A garage in the UK can cost anything from a few hundred pounds for a thin metal shed to tens of thousands for a fully insulated, heated building. A VeltHaven steel garage starts at £5,995 installed as a ready design, or £9,995 if you design your own; a fully insulated garage you can heat and use year-round starts at £23,950. The base is extra on all of them. This guide explains the difference, what drives the price, and what you actually pay installed.
Treat the broad market figures as typical 2026 ranges; treat VeltHaven’s prices as fixed prices for the building, delivered and installed, with the base quoted separately.
Comparing a garage against a garden room? See our overview of what a garden building costs.
How much does a garage cost? (Quick answer)
| Type | Typical UK price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap metal shed / DIY kit | £250 – £2,500 | Thin flat-pack steel; storage only, you assemble and base it |
| Concrete sectional garage | Quotes vary by supplier | Pre-cast panels; basic car/storage garage |
| Steel garage | from £5,995 (VeltHaven ready design) · from £9,995 (design your own) | Engineered steel building, installed; base extra |
| Insulated garage | from £23,950 (VeltHaven) | Fully insulated, heatable building — workshop, gym or year-round use |
| Brick / block built | £22,000–£30,000 for a single (MyBuilder, August 2026) | Traditional masonry, built on site |
As always, add the base, the electrical connection and delivery to any other supplier’s “from” price. That’s the gap between an advert and the installed total.
What drives the price of a garage
1. Steel vs insulated: two different buildings
A steel garage (what many buyers search for as a metal garage) is a secure, weather-tight, engineered building for cars, tools and storage. An insulated garage adds 100mm PIR insulated panels in the walls and roof, for a building you can heat and use as a workshop, gym or hobby room. The insulated version costs significantly more because it’s a different product: closer to a garden room with a vehicle door than a car shelter. If you want a heated workshop or gym, that’s the one. (We compare them in detail in Steel vs Insulated Garage, weigh a steel build against a concrete sectional, compare an insulated steel build against brick, and tackle the reputation question in are metal garages any good?)
2. Size: single, double, or triple
Width is the main lever: a single bay, a double, or a triple. Depth is usually fixed; you pick the bay width to match what you park and store. (Single vs double garage covers the sizes and the price jump in detail.) To check your own car against a door’s clear opening, see will my car fit in a garage?
3. Height: for SUVs and vans
Standard height suits a normal car. A taller door and frame for an SUV or a van adds cost — how much depends on your size and line, so we show the exact figure live as you build your price in the configurator, rather than a single average here — but it’s far cheaper to specify up front than to discover your vehicle doesn’t fit.
4. Doors, windows and electrics
An insulated, automatic sectional door is a step up from a basic up-and-over. Extra windows, a consumer unit and sockets (a “move-in-ready” electrical fit-out), EV charging and security all add to the spec — and the value.
5. Base, electrics and delivery: the “hidden” costs
- Base / groundwork: a level, load-bearing base sized to the building.
- Electrical connection: a supply run from your consumer unit by a qualified electrician.
- Delivery and access: getting the building to where it needs to stand.
VeltHaven gives you a guide price for the base from your site photos, then a firm quote after our contractor’s site visit, before you pay your balance. Any extra electrical connection is quoted from the same photos, also before you pay your balance.
If your own groundworker builds the base, it typically costs £1,900–£8,100 for a steel garage, or £2,500–£10,800 for an insulated garage on an insulated base, excluding VAT — depending on size, ground and access. Specifications, sizes and our Foundation Management prices are in our foundation & groundwork guide.
What a VeltHaven steel garage costs
Premium engineered steel garages, sold at one fully-installed total price, including delivery and an insulated automatic sectional door. Standard-height, single and double (prices rise for SUV and van height):
| 4×6 m | 5×6 m | 6×6 m | 7×6 m | 9×6 m | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | £9,995 | £11,995 | £13,995 | £15,995 | — |
| Double | — | — | £15,995 | £17,995 | £19,995 · £21,590 (3-door) |
Prices shown are for the Standard height build — a 200 cm (6′7″) clear door opening. The taller SUV and VAN builds, for high-roof vehicles, vans and motorhomes, cost more: from £10,995, priced live in the configurator.
What a VeltHaven insulated garage costs
The Insulated Garages range — fully insulated (100mm), heatable buildings for a year-round workshop, gym or hobby room as much as a garage:
| 4×6 m | 5×6 m | 6×6 m | 7×6 m | 9×6 m | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | £23,950 | £26,950 | £29,950 | £32,950 | — |
| Double | — | — | £32,950 | £35,950 | £42,845 · £44,440 (3-door) |
Prices shown are for the Standard height build — a 200 cm (6′7″) clear door opening. The taller SUV and VAN builds, for high-roof vehicles, vans and motorhomes, cost more: from £26,345, priced live in the configurator.
See the Insulated Garages range →
Both collections include the VeltHaven 10-Year Structural Warranty (2 years full warranty + structural cover to year 10). Does not affect your statutory rights.
Popular add-ons
- Move-In Ready electrics — consumer unit, sockets, lighting circuit and certification.
- EV charging — a myenergi Zappi charger, +£1,950.
- Smart Security — +£3,995.
- Climate Comfort — a Daikin heat-pump for heating and cooling, +£4,495 (insulated garages only).
- Extra windows — beyond the one included: £245 (steel) / £425 (insulated) each.
Price any size, height and add-on combination yourself in the garage configurator — the estimate updates live.
If you would rather start from a building that is already designed, browse our ready designs, each sold at one price as shown.
Garage or extension: cost per square metre
At the middle of each range, a steel garage with its base costs about a fifth of a single-storey extension per square metre; an insulated garage costs about two-fifths.
| Building | Cost per m² | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| 6×6 m steel garage + base | £525–£594 | Building delivered and installed on a standard site (£15,995), plus a base laid by your own groundworker, per m² of footprint. |
| 6×6 m insulated garage + base | £1,021–£1,115 | Building delivered and installed on a standard site (£32,950), plus a base laid by your own groundworker, per m² of footprint. |
| Single-storey extension (FMB) | £1,800–£3,000 | Average single-storey extension, per square metre; area basis not stated. London and the South East 30–50% higher. |
| Single-storey extension (Homebuilding & Renovating) | £2,200–£3,300 | Single storey, per m² of new internal space, excluding VAT. |
This is not like for like. An extension is heated living space joined to the house, with foundations, plumbing, wiring and finishes; a steel garage is unheated storage. Our figures are per m² of footprint; Homebuilding & Renovating quotes per m² of new internal space, excluding VAT, and the FMB does not state its basis. The base range is the typical UK market cost for your own groundworker, excluding VAT. Add VAT if your contractor is VAT-registered. Planning permission and Building Regulations apply differently to each, so check both.
Sources: Federation of Master Builders, “Single storey extension costs: a practical guide for homeowners”; Homebuilding & Renovating, “How much does an extension cost?”; checked October 2026.
Does where you live change the price?
For a traditional brick build, it can: costs depend on regional pricing and site preparation, so get local quotes. A factory-made steel building largely sidesteps this: VeltHaven’s installed prices are fixed across mainland UK, and only the groundwork (a guide price from your site photos, then a firm quote after our contractor’s site visit) varies with local conditions.
What does a garage cost to run?
A steel garage costs next to nothing to run: there’s nothing to heat and an LED lighting circuit draws pennies. An insulated garage only costs money when you choose to heat it. How much depends on your tariff, how warm you keep it and how you use the building, so we won’t invent a number. With a heat pump (our Climate Comfort option, at extra cost), heating is more efficient than plug-in electric heaters.
Do you need planning permission for a garage?
A garage is often permitted development when set back from your boundaries and within the height limits, but it depends on size, position and your property — and differs in conservation areas. Send us your boundary distances and we’ll flag what’s likely to apply — your council has the final word. See our planning guide and groundwork guide.
Our planning permission for a garage guide covers Standard, SUV and VAN heights in full, nation by nation.
How to budget
- Steel or insulated? If it’s car and tool storage, steel. If you’ll work, train or spend time in it, insulated.
- Size and height to your vehicles — measure, and specify SUV/van height up front if needed.
- Add the real extras — base, electrics, delivery (agreed with VeltHaven before you pay your balance).
- Spec the door, electrics and any EV/security to how you’ll actually use it.
Garage cost FAQs
Is it cheaper to build or buy a garage?
It depends on what you compare. A single brick garage typically costs £22,000–£30,000 (MyBuilder, updated August 2026), with insulation and electrics listed as additions to that build cost. A VeltHaven steel garage starts at £5,995 installed as a ready design, or £9,995 if you design your own, with the base extra. Compare the quotes like for like: what each includes (base, insulation, door, electrics) and how long each takes. Brick makes most sense when you specifically want masonry to match the house.
Do I need planning permission for a metal garage?
Often not — most detached garages fall within permitted development when set back from boundaries and within height limits (a build under 2.5m is the safest case). It depends on your property and differs in conservation areas; see our planning guide.
See our planning permission for a garage guide for the SUV and VAN height detail.
How long does a garage installation take?
Once your base is ready, a VeltHaven garage is typically delivered and installed in one to two days, weather permitting. It is delivered and installed within 8 weeks of full payment, including the 4–6 weeks it takes to make it to order.
Does an insulated garage still need heating?
For year-round use in winter, usually yes. Its walls and roof are 100mm PIR insulated panels; how much heating it needs depends on how you use it and how warm you keep it. Climate Comfort, a Daikin heat pump for heating and cooling, is an option at extra cost. A bare steel garage, by contrast, follows the outside temperature.
What base does a steel garage need?
A level, load-bearing base sized to the building — ground screws or a concrete slab. We give you a guide price from your site photos, then a firm quote after our contractor’s site visit, before you pay your balance; see the groundwork guide. Our free base guide covers the slab sizes, concrete grades and cure times behind that assessment.
The short version
“Garage” spans a £300 metal shed and a fully insulated, heated building costing tens of thousands, so compare the installed, all-in total and what each one actually is. A VeltHaven steel garage starts at £5,995 delivered and installed — see our ready-designed steel garages from £5,995 — or £9,995 if you design your own with an automatic insulated door; an insulated one starts at £23,950, with the base and electrics quoted before you pay your balance.
See Steel Garages or Insulated Garages, or build and price yours in a few minutes — free, no site visit needed. Your deposit is fully refundable until you pay your balance.
Every VeltHaven building is delivered and installed by a UK-registered company (Companies House 17261887), with the VeltHaven 10-Year Structural Warranty (2 years full warranty + structural cover to year 10). Does not affect your statutory rights.
