Guide

Asbestos in a roof: what we can and can't do

The honest answer is that this isn't our job. Here's who to call, and what happens after they've been.

Published 4 August 2026

Some questions have an honest answer that isn't the one you were hoping for. This is one of them.

We don't remove asbestos, and we don't dispose of it. It's licensed work for a specialist contractor with proper controls and a proper disposal route — not something we do, and not something we'd take on as a scheduling favour.

What we can help with is the roof that goes on afterwards, and getting the order of events right. The questions below cover who to call, where asbestos usually turns up, and why it's not something to disturb yourself in the meantime.

What we'd put on afterwards

A garage or outbuilding roof coming off is usually a straightforward flat-roof job once it's clear. Often that's a built-up bitumen system, sometimes EPDM — and a roof over unheated space frequently needs no insulation at all, which keeps it simpler than people expect.

Get in touch once you know what you're dealing with, or ask us now and we'll tell you honestly whether it sounds like a job for a surveyor first.

Common questions

While we’re on the subject

Do you remove or dispose of asbestos?

No — neither. It's specialist, licensed work and you'll want a dedicated local asbestos removal firm for it.

If you need a new roof covering once the removal is done, do get in touch at that point. That part we can help with.

Where does asbestos usually turn up on a roof?

Most often as asbestos cement: the corrugated sheeting used on garage and outbuilding roofs, and on some industrial units. It also appears in older soffits, some rainwater goods, and occasionally in flat-roof build-ups.

It's largely a question of age. If a garage roof looks like grey corrugated sheet and has been there since the 1970s or earlier, it's worth having identified before anyone starts work on it.

How do I know if it actually is asbestos?

You don't, from looking — and neither do we. It needs testing. An asbestos surveyor takes a sample and has it analysed, which is quick and inexpensive relative to the cost of getting it wrong.

Don't break a piece off to look at it more closely. That's the one thing worth avoiding.

Can you just re-roof over the top of it?

Not as a way of avoiding the problem, no. Covering it doesn't remove it, and it leaves whoever works on the building next with a hidden hazard and no warning.

There are cases where asbestos cement is left in place and managed rather than removed, but that's a decision for a surveyor to make on the evidence, not for a roofer to make on a visit.

What order should this happen in?

Survey and identification first, then licensed removal, then the new roof. We'd rather come and quote once we know what we're working on, so the quote covers the actual job and doesn't need revising.

It's worth telling us at the enquiry stage if you suspect asbestos. It changes the sequencing, not whether we can help.

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