- Removal only: about £400–£1,000 for a single garage and £600–£1,400 for a double, from contractor and cost-guide prices checked 10 November 2026. Some firms start higher: Oracle Solutions quotes from £945 plus VAT.
- Removal plus a new roof: about £2,200–£3,200 for a single garage and £3,400–£4,800 for a double (Danmarque).
- Doing it yourself? HSE says don't try unless you've had training for non-licensed asbestos work. The waste must go to a site that takes asbestos, never in your bin.
- Council tips vary wildly. Somerset and Cornwall take a few sheets free. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire charge about £6 a square metre. Essex and Nottinghamshire won't take it at the tip at all. See the council list.
- There's no grant for it. But a new garage roof is the cheapest moment to add solar panels, because the scaffold and the roofer are already there.
- We don't remove asbestos. We help homeowners with solar, batteries, heat pumps and insulation. Check what you could get.
Got a grey corrugated roof on your garage or shed? If it went up before 2000, there's a fair chance it's asbestos cement. Asbestos cement garage roofs are common on older homes, and left alone in good condition they're usually low risk. The trouble starts when the roof leaks, cracks, or you want to use the space for something better.
This guide covers what asbestos garage roof removal costs in 2026, whether you're allowed to do it yourself, how council collection works, and what to put on instead. One thing up front: Great British Energy doesn't remove asbestos or arrange asbestos work. We help homeowners with solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation. A garage that's getting a new roof is a garage that could carry solar, so we'll finish there.
Asbestos garage roof removal cost in 2026
Most single garage roofs are somewhere around 15–20m², and that's what most of these prices assume. Here's what contractors and cost guides publish, side by side.
| Job | Single garage | Double garage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos roof removal only | £400–£900 | £750–£1,400 | MyJobQuote |
| Asbestos roof removal only | £400–£800 | £600–£1,200 | The Waste Group |
| Asbestos roof removal only | £600–£1,000 | £1,000–£1,400 | Danmarque |
| Asbestos roof removal only | from £945 + VAT (about £50/m²) | from £1,400 + VAT | Oracle Solutions |
| Removal plus a new roof | £2,200–£3,200 | £3,400–£4,800 | Danmarque |
| Knock down the whole garage, asbestos roof included | £1,500–£2,500 | The Waste Group | |
| Asbestos roof removal on any home roof | £950–£3,750 (average £2,100) | Checkatrade, April 2026 | |
| Encapsulation (sealing the sheets) | £30–£33 per m² | MyJobQuote; Checkatrade | |
| Collection of sheets you've wrapped | from £443 inc VAT by van (£23.52 a sheet) | The Waste Group | |
Sources, checked 10 November 2026: MyJobQuote asbestos roof removal cost; The Waste Group asbestos garage roof removal cost; Danmarque asbestos garage roof replacement cost (averages from its own projects, 2020–2025); Oracle Solutions garage roof removal cost; Checkatrade asbestos removal costs (table updated April 2026). Roof sizes: Oracle and MyJobQuote. These are industry ranges, not quotes, and there's no official price index for asbestos work.
MyJobQuote's own worked example puts an asbestos survey and removal on a 20m² garage roof at around £1,200, and says removal from a single garage usually takes a professional 3–6 hours.
What pushes the price up
- Size and pitch. A double garage or a steep pitch means more sheets and more time.
- Access. A garage tucked behind the house or hard against a neighbour's fence takes longer to strip safely.
- Other asbestos parts. Oracle points out that gutters, downpipes, side sheets and internal roof linings can be asbestos too.
- Broken sheets. Weathered or storm-damaged sheets are slower to handle and wrap.
- Disposal. MyJobQuote warns that some quotes include bagging, transport, disposal and the hazardous waste consignment note, and some don't. Ask before you compare prices.
- VAT. Several firms quote before VAT, which adds 20%.
How to tell if your garage roof is asbestos
- Check the age. HSE says asbestos was used in buildings until it was banned in 1999, and buildings put up after 2000 are unlikely to contain it. HSE's advice to building owners is to assume a building from before 2000 has asbestos in it until you know otherwise.
- Look at the sheets. Asbestos cement garage roofs are usually grey corrugated or flat cement sheets, often weathered or mossy. Plastic, steel and felt roofs aren't asbestos cement, though newer fibre cement sheets can look very similar.
- Check the extras. Gutters, downpipes and side panels from the same era can be asbestos cement too.
- Get it tested. Only a laboratory can say for sure. A sample analysed by a UKAS-accredited lab typically costs about £20–£50, through a postal kit or a surveyor. Oracle puts the average cost of an asbestos survey of a garage at £245.
Sources: HSE, introduction to asbestos safety; HSE, find out if asbestos could be present; test prices from Asbestos Testing (kits from £20), Asbestos Surveys (from £30 + VAT a sample) and The Asbestos Register (£30–£50 a sample), checked 10 November 2026.
Can I remove an asbestos garage roof myself?
The honest answer: no rule stops you working on your own garage, but HSE says you shouldn't unless you've been trained. Its advice to homeowners is blunt: “Do not try to repair or remove any asbestos materials yourself if you have not had any training for non-licensed asbestos work.” Your council's environmental health officer can advise.
Here's how the rules fit together:
- The asbestos work regulations are aimed at work. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 apply to employers and the self-employed. HSE says owners of their own homes are “not engaged in any work activity”. Anyone you pay to do the job is fully covered by them.
- Asbestos cement sheets are lower-risk work for a contractor. Removing them is usually non-licensed work if the sheets come off carefully without breaking up. Deliberately breaking them, such as “dropping” the roof, makes it notifiable work with extra paperwork and health checks.
- Waste law applies to everyone. HSE says asbestos must be disposed of as hazardous waste and never mixed with normal household waste.
What the trained method looks like
HSE publishes the method trained workers follow, task sheet A14 in its Asbestos essentials series. It starts with a warning: asbestos cement roofs are always fragile and cannot bear weight. So nobody stands on the roof. Councils that accept DIY asbestos add their own rules. Belfast City Council, for example, tells residents not to break it up, to dampen the area, and never to vacuum the dust. Large pieces get double-wrapped in heavy-duty 1000-gauge polythene, sealed with duct tape and labelled.
Weigh that against £400–£1,000 for a single garage. Paying a trained contractor means nobody in your family works on a fragile roof, the waste becomes their legal responsibility, and you get a consignment note showing where it went.
Paying someone? Then the tip won't take it. Sandwell and Cornwall class asbestos removed by a builder or contractor as trade or commercial waste, and Wolverhampton says disposal is the trader's legal responsibility. Make sure the price includes disposal and ask for the consignment note.
Sources: HSE asbestos FAQs; HSE non-licensed work; HSE Asbestos essentials A14; Belfast City Council; Sandwell Council; Cornwall Council; Wolverhampton Council, checked 10 November 2026.
Council asbestos collection and disposal: what your tip will take
Every council sets its own rules for household asbestos. Some take a few sheets free, some charge by the sheet, some collect from your drive, and some won't touch it. Start with GOV.UK's asbestos in your home lookup (England and Wales), which sends you to your council's own page.
Don't assume the tip is free. A 2024 law change made small amounts of DIY waste free at English tips, but asbestos is often still charged: Oxfordshire's policy says asbestos charges always apply. Here's how differently councils handle it:
| Council | What it takes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Somerset | Up to eight 50-litre sacks a month, or the same in 2m sheets of asbestos or plasterboard, over up to four booked visits | Free within the allowance, then £19.30 a sheet |
| Cornwall | Up to four sheets of asbestos or plasterboard a week at nine recycling centres | Free within the allowance |
| Lancashire | Cement-bonded asbestos only: up to 6 sheets or bags a visit and 18 a year. Wrapping materials provided in limited quantities | See council page |
| Oxfordshire | Book 48 hours ahead. Up to four sheets a visit, no bigger than 2m by 1m | £5.70 per 1m by 1m piece |
| Buckinghamshire | Permit needed. Up to three bin bags or four sheets of about 2m by 1m, three trips a year | £5.80 per 1m by 1m piece |
| East Sussex | Up to 6 bags or 4 sheets a month, booked | Charged per bag or sheet, no free allowance |
| Hartlepool | Council-issued bags only. Anything bigger than 100cm by 15cm must go through a licensed contractor | £7.20 a bag |
| Essex | Not taken at recycling centres. Subsidised home collection you book | See council page |
| Nottinghamshire | Not taken at recycling centres. Appointment at a dedicated site if you removed it yourself | £140 |
| Belfast | Collected from your home: cement-based asbestos up to 120kg, removed and wrapped by you, once a year | See council page |
Sources, all council websites checked 10 November 2026: Somerset; Cornwall; Lancashire; Oxfordshire and its waste acceptance policy; Buckinghamshire; East Sussex; Hartlepool; Essex; Nottinghamshire; Belfast; DIY waste change from Leeds City Council. Rules and prices change, so check your own council before you load the car.
Wherever you live, the same basics apply: book ahead, double-wrap everything, bring proof of address, and only bring asbestos from your own home that you removed yourself. Never put asbestos in a wheelie bin or a general skip.
Replace your asbestos garage roof or leave it alone?
You don't have to remove an asbestos garage roof just because it's there. HSE says asbestos in good condition that's unlikely to be damaged is often best left where it is, as long as you check it from time to time. The legal duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic buildings, not your own house and garage.
| Option | Rough cost (single garage) | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Leave it and check it | Nothing | Sheets are sound, not leaking, and you don't plan to work on the garage |
| Encapsulate (seal) it | £30–£33 per m², roughly £450–£660 for 15–20m² (our arithmetic) | Weathered but sound sheets you want to keep for now |
| Remove and replace | About £2,200–£3,200 | Leaking, cracked or storm-damaged sheets, or you want a usable, dry garage, or solar |
| Demolish the garage | About £1,500–£2,500 | The garage is past saving and you'd rather have the space |
Sources: HSE asbestos FAQs; HSE duty to manage; costs from MyJobQuote, Checkatrade, Danmarque and The Waste Group as above.
Newham Council's advice for homeowners is practical: a leaking garage roof can be repaired as long as you don't scratch the surface of the sheets, but that's the point where most people decide to replace them.
Replacement garage roof options and costs
Once the asbestos is off, you need something to go on. Flat garage roofs usually get felt or rubber (EPDM). Pitched ones get metal sheets or, to match the house, tiles or slates.
| New roof | Single garage | Double garage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felt (flat) | £750–£1,000 | £1,000–£1,500 | Still the most common flat garage roof |
| Rubber / EPDM (flat) | £1,000–£1,400 | £1,400–£2,000 | More durable than felt |
| Metal sheets (pitched) | £1,100–£1,500 | £1,800–£2,500 | Durable, lower-cost option for detached garages |
| Tiles or slates (pitched) | £1,500–£2,000 | £2,500–£3,500 | Matches the house |
Source: MyJobQuote garage roof replacement cost, checked 10 November 2026. These prices are for the new roof; add the asbestos removal on top, or compare with a firm that quotes both together, like Danmarque's £2,200–£3,200 for a single garage.
Thinking about solar? Tell the roofer before they quote. Panels add weight and need fixings, so the new roof and the timbers underneath should be up to carrying them. Sorting that now costs far less than redoing the roof later.
Asbestos shed roofs
Garden sheds from before 2000 can have asbestos cement roofs or walls too. They're usually smaller, so they're cheaper: MyJobQuote puts removal of a small garden shed with asbestos at around £475. The same council rules apply to the waste, and many people find it simpler to have the whole shed taken down and replaced.
Is there a grant for asbestos garage roof removal?
No. We know of no UK government grant that pays to remove an asbestos garage or shed roof, and asbestos removal firms say the same. The main home energy schemes, such as ECO4 and the Warm Homes grants, pay for insulation, heating and solar, not for asbestos work or garage roofs. If an advert promises an “asbestos grant”, ask exactly which scheme it is and check it on GOV.UK.
What does exist is help with the energy upgrade you might add once the roof is sorted:
- 0% VAT on solar and batteries installed in homes until 31 March 2027. HMRC's guidance doesn't spell out how this applies to panels on a detached garage, so ask your installer to confirm the VAT on their quote. See our VAT relief guide.
- The government-backed Warm Homes Loan can be used for solar panels and batteries on your home.
- Free solar for some households. On a qualifying benefit, free solar panels through ECO4 may still be possible until the scheme ends on 31 December 2026. It isn't guaranteed, so check your postcode.
Sources: Malrod, asbestos removal grants UK; HMRC VAT Notice 708/6; GOV.UK Warm Homes Loan Scheme; Ofgem, ECO4.
New garage roof? Make it earn its keep
Enter your postcode to see which solar, battery and home energy grants you could get, or ask one MCS-certified installer for a solar quote. Free, no obligation. We don't remove asbestos.
Can you put solar panels on a garage roof?
Yes, on a sound roof that gets the sun. Not on asbestos cement. Asbestos cement sheets are fragile and can't safely carry people or panel fixings, so an installer won't bolt panels to them. That's why the new roof comes first, and why it's worth planning both together.
New roof first, then solar in the same job
- Pay for access once. Scaffolding and the roofer's time aren't paid for twice.
- A roof built for panels. The roofer can make sure the structure and covering suit the mounting system.
- No lifting the panels later. Put panels on an old roof and you'll pay to take them off and refit them when it fails.
How much solar fits on a garage?
The Energy Saving Trust says a typical 4.5kWp home system covers 20–30m² of roof using around 12 panels, and costs around £7,600. So a 15–20m² single garage roof could, in theory, take something like 2–4kWp. That's our arithmetic, and shading, edges and the way the roof faces will cut it down. The Energy Saving Trust says an unshaded south-facing roof is ideal, east or west still work, and it doesn't recommend north-facing. If the garage is shaded, the house roof may be the better spot, and the installer can check both.
Do you need planning permission?
Usually not in England. Solar on a building within the grounds of your house, such as a garage, can be permitted development under the same limits as the house roof. On a pitched roof, panels must not stick up more than 200mm or sit above the ridge. On a flat roof, they can be up to 600mm above the highest part. The right doesn't cover buildings in the grounds of a listed building or a scheduled monument. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check with your council there.
Sources: Energy Saving Trust, solar panels; HSE A14 (fragile asbestos cement roofs); Planning Portal, solar on a house or a building within the curtilage (rules updated 27 August 2026; roof limits unchanged), checked 10 November 2026.
Want the numbers for your home? See solar panel costs for system prices and payback, battery storage if you're out at work all day, and solar panel grants for every funding route. Ready for a price? Get a solar quote from one MCS-certified installer.
Farm, business or commercial building?
Barns, warehouses and industrial units are a different job, priced per square metre and sometimes with the new roof and the solar funded together. Read our guide to commercial asbestos roof removal for farms, units and business landlords.