The short answer
MyBuilder's asbestos removal guide, updated on 21 August 2026, puts a basic asbestos survey at around £50 at the low end, with a full survey at £200 to £245. Those are national figures, and the price for a single garage roof depends on how many samples are taken and how easy they are to reach. The test tells you whether sheets contain asbestos before anyone drills, breaks or replaces them.
Why test at all
Corrugated sheets that look identical can be asbestos cement or a modern substitute, and nobody can tell which from the ground. The HSE's rule of thumb is that a building constructed or refurbished before the year 2000 should be presumed to contain it. For anything near that age, a laboratory result is more useful than an assumption, because it decides how the roof is handled, what the contractor must do and what the disposal route is.
It also helps when you are buying, selling or insuring a property. Our page on selling a house with an asbestos garage roof explains why having the result in hand makes the conversation simpler, and why a buyer is more relaxed about a roof with a record than one with a question mark.
A test is also the smallest cost in the whole process. If it comes back clear, you may have saved yourself the expense and fuss of specialist removal, and the money spent on the sample will have paid for itself many times over.
Do not take the sample yourself. Cutting or drilling a sheet is exactly the disturbance that releases fibres, so leave it to someone trained and equipped for the job.
The published prices
The table sets out the survey figures MyBuilder gives in its asbestos removal cost guide, updated on 21 August 2026. They are typical national prices, not quotes.
| Service | Typical national price |
|---|---|
| Basic asbestos survey | Around £50 and up |
| Full asbestos survey | £200 to £245 |
| Single garage roof removal | £350 to £1,295 |
| Double garage roof removal | £650 to £1,800 |
The removal rows are included so you can see how small the test is next to the job it informs. The survey fee is not the cost of the roof, and it does not commit you to doing any work.
What a basic and a full survey cover
A basic survey generally means a sample of the suspect material, cut by someone trained to do so and sent to a laboratory for analysis. You get a result for that item. It answers the question for the roof sheets and is often all a homeowner needs.
The price of that one sample is therefore the figure people usually have in mind when they ask what a test costs. Extra samples add to it, which is why a roof with two or three different materials costs more to check than a single uniform span.
A full survey looks wider. It covers more of the building, perhaps fascias, soffits, panels and linings, because those can be different asbestos products from the sheeting. External soffits are among the spots where the HSE says insulating board appears, and it admits that spotting the difference by eye is difficult. That is the case for a wider survey if the garage is old and other materials look doubtful.
Whichever you choose, ask for the report in writing, with the sample locations marked, so a later contractor can rely on it.
Results normally come back as a short certificate for each sample, naming the material and the type of asbestos found, or stating that none was detected. File it with the deeds, your insurance papers or the property folder, because it will be asked for again.
What changes the price
The number of samples is the first factor, because each one is analysed separately. Access is next: a sample from a low garage roof is easier to take than one from a steep pitch that needs a tower. The distance the surveyor travels, how quickly you want the result and whether the garage is one building or a block of several all play a part.
If you have a mixed roof, for instance sheeting on the main span and a different material on a lean-to, ask for each material to be sampled separately. Our guide to garage roof materials shows the range of coverings that turn up on garages, from corrugated sheets to felt and EPDM, so you can recognise what sits above your car.
Timing is the last variable. A survey booked in quiet weeks is often easier to fit in than one wanted next day, so if a sale or a roofing job is waiting on the result, say so at the outset. Laboratories vary in how fast they report, and a rush can add to the fee.
What to do with the result
If the test comes back clear, a repair or replacement can be planned like any garage roof, and our page on felt versus EPDM for garages helps you choose a new covering. If it shows asbestos cement, there is no need to panic, because the material is far less hazardous while it stays whole, dry and left alone. An intact roof can stay where it is, and when you do want it removed, the HSE rules described in our guide to whether a licence is needed apply.
We can arrange the sampling as part of our visit, or work from a result you already hold. A written quote follows, the site is left tidy once the job ends, and a ten-year guarantee on the workmanship is handed over on paper. Ring 01793 626096, send a WhatsApp or use the enquiry form. The full service is described under garage roof replacement.