By Amy Hanlon on 07 Aug 2023
Time to live it large! A large timber garage is a great addition to your home. It gives you space, space, space! Whether that’s space for your prized car, space for a workshop or studio, or space for more storage than you could ever fill, is entirely up to you. Let’s ask the really important question: how much does a large timber garage cost?
Why choose a timber garage?
Timber garages are beautiful. From an aesthetic point of view, timber trumps concrete or brick garages any day of the week. They’re tasteful, classic and complement all styles of houses and gardens. They’re also just as durable as a brick or concrete garage if they’re built properly.
How is a timber garage constructed?
Let’s be absolutely clear here: we’re not just talking about a big shed. Once a shed is larger than around 16′ x 10′, or 4.8m x 3m, a single-skinned construction won’t reliably keep the weather out. This isn’t a matter of just using thicker cladding – you need layers of timber to keep the building watertight. Our garages have three-tiered walls – the outer timber cladding, a cavity with waterproof membrane, and an OSB layer for insulation. This specification is what’s necessary to keep the Scottish weather firmly on the outside of your garage walls. This article will discuss how much a large timber garage costs – you’ll find no big sheds here!
What size is a large garage?
The biggest garages we tend to build are 5m x 6m. The reason for this particular limit is that any garden building bigger than 30m2 falls under Building Standards legislation. Building Control standards exist to make sure that, by law, structures are safe and fit for purpose.
Our three-tiered construction is fully compliant with Building Standards because everyone wants to stay safe. But not everyone wants to deal with the administrative and financial situations involved with Building Control.
Firstly, you’ll need to apply for a Building Warrant before you can get started building. You’ll need to hire an architect and a structural engineer to complete the Building Warrant application. Once the building is completed, you need to apply for (and pay for) a certificate of compliance from your local council.
You can absolutely have a garage bigger than 30m2, but if you want to avoid the expense, time and paperwork involved with Building Standards, 30m2 is your limit.
What’s included in the price of a timber garage?
This article will describe the costs of a real garage, built in August 2023. This particular garage is 5m x 6m, the maximum size allowed without Building Control.
The cost of the building itself is £12,554. This includes the three-tier walls, steel box profile roofing, a mortise and tenon access door and two fixed horticultural glass windows. This price also includes installation, VAT, and delivery within 30 miles of our base here in Errol.
What other costs are included in a garage project?
While the building itself costs £12,554, there are other costs to consider, including:
Garage Door
Our example garage has an automatic roller door, which cost £2,650. Manual doors are generally cheaper than this, but the size of the door will also impact its cost. We recommend Tayside Garage Doors, who offer a huge range of both manual and automatic garage doors.
Cladding
Both the profile of the cladding used and the type of timber can impact the cost of your garage project. The upgrade options of close board and strap cladding, or larch or cedar cladding, will add to the cost. You can find a guide to the different cladding options and their likely costs here.
Doors and Windows
While the cost of the building includes an access door and two fixed windows, you can upgrade your windows. Our example garage has uPVC double-glazed windows and a uPVC access door. This added £1,750 to the price.
Other extras
The beauty of a custom build is that it can be tailored to suit your needs. Our example garage has a 6m x 3m carport adding a large covered space outside the building. This cost £4,355.
Here are the costs of four different large garage projects, with and without the uPVC upgrade and the carport:
| Project 1 | Project 2 | Project 3 | Project 4 | |
| Building | £12,554 | £12,554 | £12,554 | £12,554 |
| Garage Door | £2,650 | £2,650 | £2,650 | £2,650 |
| uPVC Access Door & Windows | – | £1,750 | – | £1,750 |
| Carport | – | – | £4,355 | £4,355 |
| Total: | £15,204 | £16,954 | £19,559 | £21,309 |
How much does a base for a large timber garage cost?
Ah yes – the elephant in the room! None of the prices in the table above include the cost of a base for your garage. We are timber building experts, and we stick to what we do best. We can recommend an accredited groundwork company to pay you a visit and give you a quotation.
The price of a poured concrete plinth can vary hugely from job to job. This isn’t because the groundwork company are plucking numbers out of the air. Each job is different, depending on the access to the site, the size of the base needed, the materials used and the composition of the ground to be excavated. As a very rough estimate, £5,000 can be used as a starting price. However, the only way to accurately price this is to get a quotation for your specific job.
How do I order a large timber garage?
Because of all the options we can offer you, the best way to get your garage project started is to get in touch with us. You can do this by phone, online, or in person. The Sales Team will ask you about your plans and ideas, and give you an exact cost for your project. We can also introduce you to our groundworking pals to get a base quotation, and then it’s all systems go!
If you’d like to see one of our timber garages in the flesh, we have one in our Show Area. Come on down and take a look!
