Asbestos garage roof removal cost

Is it asbestos?

If the garage was built between the 1950s and the mid 1980s and the roof is grey corrugated sheeting, assume it is asbestos cement until proven otherwise. Typical signs: a dull grey surface, often with moss and lichen, a wavy profile, visible fibres at broken edges, and brittleness around the fixings. A sample test through a UKAS accredited lab costs £30 to £80 and settles it.

What it costs

Doing both jobs together is the cheaper route by a distance, because the access, the labour and the waste run are shared. Our garage roof cost guide prices the replacement options by material.

The rules, in plain English

• Asbestos cement is the lower risk form of asbestos, and removing it in whole sheets is non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 when done by a competent, trained contractor.
• The higher risk material, asbestos insulating board, needs a licensed contractor. That is rarely a garage roof and often a ceiling or soffit.
• All asbestos waste must go to a site authorised to receive it, with a waste consignment note you keep.
• Deliberately breaking sheets to fit them in a skip is illegal, and it is the single most dangerous thing a homeowner does with asbestos.

What a proper removal looks like

1. The sheets are dampened to suppress dust, never dry-cut.
2. Fixings are removed rather than the sheets being smashed or levered.
3. Sheets come off whole and are double-wrapped in heavy duty polythene and labelled.
4. The area is cleaned with a Type H vacuum, not a brush.
5. Waste goes to an authorised site and you receive the consignment note.

Any contractor who proposes to grind, cut or pressure wash asbestos cement should be shown the gate.

Can you remove it yourself?

Homeowners are permitted to remove asbestos cement from their own property, and plenty do. Whether it is sensible is another question: you need the right protective equipment, the correct wrapping, a booked slot at a disposal site that accepts it, and the discipline never to break a sheet. Many councils accept small quantities from householders by appointment, often with a limit and sometimes for a fee. Given removal and disposal by a professional is £500 to £1,200, the saving rarely justifies the risk.

What about asbestos guttering and soffits?

Asbestos cement was also used for gutters, downpipes and soffit boards on the same generation of buildings. Same rules, same handling, and it is worth doing at the same time as the roof while the access is already there. Our asbestos roof guide covers identification and the safety detail in full.