Removing a Concrete Sectional Garage: What's Involved
A concrete sectional garage is removed by stripping the roof sheets first, then unbolting and lifting out the wall panels one by one, then breaking out or leaving the slab. Roof sheets are frequently asbestos cement, which must be handled and disposed of under licence.
Pre-cast concrete sectional garages were built in enormous numbers from the 1950s to the 1980s and a large proportion are now at the end of their life. They are a genuinely different job to a garden shed, and worth understanding before you get quotes.
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Why they are a specialist job
Each wall section is a reinforced concrete post-and-panel unit, commonly 40–70kg, bolted through steel plates at the head. The roof is usually corrugated cement sheeting or a light steel deck, and the up-and-over door is a sprung steel assembly under tension.
The sequence matters. Removing panels in the wrong order destabilises the run; releasing the door spring without controlling it is the most common injury on this type of job.
The asbestos question
A significant share of sectional garages built before 2000 have asbestos cement roof sheets, and some have asbestos-containing wall panels. Intact sheeting is low risk; broken, drilled or power-cut sheeting is not.
We survey before we quote. If asbestos is present, roofing is removed under controlled conditions by a licensed contractor with the correct consignment paperwork, and the rest of the structure follows normally. This is a separate line on the quote, never hidden inside it.
The dismantling sequence
- Survey and sample where pre-2000 sheeting is present
- Isolate power, remove lighting and any consumer unit feed
- Release and remove the up-and-over door under control
- Strip roof sheeting from a scaffold tower or platform, whole sheets where possible
- Unbolt roof beams and purlins
- Take down wall panels in sequence, two people per panel, stacking as we go
- Break out or leave the slab depending on the agreed scope
The slab underneath
Garage slabs are typically 100–150mm of reinforced concrete over hardcore, which is a lot of weight. Breaking one out is a separate operation with a breaker and a dedicated hardcore load, and it is priced by area and depth.
Many customers keep the slab: it makes an excellent base for a new garage, a summerhouse, a car port or a hardstanding parking space, and reusing it is both cheaper and lower-impact than removal.
Getting a reliable quote
- Photos of the roof profile from ground level, and the inside of the roof
- Approximate external dimensions and single or double width
- Whether the slab stays or goes
- Whether the garage is attached to a house or a boundary wall
- Vehicle access and the distance from the road
Frequently asked questions
Is asbestos removal always required on old garages?
Only where asbestos-containing materials are actually present and being disturbed. Many later garages used non-asbestos fibre cement or steel. We confirm before quoting rather than assuming either way.
Can a concrete garage be dismantled for reuse?
Occasionally. Panels crack easily around bolt fixings after decades of weathering, so the salvage rate is low, but it is worth assessing if the garage is relatively young and undamaged.