Roller garage doors for detached garages

In short

A detached garage stands apart from the house, often at the end of a drive or in the garden, and may be brick, block or a prefabricated concrete building. A roller garage door suits it because it opens vertically into a box at the top of the opening, keeps the roof space clear and doesn't swing out over the drive. The main questions are power, security and how you use the space.

White manual roller garage door with a centre lock on a detached brick garage at the end of a gravel drive

Computer-generated image

Is a roller door a good choice for a detached garage?

Yes, a roller door is a good choice for a detached garage, provided the opening is sound and there's room for the box above it and the guide rails either side. Because the curtain coils into a box at the top, the roof space stays free for storage and nothing swings out across the drive.

Detached garages vary a lot. Some are solidly built in brick or block; others are prefabricated concrete panel buildings with thin walls and a light roof. We look at how the door can be fixed securely to the structure you have, and if extra work is needed to make the opening suitable, it's priced on survey and shown in your written quote.

How do you get power to an electric door in a detached garage?

An electric roller door needs a power supply near the box, so the first question for a detached garage is whether it already has power. If it does, a qualified electrician can usually add a fused spur close to the top of the opening, which is £129–£249 inc VAT when added to a new door.

If the garage has no power, a supply has to be run from the house. The cost depends on the distance, the route and the ground in between, so it's priced on survey rather than guessed. In England and Wales some domestic electrical work is notifiable under Part P, and the electrician deals with that.

If running power isn't practical, a manual roller door needs no supply at all and suits narrower, lighter openings.

How secure is a roller door on a garage away from the house?

A roller door's security depends on the model, how well it's fixed and the locking arrangement, and a detached garage out of sight of the house is worth thinking about carefully. Electric doors use rolling-code remotes, and some motors have anti-lift or auto-locking devices that resist the curtain being forced upwards. Manual doors can have bottom-rail locks.

If you want a tested security rating, some manufacturer models are certificated to LPS 1175 or STS 202. Where a model holds a rating, we'll show you the certificate for that exact model. A smart receiver also lets you check from your phone that the door is closed. Some insurers ask about garage security, so check with yours.

Do I need insulated laths on a detached garage?

You need insulated laths on a detached garage only if the way you use it calls for them. For parking a car or storing bikes and garden tools, single-skin laths are lighter, cheaper and often enough.

If you keep things that don't like the cold, or you use the garage as a workshop, insulated laths reduce heat loss, draughts and noise compared with single-skin laths. They won't stop damp on their own, though. Condensation depends on ventilation and on the building itself, so we'll talk it through at the survey. Our insulated vs single-skin guide compares the two in more detail.

What do you check on a detached garage at the survey?

At the free survey for a new or replacement door we measure the width and height of the opening, the headroom above it for the box and the side room for the guide rails, which is typically around 75 to 100 mm each side. We also check the lintel, the floor level across the opening, the power situation and access for fitting.

On prefabricated garages we look closely at what the box and guides can be fixed to. If the lintel needs replacing or the reveals need building out, that work is priced on survey. You'll get a written quote showing the door, any extras, the price inc VAT and the payment stages before anything is agreed.

Questions

Will my remote work from inside the house?

It depends on the distance and what's in between. Remote fobs are meant to be used where you can see the door, and walls, trees and other buildings reduce their range. We test the remotes at handover so you know where they work. If you want to check the door from further away, a smart receiver lets you see whether it's closed from a phone app, provided the garage has a reliable Wi-Fi signal.

Can you replace an up-and-over door on a prefabricated concrete garage?

Often, yes. We check at the survey whether the panels, the opening and the roof edge can take the box and guide rails securely. If the existing up-and-over frame is sound it can sometimes stay, and any extra work to make the opening suitable is priced on survey. If a roller door isn't a good fit for the structure, we'll tell you rather than fit one anyway.

Can I have a manual roller door on a detached garage?

Yes. A spring-assisted manual roller door has springs in the barrel that balance the curtain, so it lifts by hand without a power supply. It suits narrower, lighter doors and garages without electricity, and it can be fitted with a bottom-rail lock. If you add power later, a manual-to-electric conversion is possible only when the curtain, barrel, box and guides are sound and compatible.