How much does garage demolition cost?

Factors That Influence Your Garage Demolition Costs

Sizing is a key parameter because, along with labour hours, a contractor will need to know the dimensions of the garage to work out which equipment they will require.

Garages are normally manually demolished, with the roof removed first and the rest of the work completed from the top down.

However, a larger garage may require a wrecking ball or larger machinery, so the cost to demolish a garage will increase directly in line with the size of the building.

A contractor is likely to ask about several other aspects of your garage demolition before they can provide an accurate price estimate.

Location

If you live in London or the South East, you'll find that labour charges are around 10% higher than elsewhere - mainly because insurance, transport and waste disposal are more expensive than in other regions.

The proximity of your garage demolition to your selected contractor may also affect your budget.

If a demolition team needs to travel further, organise multiple trips to dispose of waste, or pay for parking, skip licences or congestion zone charges, they will add these to your price.

We ask for your location details in your initial quote enquiry, which helps us match your requirements with local contractors.

Accessibility

Garage demolitions at properties that are difficult to access or with connections to main utilities are more complex than a garage demolition which is easy to reach, and without any electrical wiring or plumbing.

Both factors will require preparatory works before the demolition can begin, such as:

• Calling out an appropriate contractor to disconnect and cap utility services.
• Organising alternative earthmoving vehicles if access is limited.
• Switching from a top-down demolition to a fully manual demolition if there is no access for lorries or heavy-duty equipment.

Sometimes, you may need to liaise with neighbouring property owners if your contractor requires access through a side return or cannot carry out the demolition without widening pathways or other entrance points.

Structure Type

Garages connected to another property (normally your home) take longer to demolish.

The contractor will need to carry out a careful demolition, with additional repairs to external walls and supports, to ensure that the demolition does not impact the structural integrity of interconnected buildings.

Materials within the garage are also a consideration because brick-built garages are heavier, and the waste transport and disposal costs will be higher than a wooden-frame garage or one built from blocks.

There may be opportunities to reduce your cost if the materials are salvageable and can be reclaimed or reused - a contractor may organise the sale to a salvage yard for you, or you could retain the bricks to sell on later.

A demolition specialist will also ask about the foundations underneath the garage and the potential for hazardous materials such as asbestos.

Demolishing a Garage With a Concrete Slab Foundation

Concrete slabs can be demolished, but require a little extra physical work. Your contractor will normally need to break the concrete into smaller pieces before removing the foundation.

This process will take additional time, incur extra waste disposal costs, and may command different equipment depending on the size and thickness of the concrete.

Demolishing a Garage With Asbestos

While asbestos is now recognised as a hazardous material and is not permitted in any building project, it was relatively common in the past.

Garages built before the 1990s often have asbestos within corrugated roof panels, and it may also be present in guttering, insulation and panelling.

If you are unsure whether there is asbestos within your garage, it is important to organise an assessment and site survey to determine the materials within the structure and in which parts of your garage building.

Any property built before 1999 must have an asbestos survey before demolition can begin, so if you do not have any records listing the materials within the garage, you will need to schedule this first.

Contractors must follow strict processes to remove, handle and dispose of asbestos, and the survey will generate an extra cost.

Some demolition crews have special accreditations and licences enabling them to handle asbestos. In contrast, others may need to subcontract asbestos removal if they do not have the training and health and safety equipment required.

Additional considerations that affect the cost to demolish a garage

Along with the garage demolition cost, there are other factors to consider before you decide to proceed or set a fixed budget.

• Security: if your garage is connected to your property with an internal door, you may need to replace the door with a secure external entrance, replace the locks, or install security locks.
• Groundwork: once your garage has been demolished, it will likely leave a rough patch of ground that requires groundwork or landscaping, depending on your plans. Concrete slab foundations will also require extra groundwork once the demolition has finished.
• Planning permission: most garage demolitions do not require planning permission, although that depends on the size of the outbuilding, your property and location, and whether the demolition will change the outward appearance of your home.
• Demolition accreditations: qualified demolition teams registered with a certified trade body such as the National Federation of Demolition Contractors tend to charge more than an inexperienced team. Still, this affiliation assures you that your contractor will meet high standards and have appropriate training in the demolition processes they offer.

An experienced demolition contractor can steer you through these factors and recommend the right course of action.

Understanding a Garage Demolition Quotation

After you have completed your quotation request, you will receive up to four estimates from approved demolition providers in your local area.

Quotations themselves vary, depending on the format and the amount of detail you have given your contractor to quote from.

You must understand what your quotation means to be able to compare two sets of pricing information like-for-like and choose the right demotion professional for your project.

• Additional costs, such as skip hire or parking licences, may be included in the quote. You should ask for an itemised breakdown if not provided, so you have clear oversight of those extra costs that have not been incorporated into the total price.
• Most garage demolitions require one to two full days of work, which will make up the chargeable labour hours. Some quotes will break this down into days or hours, multiplied by the number of tradespeople on-site. If your quote shows a day rate (usually between £120 and £200), you can ask for an estimate of how many days of work will be required and how many people will be working to calculate the final cost.
• Waste disposal can be relatively expensive, particularly if you have a large volume of waste materials or hazardous components such as asbestos. A contractor may include waste disposal in their estimate, or you may need to organise skip hire, waste disposal and transport separately from the demolition.

If any element of your garage demolition quote is unclear, please ensure you ask for clarity before proceeding so you know exactly what your garage demolition cost will be and what other services you need to handle. Learn more about wall demolition costs if your garage demolition also calls for a wall to be removed, average building and demolition costs and waste disposal costs.