Planning those 'summer' jobs - Garage roof options.

[aeg]

I think mine cost less than £300 and I had a fibreglass roof window panel which was more expensive than the steel sheet. If you go on there website there’s a cost calculator that lets you choose your sheet so you can see the difference between the styles, thicknesses and finishes. Just put the length of the sheet in and it gives you the price, each sheet is a metre wide but you overlap them to create the width you want. 

[Jim RS]

11 hours ago, OldStager said:

I have the white sheets, which I think are the worst type. As I said I am fully up to speed on wearing PPE etc and I suspect my covid mask isn't up to the job... I was joking I know its not.

I watched my grandad die with inhaling it, not a pleasant sight. He used to refurbish ships in the Liverpool docks in the 60's, they used a lot of the stuff back then.

White asbestos is the least offensive of the 3 types and has been notified as  reduced in it's danger level by the H.S.E and is now allowed to be removed by non registered "private" persons, unfortunately your grandads infection could have been any type but blue and brown were used on ships for heat insulation, a risk the authorities well knew. As long as you soak it well and avoid making dust it's a fairly low level risk being that there is only a small amount of asbestos in the cement sheeting(anything from 2 to 10%) and the particles are not as hooked or hard as the other types. Once removed put it straight into double h/d plastic bags or sheeting(d.p.m. is ideal) and tape it up tight, disposing at a registered site with a receipt

With the re-roof the usual substitute is metal corrugated sheeting of some type(factories produce the runs in quantity and therefore best to phone around for best deal), which can be obtained with insulation already fitted, if you're not too worried about the fire risk there may be a lot of weather panels available on the secondhand market with the stripping of high rise buildings, although the Gov may demand they are destroyed for safety reasons. 

My only warning would be that precast concrete garages were generally designed and manufactured for ease of construction, relative affordability/lightness and as such are limited as to the roof loading and flat roof design is heavy in comparison.

[Richard (OldStager)]

1 hour ago, Snags said:

White asbestos is the least offensive of the 3 types and has been notified as  reduced in it's danger level by the H.S.E and is now allowed to be removed by non registered "private" persons, unfortunately your grandads infection could have been any type but blue and brown were used on ships for heat insulation, a risk the authorities well knew. As long as you soak it well and avoid making dust it's a fairly low level risk being that there is only a small amount of asbestos in the cement sheeting(anything from 2 to 10%) and the particles are not as hooked or hard as the other types. Once removed put it straight into double h/d plastic bags or sheeting(d.p.m. is ideal) and tape it up tight, disposing at a registered site with a receipt

With the re-roof the usual substitute is metal corrugated sheeting of some type(factories produce the runs in quantity and therefore best to phone around for best deal), which can be obtained with insulation already fitted, if you're not too worried about the fire risk there may be a lot of weather panels available on the secondhand market with the stripping of high rise buildings, although the Gov may demand they are destroyed for safety reasons. 

My only warning would be that precast concrete garages were generally designed and manufactured for ease of construction, relative affordability/lightness and as such are limited as to the roof loading and flat roof design is heavy in comparison.

 Thank you for the very comprehensive reply, I knew my white sheets were at one end of the danger scale, I just got the wrong end...

The family were unable to chase the contractor my grandad worked for as they went bust in the early 80's, but the diagnosis was only made in the 90's so we never got anywhere regarding compensation for him.

 

11 hours ago, aeg said:

I think mine cost less than £300 and I had a fibreglass roof window panel which was more expensive than the steel sheet. If you go on there website there’s a cost calculator that lets you choose your sheet so you can see the difference between the styles, thicknesses and finishes. Just put the length of the sheet in and it gives you the price, each sheet is a metre wide but you overlap them to create the width you want. 

That sounds more on my budget thoughts , I will certainly check out the site after I know exactly how much I need. It would be great to have a dry garage after rain, I have old house carpet on the floor for some comfort whilst working on the car and always seem to end up on the 'wet bit' when I need to get the spanners out.

 

[Jim RS]

Yes unfortunately the Romans and before new the hazards of asbestos and it was just considered an acceptable risk by industry overlords. I worked for an asbestos product manufacturer in the late 70's and although they knew to have the material controlled they still had people(mainly females) work on the production line with no p.p.e. whatsoever.

I had to have my employees trained annually on material identification and avoidance due to demolition risks, even though I have now finished trading I have to keep insurance details for 50 years, which had to pass to next of kin or nominated persons, this has changed now with the computer records being traceable.

[Mighty Mart]

Hi Oldstager.

I too had an old corrugated leaking roof some years ago, with no money to fix it....!

 

As usual, loads of different options, but for me, taking the roof off and replacing was not only expensive, but potentially dangerous too.....

 

Asbestos if left alone is fine....mucking around with it is the dangerous part.

 

All I did was to buy some cheap corrugated plastic roofing sheets of the same corrugated size and layer them over the top of the existing sheets using the same threaded studs and hooks already there. Carefully drill the plastic sheets to match the existing holes and jobs a goodun....garage been bone dry for the last 5 years for just over 100 quid. Any chance of coming into contact with original roof fibres, then damp down first as advised above, such as when removing the original studding before refitting with new panels sat on top.

 

HTH?

 

Mart.

[Richard (OldStager)]

Hi Mart,

I did consider a year or so ago using those sheets, but then it would have been a straight replacement, I didn't fit them as I have had those sheets on a 'lean to' on a previous house and they were a pain both cracking and eventually blowing off, since they offer no strength at all to high winds ( which being near the coast I get a lot of).

I hadn't considered though, fitting them on top of what I have, that does sound appealing, although the perfectionist in me might not let that happen. Trouble is it's the car I am trying to protect, so I need to get it right. 

I do like the idea of not messing with my existing sheets as well however, and would in the short term at least provide me with a dry garage - going to have to have a word with that perfectionist bloke 😁

[jim_l]

21 hours ago, Mark (smokey mow) said:

21 hours ago, OldStager said:

If I had to put a price on it, well £500 would be somewhere about right for what is only a garage, as long as the car stays dry.

 
you’d have to double that budget for almost any sort of flat roofing membrane and the structural works needed. That also assumes you’ll be doing everything yourself.

 

Yep double or almost, search Screwfix for 'flat roof kit membrane' and you see EDPM kits from £400 upwards, but then you need boards, perhaps other bits.   Not sure how people feel about OSB board rather than ply, I have seen it done.  It didn't look difficult, I do think you need a well prepped smooth surface under it. 

[DIY-Si]

For an amateur look at one way of doing a full EPDM roof, have a look At my build biary. I ripped off an asbestos roof, held up with a few timbers and replaced it with a flat roof. Whilst your garage walls won't take the weight of this type of roof, it might give you an idea of the work required. You wouldn't need the big timbers, insulation or twin decks that I fitted so that would save a lot of weight and cost. Equally, I doubt you'd get it down for under £500.

 

With the budget in mind, I'd be looking at either corrugated/profiled metal roofing panels or possibly something like twin cell polycarbonate panels such as you find on conservatories. Want you want is something that is pretty much self supporting, as the structure can easily weigh more than the roof itself. That way, you can re-use or replace the L steels you have now like for like.

 

Also, don't grind the bolt heads off. Get yourself a pair of bolt cutters and get them off that way from either above or below, depending upon access. The company I got in to remove my old asbestos roof did it this way whilst wearing disposable coveralls and proper filtered face masks.

[Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative]

I can give you a good idea of how much it would cost to have a company come in and replace the roof totally. We have got ours booked in for the end of March at a cost of £1400.

 

We are having the asbestos sheets replaced with a 'durable steel sheet, 0.7mm thick, plasticol coated layer on the outside and an anti-drip fabric on the underside.'

The price includes a maintenance free fascia and licensed disposal of the old roof. Guttering is available at an extra cost of £60 but we already have a fairly new gutter in place.

 

We had priced all the materials up to do the job ourselves and the cost was roughly £1000, a neighbour had theirs replaced and the company were finished by mid-afternoon, in the end it didn't seem worth all the hassle and danger so we booked them in.

 

I just thought it was worth mentioning it so you have all the options covered.

 

A photo of the garage with the old asbestos roof on as it is now.

 

[Richard (OldStager)]

1 hour ago, DIY-Si said:

For an amateur look at one way of doing a full EPDM roof, have a look At my build biary. I ripped off an asbestos roof, held up with a few timbers and replaced it with a flat roof. Whilst your garage walls won't take the weight of this type of roof, it might give you an idea of the work required. You wouldn't need the big timbers, insulation or twin decks that I fitted so that would save a lot of weight and cost. Equally, I doubt you'd get it down for under £500.

 

With the budget in mind, I'd be looking at either corrugated/profiled metal roofing panels or possibly something like twin cell polycarbonate panels such as you find on conservatories. Want you want is something that is pretty much self supporting, as the structure can easily weigh more than the roof itself. That way, you can re-use or replace the L steels you have now like for like.

 

Also, don't grind the bolt heads off. Get yourself a pair of bolt cutters and get them off that way from either above or below, depending upon access. The company I got in to remove my old asbestos roof did it this way whilst wearing disposable coveralls and proper filtered face masks.

I have read your thread, yeah the roof timbers are overkill for my setup and no way would the concrete sections support that weight. You did a good job on it, well done. Oh and the bedhead must have been to stop a car door hitting the wall, I assume?.

 

17 minutes ago, Julie Hall - Peak District AO said:

I can give you a good idea of how much it would cost to have a company come in and replace the roof totally. We have got ours booked in for the end of March at a cost of £1400.

 

We are having the asbestos sheets replaced with a 'durable steel sheet, 0.7mm thick, plasticol coated layer on the outside and an anti-drip fabric on the underside.'

The price includes a maintenance free fascia and licensed disposal of the old roof. Guttering is available at an extra cost of £60 but we already have a fairly new gutter in place.

 

We had priced all the materials up to do the job ourselves and the cost was roughly £1000, a neighbour had theirs replaced and the company were finished by mid-afternoon, in the end it didn't seem worth all the hassle and danger so we booked them in.

 

I just thought it was worth mentioning it so you have all the options covered.

 

A photo of the garage with the old asbestos roof on as it is now.

 

Thank you Julie, I think my garage is a tad smaller but not by much. There is no way I can afford that cost at the present, the house next door had a garage company around last month ( as they don't have one) so if they get the job I may have a chat with them over the fence as it were. I suppose if push came to shove, I 'could' cash in some of my pension, don't want to really as who knows what the future holds, but would be possible.

Richard

[DIY-Si]

Thanks, it took some doing but was worth it.

 

Thinking of worth it, if you can stretch the budget I would do so. If for no other reason than it will help insure the condition of your westy and anything else you keep in the garage. Every year I'd be willing to bet you spend £200+ on car insurance you've not used. Yet if the garage roof fell in, would you be covered? (Crap pun not intended)

[Richard (OldStager)]

Good point I don't know, not sure if A Plan cover the car if its in the garage or not, I know there are many restrictions to the cover but no clue on that one. I'll have to read the small print on the policy

[Mighty Mart]

3 hours ago, OldStager said:

Hi Mart,

I did consider a year or so ago using those sheets, but then it would have been a straight replacement, I didn't fit them as I have had those sheets on a 'lean to' on a previous house and they were a pain both cracking and eventually blowing off, since they offer no strength at all to high winds ( which being near the coast I get a lot of).

I hadn't considered though, fitting them on top of what I have, that does sound appealing, although the perfectionist in me might not let that happen. Trouble is it's the car I am trying to protect, so I need to get it right. 

I do like the idea of not messing with my existing sheets as well however, and would in the short term at least provide me with a dry garage - going to have to have a word with that perfectionist bloke 😁

Hi mate,

Yes the sheets alone wouldn't last 5 mins in wind, BUT are perfect when bolted to original roof.

As long as your roof just leaks, but is solid and no signs of cracking and falling in, I'd go for it!

Mart.

[aeg]

Found the photos of the new roof now 

[Jim RS]

Nice roof although I prefer the fixings in the crown for low angle sheeting, especially when trees are around as leaves/twigs can catch on screw heads causing isolated damming, ok when new but after a few years of weather movement the seal under the screw head can wear/deteriorate and allow leaks. I have had a few applications leak after about 5 years when using valley fixing where constant cleaning didn't happen.