested. We explain how the job would be done and what it involves, and the fixed written quote covers the removal and the waste. If you intend to rebuild, we can quote for the new garage roof as well. See garage roof replacement for the options.
Every roof is different. A free survey with photos settles it for yours.
Get a free survey