6 February 2017 · Sharon Winson
How much does it cost to build a garage?
The material you choose sets the price. Here's how brick, timber, steel and concrete sectional garages compare on cost, and what to watch for in a quote.
The cost to build a garage depends mainly on what it's built from. Brick is the most expensive route, timber and steel sit in the middle, and a concrete sectional garage is usually the cheapest way to get a permanent, fully installed building, with every Nucrete price including VAT, delivery and installation.
Which garage material costs the least?
From cheapest to most expensive for a finished, installed building, the usual order is: concrete sectional, steel kit, timber, then brick. Steel kits can have the lowest ticket price, but they're normally supplied for you to assemble yourself over a weekend, so if you want a garage that's delivered and built for you, concrete sectional is the value choice. We've been asked this question for 45 years, and the order rarely changes.
How much does a brick garage cost?
A brick-built garage is the premium option: built on site by bricklayers, it takes days or weeks rather than hours, and the labour drives the price. When this guide was first written, small brick garages started at around £15,000, and they remain comfortably the most expensive type. If you want the look of brick without the full cost, Nucrete supplies genuine brick buildings, and several of our concrete ranges take a brick-effect front so the garage blends in with your house.
Are timber garages good value?
Timber garages look natural and insulate reasonably well, but wood needs looking after. Expect to treat the cladding regularly, and choose tanalised (pressure-treated) timber with solid framing if you go this way, cheaper untreated buildings age quickly. The purchase price is only part of the story: budget for maintenance over the garage's life.
Why are concrete sectional garages cheaper?
A concrete sectional garage is made in a factory as interlocking panels, ours are cast in our Bradford factory, then delivered and assembled on your prepared base by our own installation teams. Because the building work happens in the factory, on-site labour drops to hours: a single garage typically goes up in around half a day, and a double garage in about a day. The panels need next to no maintenance and are commonly quoted as lasting 40–50 years. Our Elite range shows how far the look of a concrete garage has come.
How does size affect the cost of a garage?
Size is the other big lever on price, and the most common regret we hear is "I wish I'd gone bigger". A garage rarely just houses a car: bikes, tools, the lawnmower and everything else end up in there too. Adding a little contingency space costs far less at order time than replacing an undersized building later. Don't forget the groundwork either: every garage needs a sound level base, and Nucrete offers a concrete base laying service if you'd rather we handled that too.
How much more does a double garage cost?
A double costs more than a single for three reasons: roughly twice the panels, a bigger reinforced slab, typically C30-grade concrete or better, and the doors, where you'll choose between one wide door or two singles. What doesn't double is the installation labour: because the panels are factory-made, most double garages still go up in about a day. If you're weighing a double against building in brick or block, our comparison of block, brick, timber and sectional garages covers the trade-offs honestly.
Is there a garage cost calculator?
Nucrete's own prefab concrete garages are made in Bradford and priced with VAT, delivery and installation included. Two tools do the sums for you. Our concrete base cost calculator estimates the groundwork half: slide in your garage size and it works out the base dimensions and a typical laying cost. For the building itself, prices vary by delivery postcode because installation is included, so the prices page is the calculator: pick your size and see the exact figure for your area.
So what should you budget to build a garage?
Older guides, including the first version of this one, put a typical complete concrete garage build, base work included, in the mid-thousands, while brick builds started around three times that. Prices move, so treat any figure you read in a blog post as a guide only. For a concrete sectional garage, the honest answer is quick to get: every Nucrete price includes VAT, delivery and installation, and our concrete garage prices page gives exact prices for your postcode area.
What is the cheapest type of garage to build?
For a permanent building that's delivered and installed for you, a concrete sectional garage is usually the cheapest. Steel kits can cost less to buy but are normally self-assembly; brick is the most expensive option.
How long does it take to build a concrete garage?
Because the panels are factory-made, installation is fast: a single concrete garage typically goes up in around half a day and a double garage in about a day, on a prepared base.
Does the price of a Nucrete garage include installation?
Yes. Every Nucrete price includes VAT, delivery and installation. Prices vary by delivery postcode area, so use the prices page to get exact figures for your address.
How long does a concrete sectional garage last?
Concrete panels are commonly quoted as lasting 40–50 years with minimal maintenance, and every Nucrete garage comes with a 10-year structural factory guarantee.
In short: what a garage costs to build is decided mostly by what it's built from. From cheapest to dearest for a finished, installed building, the order is concrete sectional, steel kit, timber, then brick. Though steel kits are normally supplied for self-assembly, so concrete sectional is the value choice for a building that arrives built. Brick is the premium route because it is laid by hand on site over days or weeks, and small brick garages were starting around £15,000 when this guide was first written. A concrete sectional garage is cheaper because the construction happens in the factory: Nucrete casts its panels in Bradford and its own teams assemble them on a prepared base, most singles in around half a day and most doubles in about a day. A double costs more than a single for three reasons (roughly twice the panels, a larger reinforced slab typically specified at C30-grade concrete or better, and the doors), but not twice the labour. Concrete panels need next to no maintenance and are commonly quoted as lasting 40 to 50 years, with a 10-year structural guarantee on every Nucrete building. Every Nucrete price includes VAT, delivery and installation, and varies by delivery postcode area because installation is part of it.
Written and reviewed by the Nucrete team. Nucrete has manufactured concrete garages in its Bradford factory for over 45 years, supplying around 1,100 buildings a year. Call free on 0800 849 9036.