Removing an Asbestos Garage Roof

If your property and garage were built before the year 2000, and the garage still has its original corrugated roof, there is a good chance the roofing sheets could contain asbestos cement.

While an asbestos garage roof in good condition can often be left in place, removal may be necessary if the roof is damaged, deteriorating or being replaced. This guide explains how to identify an asbestos cement roof, when removal should be considered, and how an asbestos garage roof is safely removed and disposed of in Northern Ireland.

Need an asbestos garage roof removed in Northern Ireland? Contact Removerr for a FREE quotation on 07434 691 809 or email andrew@removerr.co.uk.

How Do I Know if My Garage Roof Contains Asbestos?

Asbestos cement was commonly used for corrugated garage and shed roofing throughout Northern Ireland. The sheets are typically grey in colour with a distinctive corrugated profile, although appearance alone cannot confirm whether a roof contains asbestos.

If you are unsure whether your garage roof contains asbestos, we recommend having a sample independently tested. The Safety Advice Centre in Bangor provides asbestos testing and can arrange to take a sample from your property, or a sample can be submitted directly to them for analysis.

For more detailed information on identifying asbestos cement roofing, see our guide How to Tell if My Garage Roof Contains Asbestos.

Below, I have included an example of a typical corrugated asbestos cement garage roof.

Is an Asbestos Garage Roof Dangerous?

Asbestos cement roofing, most commonly found on garages as corrugated sheets or asbestos cement slates, is generally considered a low-risk asbestos-containing material when it is in good condition and left undisturbed.

The asbestos fibres, typically chrysotile (white asbestos), are tightly bound within the cement used to manufacture the roofing sheets. The risk increases when the material is broken, drilled, cut or worked on with power tools, as this can release asbestos fibres into the air. You can read more about this in our guide: Is Asbestos Cement Dangerous?

There are several reasons why you may decide to remove an asbestos garage roof even when it is in relatively good condition. Asbestos may be highlighted in a Home Buyer Report or property survey and can sometimes complicate the sale of a property. If the asbestos sheets have become cracked or damaged and are allowing water into the garage, replacing the roof may also be the most practical option.

Removal will also be necessary if the garage is being demolished. Alternatively, some homeowners simply prefer to remove the asbestos cement roof and replace it with a modern roofing material.

Can I Remove an Asbestos Garage Roof Myself?

Asbestos cement products, including corrugated roofing sheets and asbestos cement slates, are generally classed as lower-risk asbestos-containing materials and their removal is normally non-licensed work, meaning you do not need an asbestos removal licence to remove them. However, this does not mean that removing an asbestos garage roof is without risk or is necessarily a straightforward DIY job.

The main considerations are being able to remove the roofing sheets intact without breaking them, understanding the appropriate health and safety precautions, and wearing the correct PPE during the removal. For more detailed information, see our guide Can I Remove Asbestos Myself in Northern Ireland?

How Is an Asbestos Garage Roof Removed?

The main aim when removing an asbestos garage roof is to remove the corrugated sheets or asbestos cement slates intact, causing as little damage or breakage as possible. Before arriving, I normally ask that the garage is completely cleared so there is safe access to the roof from both inside and outside.

Once on site, the first step is to assess the garage and decide the safest and most practical way to remove the roofing. Where there is good access to the side of the garage, corrugated sheets can often be carefully removed and slid from the roof externally. However, many garages in Northern Ireland are built close to neighbouring properties or alongside another garage, which can leave very limited access. In these situations, the first sheet can usually be removed from the front or rear of the garage, allowing the remaining sheets to be carefully removed from inside.

Depending on access and the construction of the garage, the fixings securing the corrugated sheets or asbestos cement slates can be removed either externally or from inside the garage. When working externally, roof ladders or scaffolding boards are used to span the supporting joists, allowing the heads of the roof fixings to be carefully removed without placing weight directly onto the asbestos roofing.

Alternatively, if the supporting roof structure is in poor condition, the roof has a particularly steep pitch, or working externally isn’t considered safe, the fixings can be accessed and removed from inside the garage. In either case, the aim is to release and remove the asbestos roofing intact with as little damage or breakage as possible.

Throughout the removal I wear disposable asbestos overalls, gloves and a half-mask respirator fitted with appropriate P3 filters. Once the work is complete, disposable PPE is treated as asbestos-contaminated waste and packaged with the asbestos for disposal.

How Is an Asbestos Garage Roof Disposed of in Northern Ireland?

Once the corrugated asbestos cement sheets or asbestos slates have been removed from the garage, they must be securely packaged for transportation. Depending on the type and size of the material, the asbestos can be double wrapped in heavy-duty 1,000-gauge polythene or placed into suitable asbestos waste bags, with the packaged waste clearly labelled as containing asbestos.

Before the asbestos is removed from your property, the appropriate hazardous waste paperwork must also be arranged. In Northern Ireland, the NIEA requires the movement of hazardous waste such as asbestos to be recorded and tracked. A unique consignment number is purchased for the collection and included on a pre-notification form submitted to the NIEA in advance of the work.

The pre-notification records information including the address where the asbestos is being collected, the type and approximate quantity of asbestos waste, the collection date, the registered waste carrier transporting it and the authorised facility where the asbestos will be taken for disposal. This creates a documented record of the asbestos waste from the property where it originated through to its final disposal.

For a more detailed explanation of the process, see our guide to Disposal of Asbestos Cement Sheets in Northern Ireland.

How Much Does Asbestos Garage Roof Removal Cost in NI?

The cost of removing an asbestos garage roof in Northern Ireland will depend on the size of the garage, the weight of the corrugated sheets or asbestos slates being removed, the condition of the roof and how easily it can be accessed. Some heavier-duty corrugated asbestos sheets, commonly found on larger garages and commercial buildings, can weigh considerably more than standard domestic roofing sheets and therefore cost more to remove and dispose of.

As a general guide, asbestos garage roof removal in Northern Ireland can typically cost between £800 and £2,500, depending on the size of the roof and the complexity of the removal. A straightforward single garage with good access will generally cost less than a larger garage or a property where restricted access makes the removal more difficult.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of current asbestos removal prices, including asbestos garage roofs, boiler flues, soil pipes, soffits and guttering, floor tiles and other asbestos-containing materials, see our guide Cost to Get Rid of Asbestos in Northern Ireland.

How Long Does It Take to Remove an Asbestos Garage Roof?

The time required to remove an asbestos garage roof will mainly depend on the size of the garage and how easily the roof can be accessed. Where there is suitable parking close to the garage and good access at either side, the corrugated sheets can often be removed, loaded and wrapped relatively quickly. For a typical domestic garage with straightforward access, the asbestos roof can usually be removed and packaged within 3 – 5 hours.

Restricted access can considerably increase the removal time. For example, if a garage is attached to the side of a house with little or no access along one side, or the roof has a particularly steep pitch, the sheets may need to be removed individually from inside the garage. Larger roofs and more difficult working conditions will therefore take longer to complete.

Examples of Asbestos Roof Removal in Northern Ireland

Below are a few examples of asbestos roof removal projects we have completed throughout Northern Ireland.

One project involved a prefabricated concrete sectional garage dating from the 1970s which was due to be demolished. Before the garage could be taken down, the corrugated asbestos cement roof was removed and transported for disposal. You can see photographs and read more about this project in our Asbestos Corrugated Sheet Removal case study. The same article also includes an example of corrugated asbestos sheets discovered in a hedge during renovation work, which required collection and disposal.

Another project involved asbestos cement roof slates which had been removed from a property more than five years previously but had never been disposed of. We collected the old roofing slates and transported them to an authorised disposal facility. You can see photographs and read more about this project in our Asbestos Roof Disposal case study.

In another project, we were contacted following asbestos storm damage to a garage outbuilding after a tree had fallen onto the building, destroying the corrugated asbestos cement roof. Once the fallen tree had been cleared, we were asked to remove the broken asbestos sheets from the damaged building and arrange for their disposal. You can see photographs and read more about this project in our Asbestos Removal case study.

Need Help With an Asbestos Garage Roof?

If you have an asbestos garage roof that needs to be removed and disposed of, Removerr provides asbestos cement removal and disposal services throughout Northern Ireland. We can remove corrugated asbestos cement sheets and asbestos roof slates, arrange the required NIEA paperwork and transport the asbestos waste to an authorised disposal facility.

We cover most of Northern Ireland, including Belfast, Bangor, Newtownards, Lisburn, Newry, Downpatrick, Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne, Banbridge, Lurgan, Craigavon and surrounding areas.

Call Andrew on 07434 691 809 or email andrew@removerr.co.uk. If possible, include a few photographs of the garage roof and your location, as this will normally allow us to provide an initial quotation.