Advice from the factory
News & Advice
Practical guides from the people who manufacture and install concrete garages every day: organised by what you’re trying to do.
Bases & groundwork
A garage is only as good as what it stands on. These guides come from the teams who lay bases every week, or skip the theory and use the concrete base cost calculator or our base laying service.
How to Set Up Shuttering for a Concrete Base
Shuttering is the mould your slab is cast in. If it's wrong, the base is wrong. Here's how to set it up properly, step by step.
Choosing the Right Concrete for a Garage Base
C30 or C40? Fibre or air-entrained? A plain-English guide to picking the right concrete for a garage base.
What You Should Put Under a Concrete Base
The layers under the slab decide whether it's still flat in twenty years. What a sub-base is, which material to use, and how to prepare the ground.
When Does Concrete Need Reinforcement?
Rebar, mesh or fibre? Why concrete needs reinforcing at all, and which type suits a domestic base, from the teams who pour them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Laying Concrete
Most failed slabs fail for one of the same eight reasons. Here they are, and how to avoid every one of them.
Choosing a Builder for Base Laying
Seven things to settle with a builder before they lay your garage base, learned from decades of installing buildings on other people's slabs.
Concrete Base for a Shed: Why a Solid Foundation Matters
A shed is only as good as what it stands on. Here's why concrete beats every other shed base, and how our base teams build one properly.
Concrete Shed Base Laying – Tips and Tricks
Everything our base teams have learned about laying a concrete shed base, from clearing the ground to the final cure.
Insulated Concrete Base for a Garden Room
A garden room you'll actually use in January starts with the base. Here's why we insulate them, and exactly how we build one.
Does a garage need a foundation?
Yes. Every garage needs one. Which kind depends on what the garage is made of: slab for concrete, trench for brick, more options for timber.
Do I need a foundation for a carport?
A carport is only as strong as what it's bolted to. Here's which surfaces work, how deep the concrete needs to go, and when to call in a professional.
Planning permission & rules
Most concrete garages go up under permitted development, these articles cover the exceptions, boundaries and building regs. Unsure about your plot? Ask us . We answer this daily.
Do you need planning permission for a garage?
Usually not. Most garages are covered by permitted development: here are the tests that decide it, and the exceptions worth ruling out before you order.
How close to my boundary can I build a garage?
You can usually build close to a side or rear boundary. The trade-off is height. Here's the rule that matters and the exceptions to check.
Can I build a garage without building regulations?
Often yes. Detached garages under 30 square metres are normally exempt. Here are the size and material conditions that decide it.
Do I need planning permission for a carport?
In most UK gardens a carport goes up without planning permission. These are the height, size and position limits to check before you order.
How close to a boundary can I build a carport?
In most gardens a carport can go right up to the fence line. Provided it stays under 2.5 metres tall near the boundary. Here's what to measure and when the rules tighten.
Do you need permission to turn a garage into a room?
Often no planning permission, but building regulations are a different matter. Here's what to check before the conversion starts.
Costs & value
What garages really cost, what they add to a property, and where the money goes. For figures in your postcode area, request the price list.
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.
Breeze block garage cost: blockwork vs prefab compared
Block, brick, timber or concrete sectional? We compare all four ways to build a garage (honestly, pros and cons) to find the cheapest that lasts.
How much value does a double garage add?
Estate agents typically put the uplift from a double garage at around 5–10% of a home's value. The smart question is how to add one for the least outlay.
How much does it cost to turn a double garage into a room?
A simple double garage conversion starts around £5,000 as a guide; a full conversion with plumbing can pass £20,000. Here's the cost of each stage.
How much does a carport cost?
From a £628 lean-to kit to a £5,768 double cantilever, real delivered prices for UK carports, and the extras to budget for.
Does a carport add value to a property?
Covered parking is a genuine selling point, but a carport only adds value when it's well placed and suits the house. Here's the honest picture.
Choosing a building
Honest answers for the deciding stage: sizes, materials and whether a concrete garage is right for you. Then see the range or the buying guide.
Are concrete garages any good? The solid truth
The honest answer from a company that's made them for 45+ years: yes, with a couple of caveats we're happy to name.
What size garage do I need?
Getting the size right is the one decision you can't cheaply undo. Here's how to work out the garage size you need, and avoid the classic mistakes.
What is the alternative to a brick garage?
Concrete, timber or metal: how the three main alternatives to a brick garage compare on cost, durability and upkeep.
Planning your sectional building: the basics
Before your sectional garage or building goes up, four things deserve ten minutes each: neighbours, design, security and lighting. Here's the checklist.
Palram sheds reviewed: materials, durability and design
We stock Palram sheds, so here's our straight assessment: what the polycarbonate ranges do well, how the SkyLight and Mythos compare, and who they suit.
Areas we cover
Where we install, what people order there, and how installation day usually goes. Coverage runs by delivery postcode rather than county line, so check your postcode to be certain of yours.
Concrete garages in Yorkshire
Yorkshire is home. The garages are made in Bradford, so local jobs are the shortest journey our lorries make, and you're welcome to come and see the panels being cast.
Concrete garages in Manchester and the North West
Manchester is an hour from our Bradford factory, so North West jobs are routine work for our fitting teams. Here's what we install, and how installation day usually goes.
Concrete garages in Birmingham and the West Midlands
Birmingham housing throws up tighter access than most places we work. Here's what people order across the West Midlands, and how we get a garage to the back of a terrace.
Concrete garages in Nottingham and the East Midlands
East Midlands plots tend to be long rather than narrow, which changes what's worth ordering. Here's what people choose around Nottingham, and how we reach the bottom of a garden.
Concrete garages in Scotland
Yes. We've supplied and installed concrete garages in Scotland since 2005, with fitting teams typically north of the border every week. Check your postcode for exact prices.
Owning & improving
Damp, insulation, rendering and making an older building look its best . Most of it is straightforward when you know how.
Do concrete garages get damp?
They can, but damp in a concrete garage is almost always preventable. Here's where it comes from and how to stop it.
How to insulate a concrete garage floor
A damp proof membrane, rigid foam boards and a floating floor or screed. The straightforward way to take the chill out of a garage floor.
How to insulate a prefab garage
An internal timber frame with insulation between the studs is the proven way to make a prefab concrete garage warm, dry and quiet.
Can you render a concrete garage?
Yes. Rendering is a proven way to change the look of a concrete garage and add a layer of weather protection at the same time.
Beautifying a concrete garage
A concrete garage doesn't have to look utilitarian. A few garden tricks, and one bigger upgrade, make all the difference.
More articles
Does a garden room add value?
A good garden room usually adds value to a UK home, but the build quality and the base decide how much. Here is what actually moves the needle.
How much does a garden room cost?
There is no single price for a garden room. Here is what actually drives the cost, from the base up, and how to get an accurate figure for your own plot.
How to build a shed base without concrete
An honest look at slabs, plastic grids, timber frames and gravel for a shed base, when each is genuinely fine, and the point where only poured concrete will do.
Do you need planning permission for a garden room?
Most garden rooms go up without planning permission, but a handful of rules can catch you out. Here is exactly when you are covered, when you are not, and why planning and building regulations are two separate things.
How to lay a concrete garage floor
Everything you need to pour a solid, dry, hard-wearing concrete garage floor: mix, thickness, damp proof membrane, falls and curing, explained step by step.
What is an outbuilding, and what can you build without planning permission?
A plain guide to permitted development outbuildings: what counts as an outbuilding, the rules that actually apply, and why the famous 30m² figure is about building regulations, not planning.
How thick should a concrete shed base be?
For most garden buildings the answer is 100mm, laid either flat all the way across or with a thickened edge. Here is which to ask for, and why what goes underneath matters just as much.
Garage storage ideas that actually work
Forget the listicle. Here is how to actually organise a garage, from wall zones and shelving to bikes and tools, plus honest advice on what fits a single versus a double and how sizing solves most storage problems before you buy a single shelf.
Concrete garage refurbishment: worth it, or start again?
Some concrete garages are worth doing up and some aren't. Here's how to tell which you've got, what the work costs, and who you'll need.
Garage roof replacement: what it really costs
Replacing a garage roof costs more than most people expect, and the reason is structural. Here's the real price, the trades you'll need, and what you're left with afterwards.
Palram Canopia: who they are and why we stock them
Every carport, canopy and gazebo kit we sell is made by Palram Canopia. Here's who they are, why we partnered with them in 2018, and what to expect from a kit.
Prefabricated garages: a buyer's guide
A prefabricated garage is built in a factory and assembled at your home in around a day. Here's how they work, the ranges available and how pricing works.
Concrete Garage Survey – Mr Ritchie
Mr Ritchie bought a 22'3 x 12'5 apex concrete garage from us online. After installation, we asked him how the whole experience measured up.
Garages for sale: what to check before you buy
Garage adverts rarely compare like-for-like. Here's what to check: what's in the price, who installs it, and what the guarantee actually covers.