Builders · Updated August 2026
Garage Build Cost UK 2026: Sectional to Brick
Building a single garage costs £7,200–£10,800 as a concrete sectional, £9,900–£14,400 in timber frame, and £19,800–£27,900 brick-built to match the house. A brick double runs £39,600–£55,800. The spread is the walls: a sectional bolts onto a base in a day; brick is a small building project.
Garage build cost by type — 2026
Supplied and built on a standard concrete base. Single = 18m², double = 36m² — the same sizes and ranges as the garage build calculator, so you can price your own dimensions there.
| Garage type | Typical cost | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete sectional, single (18m²) | £7,200–£10,800 | £400–£600/m² | Prefab panels craned onto the base |
| Timber frame, single (18m²) | £9,900–£14,400 | £550–£800/m² | Workshop-friendly, easy to insulate |
| Block + render, single (18m²) | £16,200–£22,500 | £900–£1,250/m² | Masonry price without facing brick |
| Brick built, single (18m²) | £19,800–£27,900 | £1,100–£1,550/m² | Matches the house; adds most value |
| Brick built, double (36m²) | £39,600–£55,800 | £1,100–£1,550/m² | Two doors or one double span |
Q3 2026 UK price ranges, identical to the garage build calculator on this site - supplied and built, including a standard concrete base, by garage type and size. Confirm against three written quotes; ground conditions and access move real prices.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Garage type | the whole spread | Sectional £400-£600/m² against brick £1,100-£1,550/m² - the walls are the bill |
| The base and ground | included here, varies on site | A standard concrete base is in these prices; poor ground, slopes or old foundations to break out add real money |
| Doors | spec choice | An up-and-over is the baseline; insulated roller and sectional doors are the common upgrade - price them on the garage door cost page |
| Electrics | almost everyone adds them | Lighting and sockets need Part P notifiable work - agree it in the quote, not as an extra |
| Matching the house | brick premium | Facing brick to match existing masonry is the most expensive skin and the one planners prefer in conservation settings |
Garage build cost by UK region — 2026
Modelled from regional labour rates rather than measured in this category - materials cost much the same everywhere, the labour does not.
| Region | Typical installed cost | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £25,340–£35,710 | +25–30% |
| South East | £23,360–£32,920 | +15–20% |
| South West | £20,790–£29,300 | +5% |
| Midlands | £19,800–£27,900 | baseline |
| North England | £18,220–£25,670 | −5–10% |
| Scotland | £17,820–£25,110 | −10% |
| Wales | £17,820–£25,110 | −10% |
| Northern Ireland | £16,830–£23,720 | −15% |
Getting it priced properly
1. Check whether you need planning permission first
Many detached garages fall under permitted development if they stay modest in height and footprint, but the limits are specific - check your council before ordering anything.
2. Get the base and groundwork itemised
The concrete base is where surprises live. A quote that itemises excavation, sub-base and slab separately is a quote you can compare.
3. Decide sectional vs masonry on lifespan, not price alone
A sectional does the job for a fraction of brick - but brick matches the house, lasts longest and is what buyers value.
What building a garage costs - 2026
Every figure comes from the cost table above.
Sectional, timber or brick: which to choose
The price gap between a concrete sectional and a brick garage is really a choice about how long it needs to last and how much it needs to look the part. A concrete sectional is the value option: pre-cast panels bolted onto the base in a day, weathertight, and perfectly good for parking and storage where it sits out of sight down the side of the house. Timber frame costs a little more and earns it if you want a workshop or a garage that is easy to insulate and line out later.
Block-and-render is the mid-point — a proper masonry building without the cost of facing brick — and suits a garage that will be rendered to match a rendered house. Brick is the one that matches the house, lasts the longest and adds the most at resale, which is why planners lean towards it in conservation settings and why it is the default when the garage is in full view from the road. If you are likely to convert the garage into a room down the line, spending on masonry now saves building it twice; our page on garage conversion costs shows where that leads.
What’s in the price, and what isn’t
The headline ranges on this page are for a garage supplied and built on a standard concrete base. That covers most of the job, but a few things sit outside it — and they are the lines where two quotes for the same garage drift apart. Read a quote for what it leaves out as much as for what it includes.
| Usually in the price | Usually costed separately |
|---|---|
| The shell — prefab panels or masonry walls, roof and one up-and-over door | An insulated roller or sectional door upgrade — price it on the garage door cost page |
| A standard concrete base on level, sound ground | Extra groundwork: sloping plots, soft ground, or breaking out an old slab or foundations |
| Fixing the building down and making it weathertight | Drainage runs or moving a soakaway where the base needs it |
| Guttering, and on some quotes a single external light | Full electrics — lighting, sockets and a consumer-unit spur — which is Part P notifiable work |
| Delivery within the builder’s normal area | Crane hire or the extra labour for a tight, access-restricted urban plot |
VAT is the other variable: a smaller builder under the threshold may not charge it, a larger firm adds 20%, so check whether the number is inclusive before you compare. The cleanest way to compare like with like is to price your exact size, wall type, door and electrics through the garage build cost calculator, then ask each builder to quote against that same specification.
Planning permission and building regs for a garage
A detached garage is often permitted development, which means no planning application — but the allowances are specific, and getting them wrong is expensive to unpick. As an outbuilding it generally needs to be single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5m and an overall height under 4m for a dual-pitched roof, or 3m for any other roof. It must not sit forward of the principal elevation of the house, and outbuildings together can’t cover more than half the land around the original house. Front gardens, listed buildings, conservation areas and other designated land lose some or all of those rights, so check the Planning Portal outbuildings rules and confirm with your local authority before you order anything. Our plain-English guide on planning permission for a garage works through the common cases.
Building regulations are a separate question from planning. A detached garage is normally exempt if its floor area is under 30m², it sits at least 1m from any boundary or is built substantially of non-combustible material, and no one is going to sleep in it. Bring it within a metre of the boundary, attach it to the house, or fit it out as a workshop or room, and parts of the regs start to apply. The electrical work is the exception that catches people out: adding lighting and sockets is notifiable under Part P whatever the size, so it has to be done by a registered electrician or signed off by building control. Agree that in the quote rather than discovering it later.
Choosing a builder: what to check
The garage you can see is straightforward; the part you can’t — the base — is where quality and corners hide. Three checks cover most of the risk.
See the base spec in writing
Ask for excavation depth, sub-base, damp-proof membrane, slab thickness and any reinforcement, itemised. A builder who writes that down is a builder who intends to do it; a vague “base included” is where the saving usually comes from.
Confirm the notifiable bits
Make sure electrics are done under Part P and that building control sign-off is arranged where it applies. Ask to see the electrician’s registration and any certificates — the paperwork protects you when you come to sell.
Stage the payments
A deposit for materials is fair; the full price up front is not. Tie payments to stages — base down, shell up, completion — and get any workmanship guarantee in writing before work starts.
Finding builders worth those checks is the bit we take off your hands. Tell us the job and we match you with vetted local builders for up to three quotes to compare, free and with no obligation, drawing on cost data across 519 UK towns. The guide on hiring a trusted garage fitter and our builders hub go further.
Garage build — frequently asked questions
From £7,200–£10,800 for a single concrete sectional garage, £9,900–£14,400 in timber frame, and £19,800–£27,900 brick-built. A brick double garage runs £39,600–£55,800. All supplied and built on a standard base.
A concrete sectional costs roughly a third of brick and goes up in a day, which makes it the value choice for storage. Brick wins where the garage sits in view of the house, needs to match it, or you want the longest life and most added value.
Often not: a detached garage can fall under permitted development within height and footprint limits, but the rules are specific about boundaries, curtilage and designated areas — confirm with your local council before committing.
These prices use 18m² for a single and 36m² for a double — the same basis as our garage build calculator, where you can price your exact dimensions, door and electrics in 30 seconds.
Related garage guides
Price your exact size, type and spec in 30 seconds.
The masonry route costed step by step.
Already have the garage? What turning it into a room costs.
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Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team · Last updated: 5 September 2026 · Next scheduled review: December 2026 · See our editorial standards.