Cost Guide · Updated July 2026
Garage Roof Replacement Cost 2026
Replacing a garage roof in the UK typically costs £700 to £3,000 for a flat roof, rising to £2,500–£6,000 if you convert to a pitched, tiled design. The price hinges on the covering you choose — felt, EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass or tiles — the garage size, and whether the timber deck or an old asbestos roof needs dealing with first.
Single garage flat roof: £700–£3,000 fitted · Double garage: £1,200–£5,000 · Asbestos removal adds £350–£900.
Get My 3 Free Quotes →Quick answer
For a standard single garage (about 15–18m² of roof), expect to pay roughly £700–£1,500 for a re-felt, £1,200–£2,500 for EPDM rubber, £1,500–£3,000 for GRP fibreglass, or £2,500–£6,000 to convert the flat roof to a pitched, tiled roof. Double the roof area for a double garage and add roughly 60–90%. Budget an extra £350–£900 if an existing asbestos cement roof must be removed under licence, and £150–£600 if rotten timber decking or joists need replacing once the old covering is stripped.
What drives the cost of replacing a garage roof?
A garage roof is a small, self-contained job compared with a house roof, but the price still swings widely because so many variables stack up. The single biggest factor is the covering material — a torch-on felt system is cheap and quick, while a fibreglass (GRP) or tiled pitched roof costs several times more but lasts far longer. On top of that sit five practical cost drivers that a good roofer will price separately:
- Roof area & access. A single garage roof is roughly 15–18m²; a double is 28–36m². Tight side access, a shared party wall or a garage set behind the house all add labour.
- Condition of the timber deck. Once the old covering comes off, soft or rotten decking and joists must be replaced — you rarely know the full extent until the strip-off.
- Existing material. Stripping and disposing of old felt is cheap; removing an asbestos cement roof needs licensed handling and adds a fixed premium.
- Edge details. New trims, drip edges, a replacement fascia board and guttering are often bundled in — check whether your quote includes them.
- Insulation & building regs. If you upgrade the roof structure or convert the garage to a habitable room, insulation and Building Regulations approval come into play.
Below we break the numbers down by material, then by garage size, so you can sanity-check any quote you receive. Every figure is a fully-fitted 2026 UK price including labour, materials and waste disposal unless stated otherwise.
Garage roof replacement cost by roof type
The four common choices for a UK garage roof are torch-on felt, EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and a pitched tiled conversion. Each has a different price, lifespan and finish. These are typical fully-fitted costs for a single garage; scale up for a double using the size table further down.
| Roof type | Typical fitted cost (single garage) | Expected lifespan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felt (torch-on, 3-layer) | £700 – £1,500 | 10 – 15 years | Tight budgets, quick fixes, storage garages |
| EPDM rubber membrane | £1,200 – £2,500 | 25 – 30 years | Low-maintenance, seamless single-ply cover |
| GRP fibreglass | £1,500 – £3,000 | 25 – 30+ years | Hard-wearing, walk-on, crisp modern finish |
| Pitched / tiled conversion | £2,500 – £6,000 | 40 – 60+ years | Matching the house, better drainage, kerb appeal |
Felt flat roof — £700 to £1,500
Traditional built-up felt (usually a three-layer, torch-on system with a mineral top sheet) remains the cheapest way to make a garage watertight. It is quick to install — often a single day for a single garage — and any roofer can do it. The trade-off is lifespan: felt hardens, blisters and cracks under UV, so 10–15 years is realistic and cheaper single-layer “shed felt” jobs can fail in under a decade. Felt makes sense for a storage-only garage or a stop-gap before a bigger project.
EPDM rubber — £1,200 to £2,500
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane laid in one large sheet, so on a small garage roof it can be effectively seamless — the main failure point of flat roofs (seams and laps) is largely designed out. It flexes with temperature, resists UV and shrugs off ponding water. Installation is cold-applied (no naked flame), which insurers like. A quality EPDM roof will comfortably see 25–30 years and often carries a 20-year material guarantee. It is the sweet spot for most homeowners who want a fit-and-forget flat roof.
GRP fibreglass — £1,500 to £3,000
Glass-reinforced plastic (fibreglass) is built up wet in place over a plywood deck and cured into a single hard, seamless shell with a coloured topcoat. It is genuinely walk-on tough, ideal if you ever want to use the roof as a balcony or need it to take foot traffic for maintenance. The finish is crisp and modern, with neat GRP trims instead of metal edges. It costs a little more than EPDM and is more weather-sensitive to install (it needs dry, mild conditions to cure), but a well-laid GRP roof lasts 25–30+ years and looks the part on a contemporary house.
Pitched / tiled conversion — £2,500 to £6,000
Converting a flat garage roof to a low-pitch tiled roof is the premium option. A new timber frame (a “warm” or cold pitched structure) is built over the existing walls, then felted, battened and tiled to match the house. It transforms the look of the garage, sheds water far better than any flat roof, and can last 40–60 years or more. The cost depends heavily on pitch, span and tile choice — concrete interlocking tiles are cheapest, clay or slate dearer. On a double garage, or where you also want the loft void for storage, prices push toward the top of the range. This route may need Building Regulations sign-off and, occasionally, planning permission (see the FAQs).
Garage roof cost by size: single vs double
Garage roof pricing scales with area, but not perfectly — a double garage costs less than twice a single because set-up, access and edge details are shared across the job. As a rule of thumb, a double garage roof runs about 60–90% more than a single of the same material. Use this table as a starting point, then get quotes for your exact roof.
| Material | Single garage (~15–18m²) | Double garage (~28–36m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Felt (torch-on) | £700 – £1,500 | £1,200 – £2,600 |
| EPDM rubber | £1,200 – £2,500 | £2,000 – £4,200 |
| GRP fibreglass | £1,500 – £3,000 | £2,600 – £5,000 |
| Pitched / tiled | £2,500 – £6,000 | £4,500 – £10,000 |
Cost per square metre. Broken down by area, a flat garage roof works out at roughly £45–£90/m² for felt, £75–£140/m² for EPDM, £90–£170/m² for GRP, and £150–£300/m² for a tiled pitched build. Very small single garages sit at the higher end per m² because minimum call-out and set-up costs are spread over less area.
Flat roof or pitched roof for a garage?
Most UK garages were built with a flat roof, and re-covering flat with a modern membrane is the cheaper, less disruptive path. Converting to a pitched roof costs more and may need approvals, but it drains better and lasts decades longer. Here is how they compare on the things that matter.
| Factor | Flat roof (felt / EPDM / GRP) | Pitched / tiled roof |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost (single) | £700 – £3,000 | £2,500 – £6,000 |
| Lifespan | 10 – 30 years (by material) | 40 – 60+ years |
| Drainage | Relies on a slight fall; ponding risk | Excellent — water runs straight off |
| Disruption | Low — often 1–2 days | Higher — new structure, 3–7 days |
| Approvals | Usually none for like-for-like | Building Regs likely; planning sometimes |
| Kerb appeal | Neutral, utilitarian | High — matches the house |
| Storage void | None | Possible loft space above |
Which should you choose? If the garage is purely for storage or parking and the walls are sound, a good EPDM or GRP flat roof gives you 25–30 years of protection at a fraction of the cost and hassle. Choose a pitched conversion if you want the garage to visually match the house, you are planning to convert it to a room later, or the existing flat roof has a history of ponding and leaks that a new membrane alone won’t fully solve. Weigh the higher upfront cost against the far longer lifespan — over 40 years, a tiled roof can work out cheaper per year than replacing felt three or four times.
Replacing an asbestos garage roof
Thousands of UK garages built between the 1950s and mid-1980s have roofs made of asbestos cement — typically corrugated grey sheets or flat panels. Asbestos cement is a lower-risk (“non-friable”) material when intact, but it becomes dangerous the moment it is cut, drilled, snapped or broken up, because that releases respirable fibres. This is why removal is priced as a specialist job, not a DIY strip-off.
Do I need a licensed contractor?
Most domestic asbestos cement garage roof removal is non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, meaning a competent, trained contractor can legally do it without an HSE licence — but they must still follow safe methods: no power tools, keeping sheets whole and damp, double-bagging waste and disposing of it at a licensed facility. You should never break sheets up, jet-wash them or dump them in a skip. If in any doubt, use a contractor who carries asbestos awareness training and the right insurance; higher-risk situations (badly degraded sheets, large quantities) may need a licensed firm.
Asbestos removal cost
| Item | Typical 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Asbestos cement roof removal — single garage | £350 – £700 |
| Asbestos cement roof removal — double garage | £600 – £1,200 |
| Licensed hazardous-waste disposal (per load) | £80 – £250 |
| Air-quality / clearance check (if required) | £100 – £300 |
As a fitted whole, removing an asbestos roof and replacing it with a new EPDM or GRP covering on a single garage generally lands around £1,600–£3,500. Always get the removal and the new roof itemised separately on the quote so you can see what you are paying for. Your local council or a registered waste carrier can advise on lawful disposal, and the HSE publishes free guidance on handling asbestos safely.
Timber deck and joist repairs
Underneath the waterproof covering, a flat garage roof is built on a timber deck (usually plywood or OSB board) supported by joists. Water that has been getting through a failing felt roof for years will often have rotted patches of this timber — and you frequently can’t see the extent until the old covering is stripped. Budgeting for some deck repair is sensible on any roof that has been leaking.
| Repair | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Replace a section of rotten decking (per board) | £40 – £90 |
| Full re-deck of a single garage roof | £300 – £700 |
| Replace / sister a rotten joist | £80 – £250 each |
| Add firrings to create / correct roof fall | £120 – £400 |
Two things to check with your roofer up front. First, ask how deck repairs are priced — a good quote will include an allowance or a clear per-board rate so an unexpected soft patch doesn’t derail your budget. Second, ask whether the roof has adequate fall: flat roofs need a slight slope (typically a 1:40 to 1:80 gradient) so water drains rather than pools. If your old roof ponded, adding tapered firring battens during the re-deck to build in a proper fall is money well spent and prevents the new covering failing early.
Guttering, fascia and trims
A garage roof replacement is the natural moment to sort the edge details, because they are all exposed once the old covering is off. Tired fascia boards, a sagging gutter or a rusted metal drip edge will undermine even the best new membrane, and re-doing them later means disturbing fresh work.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| New fascia board (single garage run) | £120 – £350 |
| Replacement guttering & downpipe | £100 – £300 |
| New drip trims / edge details (GRP or metal) | Often included in the roof price |
| Soffit / barge board tidy-up | £80 – £250 |
Ask specifically whether new trims, a fascia and guttering are included in your quote or extra — this is the most common source of “the price went up” surprises on garage roofs. On EPDM and GRP roofs the drip trims are usually part of the system and included; the fascia and gutter are more often quoted as add-ons. Getting them done in the same visit is cheaper than a return trip.
Signs you need a new garage roof
A garage roof rarely fails overnight. Catching the warning signs early lets you replace on your own terms rather than after a ceiling has come down. Look for:
- Damp patches, drips or staining on the inside of the garage roof or on stored items — the clearest sign the covering has been breached.
- Blistering, bubbling or cracking felt, or splits where the felt meets upstands and edges.
- Ponding water that sits for days after rain, indicating the fall has failed or the deck is sagging.
- Moss, algae or pooled debris holding moisture against the surface.
- A springy or soft feel underfoot (if safe to check) — a sign the deck below has rotted.
- Sagging along the roofline or a dip in the middle, pointing to joist or deck failure.
- Loose, slipped or missing tiles on a pitched garage roof, or daylight visible through the roof.
- Age. If a felt roof is past 12–15 years or you’ve patched it repeatedly, a full replacement is usually more economical than chasing leaks.
If you spot several of these together — especially damp inside plus a spongy deck — it is time to replace rather than patch. A quick, free assessment from a local roofer will tell you whether a re-cover will do or the deck needs work too.
How long does each garage roof material last?
Lifespan is the number that turns a cheap roof into an expensive one over time. A £900 felt roof replaced three times in 40 years costs more than a £2,000 EPDM roof fitted once. Here is realistic UK service life for each material, assuming competent installation and occasional cleaning of debris and gutters.
| Material | Typical lifespan | Rough cost per year (single garage) |
|---|---|---|
| Felt (torch-on) | 10 – 15 years | £60 – £110 |
| EPDM rubber | 25 – 30 years | £45 – £90 |
| GRP fibreglass | 25 – 30+ years | £55 – £110 |
| Pitched / tiled | 40 – 60+ years | £50 – £120 |
The headline: EPDM and GRP land in a similar “cost per year” band to a tiled roof once you spread the price over its lifespan, and all three beat repeated felt replacements. Felt still wins on pure upfront cost and for short-term or storage-only garages — but if you plan to stay put, a longer-life membrane or tiled roof is usually the better value.
Compare garage roof quotes from vetted local roofers
Tell us a little about your garage and we’ll match you with up to three vetted local roofers and garage specialists for free, no-obligation quotes. It takes about 60 seconds and there’s no spam — just real prices for your job.
Ready to price up your garage roof?
Get 3 free quotes from vetted local roofers and compare like-for-like — felt, EPDM, GRP or a tiled conversion.
Get My Free Quotes →Garage roof replacement: frequently asked questions
A single garage flat roof typically costs £700–£1,500 for felt, £1,200–£2,500 for EPDM rubber, or £1,500–£3,000 for GRP fibreglass, fully fitted. Converting to a pitched, tiled roof costs £2,500–£6,000. Add £350–£900 if an old asbestos roof needs removing, and £150–£700 if rotten decking must be replaced.
Felt is cheapest (£700–£1,500) but lasts only 10–15 years — fine for storage garages or a stop-gap. EPDM (£1,200–£2,500) is a seamless rubber membrane that lasts 25–30 years and is the best all-round value for most homeowners. GRP fibreglass (£1,500–£3,000) is the toughest, walk-on option with a crisp modern finish and a similar lifespan, at a slightly higher cost. For fit-and-forget durability, EPDM or GRP beat felt comfortably.
Removing an asbestos cement garage roof typically costs £350–£700 for a single garage and £600–£1,200 for a double, plus £80–£250 for licensed hazardous-waste disposal. Never break up, drill or jet-wash asbestos sheets, or put them in a normal skip — use a trained contractor who keeps the sheets whole, damps them down, double-bags the waste and disposes of it at a licensed facility. The HSE publishes free guidance on handling asbestos safely.
A flat roof re-cover on a single garage is usually a 1–2 day job — felt and EPDM often go on in a day, GRP needs dry, mild weather to cure. A pitched, tiled conversion involves building a new timber structure and typically takes 3–7 days. Asbestos removal or extensive deck repairs add time. Weather can extend any flat-roof job, particularly GRP.
A like-for-like garage roof re-cover normally needs no planning permission — it’s treated as repair and maintenance. Converting a flat roof to a pitched one can be permitted development in many cases, but you may need permission if it raises the roof height significantly, you’re in a conservation area or the garage is close to a boundary or road. If in doubt, check with your local planning authority before starting.
Simply re-covering an existing flat roof usually falls under repair and doesn’t need Building Regulations approval, though replacing more than about 25% of the roof can trigger insulation upgrade requirements. Building a new pitched structure, or converting the garage into a habitable room, does require Building Regs sign-off covering structure, insulation and (for conversions) fire safety and ventilation. Your roofer or a building control officer can confirm what applies to your project.
A localised patch or a liquid-applied repair coating (roughly £150–£500) can buy time on a roof that’s otherwise sound. But if the covering is past its lifespan, ponding badly, or the timber deck below has started to rot, repeated patching costs more in the long run than a full replacement. As a rule, if you’ve patched the same roof more than twice, or there’s damp inside plus a spongy deck, replace rather than repair.
Indirectly, yes. A leaking or asbestos garage roof is a red flag on a survey and can put buyers off, so replacing it removes a negotiating point and protects anything stored inside. A tidy tiled or GRP roof that matches the house also lifts kerb appeal. The bigger value uplift comes if the new, insulated roof is a step toward converting the garage into usable living space.
Written by the BestBuilders Editorial Team · Reviewed by a qualified UK roofing contractor · Last updated: July 2026.
How we produced this guide: Price ranges are compiled from quotes gathered through BestBuilders’ network of vetted UK roofers and garage specialists during 2025–2026, cross-checked against typical trade material and labour rates. Asbestos handling guidance reflects the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advice; always confirm current requirements with the HSE and your local authority.
Ask a roofing expert — for free
Not sure whether to re-cover or convert, or what your asbestos roof will cost to remove? Ask our experts a free question and get a straight answer, or browse related cost guides.
Related: Roofing cost UK · All cost guides · Get 3 free quotes · Ask an expert