How Much Does it Cost to Build a Garage in the UK?

How Much it Costs to Build a Garage

When you’re thinking about building a garage for your property, the first thing you will need to know is how much to set aside for your budget. Not many people know that this extends beyond the individual costs of materials and labour, so how much does it cost to build a garage in the UK, really? 

Below, we’ve set out a guide on what you should think about before building your garage, the different types and materials available, and other considerations that might affect the price of your planned project. Read on to find out more, or get in touch today if you’d like a quote on one of our easy-to-build garage kits that make the ideal cost-effective solution.

Before You Think of Building a Garage

Before you get started on building a garage, it’s important to plan out exactly what you want and need from the finished structure. You should also make sure that you are setting aside enough time and money to cover all costs involved in the construction process.

How much this will actually be can vary greatly, depending on factors that include:

What’s Involved in Building a Garage?

No matter what type of garage you are planning on building for your property, there will always be a certain set of steps involved in planning out, building, and completing your garage:

Getting Planning Permission for Garages

Whether or not you will need to pay for planning permission and get Building Regulations approval all depends on the size of your garage. Most small single and double garages, including extensions, are considered to be permitted development as long as they adhere to a certain set of guidelines.

All of this information applies specifically to houses, rather than to flats or maisonettes, and planning permission fees vary depending on where you live in the UK (England, Scotland, or Wales). 

There may also be further stipulations that only apply in your specific area, so we would always advise that you get in touch with your local building authority before you start planning your garage. This could potentially save you both time and money on starting a project, only to find that it lacks the necessary permissions and will need to be torn down and started all over again.

The Different Types of Garage and How Much They Cost

For most types of garage, the cost to build and install them will differ, depending on the size and design, the materials used in the construction process, and the quality of the work carried out by the contractor. As such, prices for building garages can range between £4,000 and £50,000, and the overall cost is determined by what the purchaser asks for.

Below, we’ve set out a range of the average prices for some of the different garage material types in the UK:

You should also be aware that prices for brick garages may increase far beyond this, depending on the specifications and dimensions of your planned project.

How Much Do Garage Doors Cost?

There are a number of different types of garage door you can choose from to add a unique, stylish appearance to your build, or to add an extra layer of security and safeguarding for your belongings. The most common, and the lowest priced, of these is the “up and over” type, which comes in both “canopy” and “retractable” varieties.

Typically, canopy and retractable varieties will cost between £150 and £300+VAT. If you wish to complete your doorspace using a more complex design, you may also think about installing a “roller” door, which will open from the bottom and roll up into a position in the top of the door opening. Standard roller varieties will normally begin at £500, but can increase to as much as £5,000 for the electrically-assisted varieties.

If you are in need of an affordable door design that can be utilised for storage purposes, you may wish to install “side hinged” door varieties, which usually start at around £200+VAT. These door types open in the middle, which means they will never enter your garage space.

You may also wish to opt for “sectional” doors, which split into horizontal panels, if you would prefer a modern design for your garage. The average cost of these doors is between £650 and £1,000.

How Much Do Garage Roofs Cost?

Like garage doors, there are also multiple options for garage roofs when you’re planning on starting a project on your property. The two most common designs are pitched or flat roofs.

A pitched roof can be angled on one or both sides, with the construction of the roof normally helping to determine what materials will be used to finish it. The materials most often used to finish pitched roofs include:

Choosing an Extension or a Stand Alone

There are price differences to consider between stand alone garages and garage extensions, as having an attached garage built onto your home can increase the price because of the added labour costs. For example, a basic single detached garage may cost £4,500 for the combined costs of materials and labour, while an extension of the same size may cost around £4,800.

You should always hire a skip in order to carry out waste disposal when planning a garage project as well, which begins at around £150 for a week’s worth of use. Collection and waste disposal is normally included in this price.

Supply Only Costs of Building Materials

If you are planning on building the garage yourself, you will need to ensure that you are purchasing enough of each material to complete your project. We have made a list of some of the materials you may need to build your own garage in the UK, along with average prices:

• Blocks: £100 per 54 block sets
• Bricks: £500 to £1,000 per 500 bricks
• Cement: £5 per bag needed
• Corrugated sheets (plastic or metal): £100 to £150 for one 2.5 x 5m sheet
• Sand: £50 per ton
• Tiles: £1.85 to £5 per tile (a standard single garage roof normally holds about 1,000 tiles)

If you need to lay a foundation for your garage, you will also need a concrete slab. This is usually a mixture of cement, coarse gravel, and sharp sands. The amount of mix required will vary, but for an average depth of 30cm, you will most likely need around two tons of the gravel and sand mix, as well as five bags of cement. Altogether, this should cost around £125.

Additional Costs

There will always be additional expenses to cover when building a garage, particularly if you are planning on wiring the building for electricity, adding security features, and installing locks on the doors and windows. 

An electrician will be needed to fit the supply, which may cost between £125 and £150 a day, and they can either install further security systems such as lights (for around £50), alarms (for £100), and CCTV cameras (for about £150), or you can choose to hire a security specialist for a daily rate of around £150 to £200.

You may also need internal structures once the garage “shell” is fully built and installed, fitting cupboards and shelving units, with the price varying depending on whether you want to build and install the shelves yourself or if you would prefer to hire a carpenter to do the work. Hiring a carpenter should cost you between £100 and £150 a day, while buying the shelving to fit yourself can cost anywhere between £15 and £100, depending on the quality, the materials, and the number of units purchased.

When installing a garage, you will also need to consider arrangements for guttering, which should start at around £150 for a single garage, with the cost of a water butt for drainage starting at about £10. These are also easily installed by hand, so you should not need to pay any extra expenses on labour.

The final factor you will need to consider is whether or not you need to build a new driveway to accommodate your new garage. This can vary in price depending on the materials you choose, but if you decide on a concrete driveway the most cost-effective time to lay it will be at the same time that you choose to lay your garage foundations. This will likely extend the work on the foundation by around two to three days, at a cost of £75 people per day.

Hiring Specialists

When looking to hire tradesmen to carry out work, you will need to think of the specific tasks they need to complete to get the job done. As building a garage can have a range of different specialist work types attached, you may need to hire a variety of contractors to finish your garage project. We’ve listed some of the tradesmen you’ll need below, along with average prices for daily hire:

• Architects or designers: £200 per day
• Bricklayers: £75 to £100 per day
• Concrete layers: £75 per day
• Electricians: £125 per day
• General builders: £100 to £150 per day
• Tarmac layers: £125 per day (depending on skill level and qualifications)

Labour Costs and Timescales

Naturally, the longer any job takes to complete, the higher the final price will be at the end of the work. There are a number of factors which can have an impact on the timescale of a project, and therefore bring up the costs of labour:

• The size of the build
• The complexity of the build
• The final quality of the build
• The materials chosen to build the structure
• The skill of the tradesmen hired
• The amount of tradesmen hired to complete the project

This is where buying through The Garage Specialist can especially help you out. By purchasing one of our timber or oak frame garage kits, you can have your ideal garage design manufactured in the same way as a prefab kit, which will then be delivered to you for you to complete on your own schedule.

You’ll be in charge of your own build from the moment it arrives at your door, cutting out the costs involved in hiring skilled labour and ensuring that your garage is completed when you need it. 

How Pricing Works at The Garage Specialist

How much it will cost to build one of our wooden garages all depends on the needs and specifications of the purchaser. For example, you can expect a small, single garage that’s only one storey to cost less than a double garage that has a room above to act as an extra living space. 

We go through each planned feature of our products with our customers to make sure they are completely satisfied with the design’s overall look and use, and calculate the cost of the finished garage from the details they’ve provided. This means that when you come to us for a garage, you will only ever pay for the elements you want to see in your finished installation.

Find a Cost-Effective Garage Kit Through Us

If you are planning on building a new garage for your property, either as a stand alone structure or as an extension of your home, The Garage Specialist can provide you with the timber frame kit that will cut down the average cost to suit your budget.

When you choose to work with us, your needs and specifications will become our priority, and our experienced team will work hard to make sure you receive your affordable home improvement solution as soon as possible, no matter where you are in the UK.

Your timber or oak frame kit will be delivered as soon as the work has been signed off and approved, so you won’t have to wait long before you can get started on installing your own cost-effective garage structure and making the most of it once it’s done.