Enter your garage size, roof type and chosen material to instantly estimate your garage roof replacement cost, including a comparison across felt, EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass for single and double garages.
Roof Details
Estimated Cost Breakdown
felt Roof Installation£800 - £1,120
Total Estimated Range:
£800 - £1,120Includes basic materials, labor, and standard waste disposal. Excludes major joist repairs.
Material Quick Guide
Felt (Budget Option)
Cheapest to install, but typically only lasts 10-15 years before needing repairs.
EPDM Rubber (Best Value)
Installed in a single seam-free piece. Highly waterproof and lasts up to 50 years.
Fibreglass/GRP (Premium)
Extremely tough, visually appealing, and very long-lasting. Costs the most to install.
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How Much Does it Cost to Replace a Garage Roof in the UK?
A leaking garage roof presents a massive danger to the structure of the garage itself and any items stored inside. Depending on the size of your garage and the material you choose, a full replacement can cost anywhere from £800 to over £3,000. Use our calculator above for an instant estimate, or read on to understand exactly where those costs come from.
1. Size of the Garage
The most obvious cost factor is the area of the roof. Roofers price jobs per square metre (m²).
Single Garage: Usually around 3 metres by 5 metres (15m²).
Double Garage: Usually around 6 metres by 5 metres (30m²).
2. Choosing the Right Roofing Material
The material you choose will heavily dictate the final invoice:
Traditional Felt: The most common flat roofing material in the UK for older garages. It is applied in layers with hot bitumen or torched on. While cheap initially, it is prone to blistering in the sun and cracking in the winter. Life expectancy: 10–15 years.
EPDM (Rubber Roofing): EPDM has rapidly replaced felt as the go-to flat roof product. It's often installed as one single, seamless sheet which drastically cuts down the risk of leaks at joints. It handles UK weather brilliantly. Life expectancy: 40–50 years.
GRP (Fibreglass): Glass Reinforced Plastic is extremely tough (you can safely walk on it) and has no seams. It involves painting resins and laying fibreglass matting. It looks the smartest but requires dry weather to cure properly, and costs the most. Life expectancy: 30+ years.
3. The Danger (and Cost) of Asbestos
If your garage was built before the year 2000, there is a very high chance the corrugated roof sheets contain white asbestos (chrysotile).
You cannot just throw asbestos sheets into a standard skip. They must be carefully dismantled (without breaking them), double-wrapped in heavy-duty polythene, and transported to a licensed hazardous waste facility. Because of the PPE, breathing apparatus, and legal disposal fees required, removing an asbestos garage roof will easily add £750 to £2000 to your overall bill. Do not attempt to strip an asbestos roof yourself.
Do I Need Planning Permission?
In almost all cases in the UK, simply replacing the existing roof on a standalone garage falls under Permitted Development, meaning you do not need planning permission. However, if you are significantly increasing the height of the roof (for example, converting a flat roof into a pitched roof), you should check with your local council's planning portal.
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How Much Does a Garage Roof Replacement Cost?
Replacing a garage roof costs between £750 and £3,500 for most UK homes in 2026. The final figure depends on garage size, material choice and whether the timber deck underneath needs attention once the old covering is stripped.
Garage Type
Roof Area
Felt
EPDM Rubber
GRP Fibreglass
Small single (up to 15m²)
~15m²
£750 – £1,200
£1,050 – £1,500
£1,350 – £1,950
Standard single (18–20m²)
~18m²
£900 – £1,450
£1,260 – £1,800
£1,620 – £2,340
Large single (up to 25m²)
~25m²
£1,250 – £1,750
£1,500 – £2,375
£2,000 – £3,250
Double garage (28–35m²)
~30m²
£1,500 – £2,100
£1,800 – £2,850
£2,400 – £3,900
These figures include materials, labour, edge trims and standard drainage details. They exclude deck repairs, waste removal, insulation upgrades and scaffolding, all covered below.
Garage Roof Materials
Your material choice is the most significant variable in any garage roof quote. Here is how the main options compare in 2026:
Material
Cost Per m² (Installed)
Lifespan
Best For
Traditional felt
£50 – £80
10–20 years
Budget garage roofs, low-use outbuildings
EPDM rubber
£70 – £100
25–40 years
Most garages, best whole-life value
GRP fibreglass
£90 – £130
25–30 years
Modern garages, any foot traffic
Corrugated metal
£40 – £90
20+ years
Agricultural or utility garages
Felt is the cheapest upfront option and remains a practical choice for garages used primarily for storage or where budget is the priority. It needs resealing periodically and is likely to need replacing twice in the time a single EPDM installation lasts.
EPDM rubber is the best whole-life value for most residential garages. It comes in large single sheets, eliminating the seams where leaks typically start and requires virtually no maintenance once installed correctly. A 18m² single garage in Bury, for example, completed with full felt strip and torch-on re-cover was priced at £1,200 in early 2026. The same garage in EPDM would typically run £1,400 to £1,800, but that investment lasts over twice as long.
GRP fibreglass is the right choice for garages where the roof is walked on, a converted roof space, storage platform or balcony above. The seamless rigid surface handles foot traffic and is highly resistant to leaks. It requires dry weather and temperatures above 5°C to install correctly, which can affect scheduling.
Flat vs Pitched Garage Roof
The vast majority of UK garages have flat roofs. If your garage is one of the minority with a pitched (sloping) roof, replacement costs differ significantly.
Flat garage roof replacement is almost always the cheaper option for like-for-like work because flat systems are less structurally complex to install. Converting a flat garage roof to a pitched alternative typically costs £3,000 to £6,000 on top of the standard replacement, involving structural modifications, new rafter work and a tiled or sheet metal covering.
Converting from flat to pitched requires planning permission if the ridge height increases or the change alters the overall appearance of the structure. Check with your local planning authority before commissioning design work.
Additional Costs to Budget For
Deck repairs: Once the old covering is stripped, rotten plywood or OSB boards beneath are the most common unexpected discovery on older garage roofs. Replacing decking costs approximately £25 to £35 per m² on top of the roofing cost. Always budget a contingency of £200 to £500 on any garage roof that is over ten years old.
Waste removal and disposal: Stripping old felt or torch-on felt generates significant waste. Most roofing contractors include skip hire or disposal in their quote, but confirm this in writing before accepting any price. Separately, skip hire costs £200 to £300.
Insulation upgrade: Building Regulations require improved insulation when replacing more than 50% of a garage roof covering, particularly if the space below is used as a habitable room or workshop. Adding 50mm of rigid insulation board costs approximately £500 to £800 for a standard single garage and meaningfully improves thermal performance and condensation control.
Guttering and fascias: Worth addressing at the same time if your garage guttering is near end of life. Combining both jobs in a single visit eliminates a second callout fee and any separate scaffolding cost.
Asbestos: Garage roofs built or modified before 2000, particularly corrugated sheet roofs, may contain asbestos. A survey costs £50 to £100. Licensed asbestos removal adds significantly to the project cost and is a legal requirement.
Repair vs Replacement
Repairing a garage roof is cheaper in the short term but replacement is usually more cost-effective once recurring problems appear.
Repair is appropriate when:
Damage is isolated to a small area and the rest of the covering is sound
The roof is relatively recent and under any remaining guarantee
The underlying deck is dry and structurally solid
Replacement is the right choice when:
Leaks recur after previous repairs, patching a failed waterproof layer rarely holds long-term
The roof is felt-based and over 12 to 15 years old
The deck feels soft or bouncy underfoot, indicating moisture damage below
Water pools for more than 48 hours after rain, suggesting drainage or fall failure
Minor garage roof repairs, patching a blister, resealing a flashing, fixing a small tear, cost £150 to £400. More extensive repairs cost £400 to £800. If you have spent on repairs twice in three years, a full replacement almost always delivers better value.
Does Garage Roof Replacement Need Planning Permission?
Like-for-like garage roof replacement does not require planning permission in England and Wales in most cases. You can replace felt with EPDM or GRP without planning approval provided you are not changing the height, profile or footprint of the structure.
Planning permission is required if you are converting from flat to pitched and the ridge height increases, or if your property is listed or in a conservation area.
Building Regulations apply when more than 50% of the roof covering is replaced, specifically for insulation compliance under Part L. A TrustMark or NFRC-registered roofer can self-certify this. Always request written confirmation that building control notification has been handled.
