Garage Roof Replacement in Taunton: Asbestos Sheets, Felt, EPDM and 2026 Costs by Garage Size

Garage roof replacement in Taunton tends to get put off for years, then suddenly can't wait. Plenty of the town's garages - the concrete sectional ones behind 1960s and 70s semis in Priorswood, Galmington and Holway, and the block-built ones on later estates - went up with either a felt flat roof or corrugated asbestos cement sheets. Felt usually lasts 10 to 15 years. Asbestos cement was still going on garages until it was banned in the UK in 1999, so any sheet roof older than about 27 years is a suspect. Taunton gets roughly 750-800mm of rain a year, less than the UK average of about 1,150mm, but the wet season here runs from October to March and damp, still nights in the Vale mean condensation drips off the underside of old sheets for months on end. This guide covers how to tell whether your garage roof contains asbestos, the rules for removing and disposing of it in Somerset, the replacement options and what single and double garages cost in 2026.

Why So Many Taunton Garage Roofs Need Replacing Now

Most garage roofs fail from age, not from a single storm. A felt roof laid in the 1990s or 2000s is now two or three times past its useful life, and the usual signs are blisters, split seams at the edges and ponding water that sits for days after rain. Corrugated sheet roofs fail differently: the fixings rust, the sheets go brittle and crack, and moss holds water against the ridges so the sheets get heavier and weaker each winter.

Somerset's mild climate slows this down. It doesn't stop it. Taunton sees fewer hard frosts than much of inland England, but the long wet season means a garage roof spends about half the year damp. That's why moss and lichen grow so thickly on north-facing garage sheets around the town. If you're not sure whether your garage roof needs patching or replacing, Roof Repairs Taunton can take a look and give you a straight answer, including whether the sheets need testing for asbestos first.

And a lot of garages never see a car. They hold the freezer, the bikes, the boxes from the last move - so a leak means ruined stock, rusting tools and, on an attached garage, a damp wall shared with the house.

Is Your Garage Roof Asbestos? How to Tell

You can't confirm asbestos by looking at it, but you can make a decent guess. Asbestos cement sheets are grey, fairly heavy and rigid, with a slightly fibrous texture on a broken edge. They usually have a wide corrugation (a "big six" profile is common) and are often covered in moss. They were widely used for garages, sheds, carports and farm buildings from the 1950s until 1999. Asbestos cement typically contains around 10-15% asbestos fibre, mostly white chrysotile, bound tightly into the cement.

The quick checks

• Age: if the garage was built before 2000 and still has its original sheets, assume asbestos until tested.
• Material: metal sheets ring and dent when tapped; plastic sheets flex; fibre cement feels like thin stone.
• Markings: some non-asbestos fibre cement sheets made after 1999 carry "NT" (non-asbestos technology) markings on the underside.
• Condition: cracked, crumbling or heavily weathered sheets release more fibres when disturbed.

The only way to be certain is a sample test. A roofer or surveyor takes a small piece, wets the area first and seals the sample, and a UKAS-accredited lab confirms the result within a few days. Expect to pay £30-£60 for a single lab test, or £150-£250 for a surveyor to visit, take samples and write it up. That's a small cost against getting the removal method wrong.

Asbestos Garage Roof Removal: HSE Rules in Plain English

This surprises a lot of people. Removing asbestos cement sheets from a garage roof is usually *not* licensed work. The Health and Safety Executive treats asbestos cement as lower risk because the fibres are locked into the cement, so long as the sheets are taken off whole and not deliberately broken. HSE's guidance on non-licensed work with asbestos names asbestos cement roof sheeting and rainwater goods as examples.

Non-licensed doesn't mean no rules. A contractor still has to be trained in asbestos awareness and non-licensed work, keep the sheets damp, unbolt rather than smash them, wrap each sheet in heavy-duty polythene and take it away as hazardous waste with a consignment note. Licensed contractors only become necessary for higher-risk materials such as asbestos insulating board, lagging or sprayed coatings, which are rare on a garage roof but do turn up as soffit panels on some 1970s properties.

Can you remove it yourself?

DIY removal isn't banned - a homeowner working on their own garage isn't covered by the workplace regulations that bind a contractor. Whether it's a good idea is another matter. HSE estimates asbestos-related diseases still cause around 5,000 deaths a year in Great Britain, and the risk comes from fibres released by cutting, drilling, snapping or jet-washing sheets. If you do it yourself, keep the sheets wet, never use power tools, wear a disposable FFP3 mask and coveralls, and lower each sheet whole rather than dropping it. For most people, paying a trained contractor £800-£1,500 for a single garage is the safer option.

Getting Rid of Asbestos Sheets in Somerset

Somerset Council takes household asbestos in two ways. Know the rules before the sheets come off. According to the council's construction and demolition waste disposal page, you can take up to eight 50-litre sacks (or the equivalent in sheets) a month free of charge, spread over a maximum of four visits. Anything above that is charged at £19.30 per sheet.

Taunton's Priorswood recycling centre accepts asbestos, but the council asks you to pay online before you go, so check the booking page first. The sheets must be double-wrapped in heavy-duty plastic with no rips, and staff won't help you unload them under any circumstances. A typical single garage roof has 8-12 sheets, so you may be just over the free allowance, and it can take two trips with a trailer.

Council collection

If you can't move the sheets yourself, Somerset Council runs a paid household asbestos collection service. It costs £352.20 per load until 31 March 2027, plus £18.90 per sheet for treatment, for up to roughly 30 standard sheets. Collections happen within about 10 working days of payment. If you use a contractor, disposal is normally included in their price and they'll carry it under their own waste carrier's licence. Always ask to see the consignment note.

Choosing a New Garage Roof: Felt, EPDM, GRP and Sheet Options

What goes back on depends on the shape of the garage and what you use it for. Most Taunton garages are either flat-roofed block or brick garages, or concrete sectional garages with a shallow sheet roof, and the two need different answers.

Flat garage roofs

• Torch-on felt - the cheapest option, with a lifespan of 10-20 years for a modern two- or three-layer system. Fine for a garage you'll replace anyway in a decade.
• EPDM rubber - a single sheet with no seams on most single garages, lasting 25 years or more. Handles Somerset's damp well because there are no joints to open up.
• GRP fibreglass - a hard, walkable finish lasting 25-30 years. Needs dry weather to lay, which can mean a short wait in a Taunton autumn.

If you're thinking of turning the garage into a gym, office or utility room, it's worth insulating the new deck while it's open. We've covered how warm deck upgrades and U-values work in our guide to flat roof insulation in Taunton, which applies just as well to a garage as to an extension.

Sheeted garage roofs

• Box-profile steel with anti-condensation fleece - the most popular like-for-like swap for asbestos sheets, lasting 25-40 years. The fleece backing matters in Taunton - without it, damp night air condenses on the cold steel and drips onto whatever's below.
• Fibre-cement sheets - the modern, asbestos-free version of the original. Quieter in rain than steel, around 30-50 years lifespan, and good where you want the original look.
• Corrugated bitumen sheets - cheap and light, but only 10-15 years, so better for a lean-to than a main garage.

Stables, Barns and Outbuildings Around Taunton Deane

Out in the villages around Taunton Deane, from the Blackdown Hills to the edge of the Quantocks, many outbuildings have the same asbestos cement roofs as town garages, just bigger. A typical 1970s block of three stables or a small hay barn can have 30-60 sheets. That pushes it beyond the council's household routes, and if the building is used for a business - a livery yard, a smallholding, holiday let storage - the owner has a legal duty to manage asbestos in it.

Two things come up regularly on rural jobs. First, bats. Old barns and outbuildings are common roosting spots, and bats and their roosts are protected by law, so a quick check by an ecologist before stripping the roof can save a halted job later. Second, noise and condensation. Horses don't like rain drumming on bare steel, so stables usually get fibre-cement or anti-condensation steel rather than plain box-profile.

Remote rural jobs typically cost 30-50% more per square metre once access, scaffolding and haulage are counted. Asbestos-trained roofers are busy in autumn across Somerset, and many of the larger removal firms working here travel in from Bristol or Exeter, so booking two to four weeks ahead is normal.

Do You Need Building Regs or Planning for a New Garage Roof?

For most Taunton homeowners, no. A detached garage under 30 square metres with no sleeping accommodation is generally exempt from building regulations, and replacing its roof covering like-for-like doesn't need approval. An unheated attached garage usually doesn't trigger the thermal rules either, because it isn't a heated space.

Four things change that:

• Converting it: if you're turning the garage into a habitable room, the whole project needs building regulations approval, including roof insulation to current U-values.
• A heavier roof: swapping lightweight sheets for something much heavier, such as concrete tiles, may need a structural check.
• Raising the height: turning a flat garage roof into a pitched one can need planning permission if it goes above 2.5 metres within 2 metres of a boundary.
• Listed or conservation settings: Taunton has several conservation areas, and outbuildings within the grounds of a listed building need extra care with materials.

If you're unsure, ring Somerset Council's building control team before work starts. It costs nothing.

Garage Roof Replacement Costs in Taunton for 2026

Prices below are typical for Taunton and the surrounding villages in 2026, including labour, materials and removal of the old roof. Asbestos removal is listed separately because not every garage needs it. A single garage roof is usually 14-16 square metres; a double is around 28-32.

Single garage

• Torch-on felt flat roof: £1,000-£1,600
• EPDM rubber flat roof: £1,200-£1,900
• GRP fibreglass flat roof: £1,400-£2,200
• Box-profile steel sheets (anti-condensation): £900-£1,500
• Fibre-cement sheets: £1,000-£1,700
• Asbestos sheet removal and disposal by a trained contractor: £800-£1,500

Double garage

• Torch-on felt flat roof: £2,000-£3,000
• EPDM rubber flat roof: £2,300-£3,500
• GRP fibreglass flat roof: £2,600-£4,000
• Box-profile steel sheets (anti-condensation): £1,800-£2,800
• Fibre-cement sheets: £2,000-£3,200
• Asbestos sheet removal and disposal by a trained contractor: £1,200-£2,200

Extras that change the price

• Asbestos lab test: £30-£60 per sample
• Replacing rotten timber joists or purlins: £40-£80 per metre
• New fascia and guttering: £300-£700 for a single garage
• Full garage demolition including asbestos: £2,000-£4,000

So a typical single garage in Taunton with an asbestos roof replaced in box-profile steel comes to around £1,700-£3,000 all in. A double garage switching from felt to EPDM, with no asbestos, sits nearer £2,300-£3,500.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to replace an asbestos garage roof in Taunton?

For a single garage, expect £1,700-£3,000 in 2026 for safe removal, disposal and a new box-profile steel or fibre-cement roof. A double garage is usually £3,000-£5,000.

Do I need a licensed contractor to remove asbestos garage roof sheets?

Usually not. HSE treats asbestos cement sheets in reasonable condition as non-licensed work, as long as they're removed whole. The contractor still needs proper training, protective equipment and a waste carrier's licence.

Can I take asbestos sheets to the tip in Taunton?

Yes. Priorswood recycling centre accepts household asbestos double-wrapped in heavy plastic. Up to eight sacks or equivalent sheets a month are free; extra sheets cost £19.30 each and must be paid for online in advance.

What is the best replacement roof for a flat garage?

EPDM rubber is the best all-rounder for most Taunton garages. It lasts 25 years or more, has no seams on a typical single garage and copes well with long wet winters.

Does replacing a garage roof need building regulations?

Not for a like-for-like roof on a detached garage under 30 square metres. You'll need approval if you're converting the garage into a room or making significant structural changes.

Want to learn more about garage roof replacement in Taunton? Click here to contact us.