How Much Does Garage Demolition Cost?
If you're wondering about the costs of this type of work, then this article will go over all of that. We will also take a look at the timescales that you can expect with this type of work and the different types of garage demolition.
So what is the cost of demolishing a garage?
Demolishing a garage is the perfect way to expand your outdoor space. It’s also great for clearing space for an extension and allowing more natural light to enter your home. The average cost for a garage demolition in the UK is around £500-£2500.
Several factors may influence the cost of garage demolition. Some examples include the size of the garage, the materials that the garage is made from, and the type of garage.
The ease of access may also play a part in the overall cost, as well as your location in the UK. Those based in the London area can expect to pay more for the work than those in the North or other parts of the UK.
Quotes for demolishing your garage will usually include various elements of the job.
Some contractors may provide a breakdown of these costs, or they may allow you to provide some of the parts of the job yourself, such as waste removal. At the same time, some other contractors may provide one complete quote for the whole job.
Most garage demolitions will take around one to two days to complete. However, it may be longer if the garage is quite large or attached to a structure or a thick concrete foundation that needs to be removed.
The cost for labour per day can range from around £100-£200 per contractor, depending on their skill level and experience level.
If you need to hire a skip to take care of waste removal yourself, the cost for this will depend on the number of days that you hire it for, the size of the skip, and how many empties are needed.
The average cost to hire a skip for this type of work is around £200-£400.
Garage Demolition Prices
| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| Demolition | £500-£2500 |
| Labour (per day) | £100-£200 |
| Skip hire | £200-£400 |
- How Much Does Garage Demolition Cost?
- What are the Supply Costs for Garage Demolition?
- What are the Additional Costs of Removing a Garage?
- Tradesmen Costs for Garage Demolition
- Equipment Used to Demolish a Garage
- How Long Does It Take to Demolish a Garage?
- Types of Garage Demolition
- Eco-Friendly Garage Demolition
- Dealing with Asbestos in Old Garages
- FAQs
What are the Supply Costs for Garage Demolition?
If you are considering demolishing a garage on your property, you may be interested in learning the supply costs alone without the cost of labour.
This is the cost for just the supplies alone and without incorporating the costs of hiring contractors to carry out the work for you.
When it comes to demolishing a garage, you won't need to worry about any supply costs unless you remove your old garage to replace it with a new one. This is usually only the case if there are some problems with your existing garage.
If you remove your old garage and replace it with a new one, you can expect to pay around £18,000-£30,000 for a new garage.
The overall cost for a new garage will vary depending on the size of the garage, the type of garage and the materials that the new garage is built with.
What are the Additional Costs of Removing a Garage?
You may need to consider several additional costs when you demolish a garage. Demolishing your garage can create a lot of extra space on your property, so it may be a great time to get some extra jobs completed around your property.
Below, we will go over some of the additional things you may need to budget for with this type of work.
Fence Installation
When you demolish a garage on your property, you may want to install some additional things in your outdoor space, such as a garden fence.
Garden fencing can help provide your garden and property with some additional privacy and security. A new garden fence can also help improve the aesthetic appearance and the kerb appeal of your outdoor space and your garden.
The average cost to install a new fence on your property is around £550-£1500. The overall cost for this job will depend on the size of the fence, your location in the UK and the materials used.
Garden Wall Installation
Instead of a garden fence, you might want to consider installing a garden wall on your property. A new garden wall can help to improve the appearance of your outdoor space and can also provide you with some privacy and security.
The overall cost of installing a garden wall will depend on the location of your property, the materials used to build it and the size of the wall. You can usually expect to pay around £450-£1200 to install this type of wall on your property.
Gardening Work
When you have your garage demolished, you might want to do some gardening work to help improve the appearance of your outdoor space, especially in the space where the garage once was.
Gardening work can include things like mowing, trimming, landscaping, turfing, or just general garden tidying.
A gardener will usually charge either an hourly rate or a daily rate. You can expect to pay a typical gardener around £100-£180 per day or £10-£30 per hour for gardening work.
Garden Waste Removal
In some cases, the contractor may not provide waste removal for you, so this may be an additional cost that you need to consider. Also, if you are completing any additional work on your home’s exterior at the same time, you may need some additional garden waste removal services for that too.
If you need to hire a professional company to remove your garden waste for you, you can expect to pay around £15-£300, depending on the amount of garden waste that needs to be removed. Alternatively, you may prefer to hire a skip for your waste removal.
This will usually cost around £200-£400, depending on the size of the skip, your location in the UK and the duration of the hire.
Tradesmen Costs for Garage Demolition
If you are considering demolishing a garage at your property, you may be interested in learning more about the labour costs of this type of work.
The labour costs will make up the majority of the total cost of the job. Here, we will look at what you can expect to pay for this type of work in terms of labour.
The labour costs for a garage demolition will usually be around £100-£200 per person, per day. This will depend on their level of skill and their experience. This job will usually be completed by a team of at least two contractors.
Since the work generally takes around one to two days on average to complete, this means that you can expect the total labour costs for the job to fall anywhere between £200-£1600 in total.
In some cases, the work may take longer to complete. For example, if you have a very large garage that needs to be demolished or if it is attached to a structure or a thick concrete foundation that also needs to be removed.
Demolition work is usually charged as a day rate, so the longer the job takes to complete, the more you can expect to pay for labour.
If you live in the London area, you can also expect the labour costs to be higher in this area. This is because labour costs in London are generally higher across the board than labour costs in the North or other areas of the UK.
| Labour | Cost |
|---|---|
| Per person/day | £100-£200 |
Equipment Used to Demolish a Garage
Demolishing a garage involves a combination of specialised tools and heavy machinery to ensure the job is carried out safely, efficiently, and in line with UK regulations. Below is an example of common equipment used. The exact equipment for your project will depend on the garage’s size, materials, and how complex the job is.
Mini Excavators or Diggers
These compact machines are ideal for smaller projects, such as standalone garages. They can:
- Tear down walls and roofing
- Break up concrete floors
- Load rubble into skips or lorries
Concrete Breakers / Jackhammers
These are used to break up:
- Thick concrete bases or slabs
- Driveways connected to garages
- Foundations or hardstanding areas
Hand Tools
Essential for controlled demolition, including:
- Sledgehammers
- Crowbars
- Reciprocating saws
- Boltcroppers
These are commonly used when working around delicate structures or removing reusable parts.
Cutting Equipment
When garages include metal frames or reinforced concrete, labourers will use:
- Angle grinders
- Oxy-acetylene torches (for cutting steel)
This ensures clean separation and safe handling of materials.
Dust Suppression Systems
To comply with UK HSE dust control regulations, contractors often use:
- Water hoses or misting systems
These tools help prevent airborne particles, especially when working with concrete or asbestos.
6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
All demolition workers are required to wear:
- Hard hats and safety boots
- High-visibility clothing
- Respirators or dust masks (especially if asbestos or heavy dust is present)
- Safety goggles and gloves
Demolition work should always be handled by trained professionals to ensure safety, compliance, and proper waste disposal. Attempting it yourself can lead to serious injury, structural damage, or even legal issues, especially if hazardous materials like asbestos are present.
How Long Does It Take to Demolish a Garage?
If you are planning on having a garage demolished on your property, then you may be curious about the timescales that you can expect with this type of work. This section will go over the timescales that you can expect when it comes to demolishing a garage.
Most of the time, you can expect a typical professional garage demolition to take around 1-2 days to complete. This ensures that the contractors don't encounter any issues along the way.
If your garage is particularly large or if any additional things need to be removed, such as a solid concrete base, then the work may take longer to complete.
This could add an extra day or two to the length of the job. It’s important to remember that the longer the job takes to complete, the more you will have to pay for the work.
If you are planning to dismantle or deconstruct parts of your garage to preserve some of the parts for reuse, refurbishment, or recycling it will often take much longer. As it is also more labour-intensive it will usually also result in a much higher labour cost.
Types of Garage Demolition
There are several different types of garages that you may have on your property. In this section, we will take a look at the different types of garages that you may have on your property and that you may need to have demolished for whatever reason.
Brick Built Garages
Brick-built garages are the most common type of garage in the UK. These tend to be quite expensive to build and can be quite difficult to demolish compared to some other types of garages.
This means that they can take a while longer to demolish than some other garages, such as timber garages. On average, it will usually take around one to two days to complete a brick garage demolition.
Timber Garages
Timber garages are among the most common types of garages that need to be demolished. This is because they require a lot of maintenance to keep them in top condition, and many people overlook them.
This type of garage may be prone to some damage in certain types of weather or if they aren't well-maintained. This can result in rot, mould, or other common problems, which is often why people prefer to have these types of garages demolished and replaced with a brick garage.
Concrete Garages
A concrete garage is one that is extremely hard-wearing and durable. Concrete garages tend to have the longest lifespan of any other garage type. Most concrete garages have a lifespan of around 40-50 years.
With this in mind, concrete garages are not very commonly demolished. The only real reason why you should need to have a concrete garage demolished is if you don’t use the garage or if you want to make use of that space for something else.
A concrete garage is the most difficult type of garage to demolish and will usually take much longer to complete and will have higher garage demolition prices.
Steel Garages
Steel-framed garages tend to be quite cheap. They don’t provide much protection from the elements and can sometimes be quite flimsy. It’s not very common for this type of garage to be demolished as such as they are quite easy to take down.
This means that this type of garage is easy to remove and move to a new area whenever needed. If you plan on hiring a professional company to remove this type of garage for you, it will most often take just a few hours to complete.
Eco-Friendly Garage Demolition
When demolishing a garage, there is going to be a lot of waste to get rid of. One way to remove the waste is to just hire a skip and send it to landfill. There are however, ways of minimising the environmental impact by recycling the various construction materials separately.
Responsible Waste Management
Hiring a professional waste management company could mean that your old garage materials are recycled responsibly, reducing landfill waste and supporting sustainable construction practices.
Here’s how common garage components are handled by licensed UK waste firms:
- Concrete and Bricks - Once removed, concrete and bricks can be crushed into aggregate using specialised machinery. This recycled material can then be reused as road sub-bases and foundations for new buildings.
- Timber - Old timber from garage frames, doors or roofing can be salvaged for reuse in fencing, furniture, or new construction. Alternatively, it can be chipped or shredded for use as biomass fuel or mulch.
- Metal and Steel - Steel and other scrap metals, from garage doors, supports, fixings, etc., can be sent to a scrap metal facility. These materials can be melted down and reused in manufacturing or sold as raw material for new construction.
Dealing with Asbestos in Old Garages
Many older garages in the UK, especially those built before the year 2000, were constructed using asbestos containing materials (ACMs). This was common in garage roofs, wall panels, soffits, and insulation due to asbestos’s durability and fire resistance. However, these materials now pose a serious health risk and require specialist handling during demolition.
If you are considering demolishing an old garage, always assume asbestos might be present until proven otherwise. The best course of action is to hire a qualified asbestos surveyor to assess the materials. If asbestos is found, a licensed asbestos removal contractor must be brought in to remove it safely.
A professional trademan should already take this into consideration when quoting for a demolition project, but always check with them to be on the safe side.
FAQs
Q: Do you need permission to demolish a garage?
A: You won't usually need to worry about planning permission when it comes to demolishing a garage. Demolition is usually classed as permitted development.
This means that it doesn't normally require any permission. However, it is worth noting that your permitted development rights may be removed or restricted in some cases.
This is usually if you reside in a conservation area or a listed building. It's always worth checking with your local authority if you are ever in doubt about your need for planning permission.
Q: Can I demolish a garage myself?
A: Generally, you should leave all demolition jobs to a trained professional. This ensures that the demolition is completed correctly and safely to avoid injuries to you or those around you.
Anything larger than a standalone wall should not be attempted as a DIY job, as even small demolition jobs can cause some problems.
The issue with demolition is that there are often hidden foundations that prevent the structure from falling. This can be a struggle to demolish if you don’t have the right tools or expertise.
Demolitions will also often impact your neighbours and pedestrians. Professionals will have the skills and knowledge needed to make these inconveniences as limited as possible.
Q: Do demolition contractors need to have a demolition license?
A: Contractors don’t require any specific demolition licenses to carry out demolition work. However, they need to comply with all safety, health, and building regulations when completing the work. This is to help protect them from prosecution.
Q: What are the factors that affect the garage demolition and removal cost?
A: Several things can affect the overall cost of your demolition job. The total price of the project will depend on things such as the following:
- The size of the garage.
- The type of materials that the garage is made from.
- The type of demolition needed.
- The presence of any hazardous materials, such as asbestos.
- Any credit values from salvageable materials.
- Any restrictions on the access to the demolition site.
Q: What are the rules with building regulations when it comes to a garage demolition?
A: You have to give at least six weeks notice to your local Building Control office before your garage demolition. If needed, they will issue some specific conditions for you to comply with.
You also need to adhere to the regulations when dealing with water ingress to the site. Plus, you'll have to deal with the regulations about releasing hazardous materials such as dust and asbestos.
Q: How much does it cost to get planning permission in the UK?
A: The cost of applying for planning permission in the UK can vary depending on the type of project and the local authority involved. For most standard full planning applications related to residential demolition or alterations, the fee is currently £462 in England. This is the amount payable when submitting a full planning application for demolition works.
It’s important to note that this fee is just for the application process itself. It does not guarantee approval. If your project involves more than one structure, or if it's part of a larger development, additional charges may apply.
Always confirm the latest fees and requirements with your council, as planning regulations and charges are subject to change.
Q: What are the most common methods of demolition?
A: There are three main types of demolition:
- Top down demolition.
- Hand demolition.
- Explosive demolition.
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages depending on your circumstances.
Q: How are demolition costs calculated?
A: Most often, demolition contractors will calculate the costs of a project based on the floor area do the space that needs to be demolished.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to calculate the floor area in square metres. This way, you can provide these measurements to various demolition companies so that you can get a few different quotes for the work.
