Yes, in most cases you can replace the roof over your own garage without replacing your neighbour’s roof. This can apply to two garages built side by side or to one unit within a longer row of battery garages. The important checks are how the roofs connect, what supports them and where responsibility for each part lies.
At Excel Asbestos, we regularly work on adjoining garage roofs where only one owner wants a replacement. Our team separates the relevant roof sheets and replaces the customer’s agreed section with metal roofing, while planning the junction with the roof that remains.
You do not automatically need to wait until your neighbour is ready to replace theirs. An assessment can establish whether your section can be renewed independently and identify any shared materials, access arrangements or ownership questions that need attention first.
Can one garage roof be replaced without replacing the neighbouring roof?
Often, yes. Garages can appear to have one continuous roof from the outside while still allowing individual sections to be replaced. A row of adjoining garages does not necessarily have to be re-roofed as a single project.
Before arranging the work, our team reviews your garage using Google Maps satellite imagery and a phone call with you. The satellite view helps us understand the overall layout and where your garage sits within the row. During the call, we discuss your existing roof, access and any issues you are aware of.
The important consideration is how your roof connects to the neighbouring covering. Replacing your section requires a suitable weatherproof join, while ensuring the neighbouring roof sheets remain properly supported. Satellite imagery provides an overview of the site, although it cannot confirm the condition of hidden timbers or fixings.
For a garage in the middle of a row, there may be a roof connection to consider on both sides. An end garage will usually have only one neighbouring roof connection.
Where the construction allows, replacing only your section can be a practical way to renew your garage roof without requiring the entire row to be replaced.
Do you need your neighbour’s agreement before work starts?
Where the proposed work is confined to your separately owned roof, uses access you are entitled to and does not alter shared or neighbouring property, your neighbour’s agreement is generally not needed simply because the garages adjoin. The scope and property arrangements still need checking.
It is always polite to let your neighbour know about the planned work. Explain which garage is being re-roofed and when the team is expected. This also gives them an opportunity to ask about replacing their own roof at the same time.
Before booking, tell us about any shared ownership, leases or access restrictions you know of. If both owners want their roofs replaced together, ask about a combined quotation and any available discount. Pricing depends on the work involved, so a saving should be confirmed in the quotation.
How is the join between the new roof and the existing roof made watertight?
Depending on the arrangement, a suitable joining detail may include metal flashings, appropriate overlaps and compatible profile closures or seals. Flashings are shaped finishing pieces that help direct water over a junction. Manufacturer guidance sets out how the selected roofing components should be fitted.
The assessment needs to consider how water will travel across or alongside the connection, including where it reaches the gutter. The new roof also needs suitable support at its edge so the joining detail can perform as intended.
There is no single flashing shape or overlap measurement that suits every shared garage roof. The detail should be selected for the actual combination of materials and roof geometry, with care taken around any retained asbestos cement.
At handover, our checks include a water test to look for leaks and check how water leaves the new roof. Any issues identified during the test can be addressed before the work is handed over.
The join forms part of the agreed installation and should be discussed during the assessment. Ask how the replacement will connect to the existing roof, particularly if the neighbouring covering has visible damage close to the proposed junction.
What happens if the neighbouring roof also contains asbestos?
A neighbouring asbestos cement roof does not automatically prevent us from replacing yours. This is a situation our team regularly encounters on paired garages and battery garage rows.
Our approach is to separate the adjoining roof sheets as the assessed construction allows, remove the customer’s agreed roofing and install the replacement metal sheets. The condition and support of the neighbouring covering need to be considered throughout that process.
Before asbestos work begins, we must identify the material, the work involved and the controls needed to prevent or reduce exposure. Safe access and protection for people nearby are part of that planning.
Where neighbouring asbestos-containing materials are in suitable condition and can remain undisturbed, they may be left in place. Their presence alone does not require both garage roofs to be removed.
If a retained sheet is badly damaged, unstable or cannot be separated without additional work, that issue needs to be resolved before proceeding. The team cannot assume that every adjoining roof will be suitable to retain.
Removed asbestos roofing also needs appropriate packaging, transport and disposal. Keep the relevant Hazardous Waste Consignment Note with your replacement roof paperwork.
How are shared gutters and rainwater drainage dealt with?
For a replacement limited to one garage, shared guttering and drainage are normally kept in their existing arrangement where suitable. Our team makes the new roof sheets line up with the guttering so that water leaving the replacement roof is directed into it.
A gutter can serve several garages and discharge through a downpipe some distance from your own unit. The assessment therefore needs to consider the drainage route beyond the edge of the new sheets, rather than looking only at the gutter directly above your garage door.
The work should preserve drainage for the neighbouring garages. If a gutter, bracket or outlet is damaged or unsuitable, we can discuss the problem before the installation is agreed. Any proposed alteration to a shared system needs the relevant arrangements resolved first.
Our water test helps check how the replacement roof discharges into the existing gutter. Keeping the gutter and its outlet clear afterwards remains important, including where responsibility for maintenance is shared between owners.
Tell us about known drainage problems when requesting your quote, particularly recurring overflows or leaks near the point where the roofs meet.
When might replacing both sides be the more practical option?
Replacing both roofs together can be worth considering if both garages have damaged or ageing coverings, or if your neighbour already wants theirs renewed. The two replacements can then be assessed and planned as one coordinated project.
It may also be practical where the existing construction is closely connected and both owners would benefit from addressing shared details at the same time. This does not mean that renewing both sides is automatically necessary whenever roofs adjoin.
A joint project gives both owners the opportunity to agree their preferred roofing and discuss any shared guttering or support work. A combined quotation may also allow a discount, depending on the scope and installation arrangements.
Each owner should understand which work they are authorising, what they are paying for and which documents or guarantees relate to their garage. Agreeing these details before booking helps avoid uncertainty during the work.
If your neighbour is not ready to proceed, an assessment can establish whether your roof remains suitable for an independent replacement.
Arrange an assessment of your shared garage roof
If your garage shares a roof connection with another property, we can assess how your section could be replaced and explain the proposed junction and drainage arrangements.
Excel Asbestos provides garage roof replacement services across England and Wales. Contact our team or call 0800 0996 558 to discuss your garage and whether a neighbour would also like a quotation. Photographs of the roof connections, supports and guttering can help with the initial discussion.
