Sizes, finishes and features

Low-headroom roller garage doors

A low-headroom roller garage door is a roller door specified for an opening with little space between the top of the opening and the ceiling, using a suitable box size and position so the coiled curtain still has somewhere to go. The box can sit behind the lintel, under it or on the front of the wall, and the choice affects how much clear height you keep.

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Guide price: from £1,195 inc VAT
First step: Free survey
Covers: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Inside a garage, a compact roller box fitted tight under the ceiling above a grey roller door

Computer-generated image

In short

Box sized and positioned to suit the space above the opening
Box behind the lintel, under it or face-fitted in front
Lath size chosen with headroom and door width in mind
Headroom measured at survey before anything is ordered

How much headroom does a roller garage door need?

A roller garage door needs enough headroom above the opening for its box, which for domestic doors is commonly around 205 to 300 mm or more, depending on the door height and lath.

The box holds the curtain when it's rolled up, so a taller door, which has more curtain to coil, needs a bigger box. Lath size has the same effect: larger laths make a bigger roll. That's why an insulated door on a tall opening needs more space than a short single-skin door.

To check your headroom, measure from the underside of the lintel inside the garage up to the ceiling, or to the lowest thing in the way, such as a joist, beam, pipe or light fitting. Note it when you ask for a guide price. If the figure is small, the box can usually be positioned differently, as explained below, but we confirm the right answer at survey.

Where can the roller box go if there isn't room behind the lintel?

If there isn't room behind the lintel, the box can be fitted under the lintel inside the opening, or face-fitted in front of the wall outside.

Behind the lintel: the usual position, inside the garage above the opening. It keeps the full opening height and the box out of sight from outside.
Under the lintel: the box sits within the top of the opening, which needs no space above but reduces the clear height you can drive through.
In front: the box is face-fitted on the outside wall above the opening. It keeps the clear height and needs no room inside, but the box is visible from the front.

Which position suits you depends on your headroom, the height of what you park and how you feel about a visible box. If you're also checking sizes, our made-to-measure roller garage doors page explains how each opening is measured.

Will fitting the box under the lintel make my garage opening too low?

Fitting the box under the lintel lowers the clear opening height by roughly the depth of the box, so it's worth checking against the height of what you park before you choose it.

Measure the current opening height, take off the likely box depth, and compare the result with the height of your car, including any roof bars, roof box or aerial. A van, a raised car or a car with a roof box may lose clearance that a hatchback wouldn't notice. If the garage is used for storage, bikes or a workshop, the lost height may not matter at all.

If height is tight, a face-fitted box on the outside wall keeps the full opening. Some homes also have planning conditions or estate covenants about the front of the house, so check before choosing a visible box. Our guide to planning and building regulations covers what to ask.

How much does a low-headroom roller garage door cost?

A low-headroom roller door is priced like any other roller door, from £1,195–£1,745 inc VAT for a single-skin electric door or £1,495–£2,295 inc VAT for an insulated electric door on an opening up to 2.4 m wide.

Those prices include supply, fitting, commissioning and removing your old roller or up-and-over door, with VAT at 20%. Wider openings move into higher width bands, which you can see on our prices page. If the power supply isn't near the box position, a new fused spur fitted by an electrician adds £129–£249 inc VAT.

Where tight headroom calls for extra work, such as moving pipes or cables, altering a lintel or building out the wall, that work is priced on survey. Your written quote states the box position you've chosen and lists any extra work on its own line, so you know exactly what you're agreeing to.

What happens at the survey and fitting of a low-headroom door?

At the free survey we measure the headroom and talk through the box positions with you, and on fitting day the box goes exactly where your written quote says.

Along with headroom, we measure the width, height and side room, and check the lintel, the floor and anything inside the garage near the top of the opening, such as pipes, cables or lights. For an electric door we look at where the power will come from, which matters more when the box is in an unusual position. Once you accept the quote, the fitting date is confirmed in writing, depending on installer availability.

On the day, the old door comes out and the box is fixed in the agreed position, followed by the guides and curtain. Electric doors are commissioned, with the limits set and the safety devices tested, before you sign off.

Guide prices for low-headroom roller garage doors

Guide prices for homes, supplied and fitted, including removal of an old roller or up-and-over door. The written quote after your free survey is the price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)	Ex VAT
Insulated electric roller door, single up to 2.4 m	£1,495–£2,295	£1,245.83–£1,912.50 + VAT
Electric single-skin roller door, single up to 2.4 m	£1,195–£1,745	£995.83–£1,454.17 + VAT

Guide prices for homes, last reviewed 25 October 2026. Your written quote is the price. See the full price list.

What happens after I ask for a price?

STEP 01
Guide price
Answer four quick questions online and see a price range for your opening.
STEP 02
Free survey
We measure the opening, headroom, side room, lintel and power, and talk through options.
STEP 03
Written quote
You get the price inc VAT, what is included and the payment stages in writing.
STEP 04
Fitting day
Old door out, new door in, commissioned and handed over with the paperwork.

Questions about low-headroom roller garage doors

Does a face-fitted roller box look out of place?

It's a matter of taste. A face-fitted box sits on the front of the wall above the opening, so it's visible, but it can be finished to match the curtain, and it avoids losing height under the lintel. If you live on a newer estate or in a conservation area, check any covenants or planning restrictions first.

Can a smaller lath reduce the box size?

Lath size is one of the things that decides box size, because larger laths make a bigger roll. On narrower doors a smaller lath can help where headroom is tight. On wider doors, though, larger laths add the rigidity the curtain needs, so there's a balance to strike. We recommend the lath at survey based on your width, height and headroom.

Can I move pipes or a light to make room for the box?

Sometimes that's the simplest answer. If a pipe, cable or light fitting sits just where the box needs to go, moving it may let the box go behind the lintel in the usual way. Any electrical changes should be made by a qualified electrician. We'll point out obstructions at survey and include any work we're doing in the written quote.

Is there any garage where a roller door won't fit?

Occasionally an opening has no headroom inside, no wall above it outside for a face-fitted box, and too little height to lose any under the lintel. There can still be options, such as altering the lintel, which is priced on survey. If we can't find a sensible solution, we'll tell you plainly rather than fit something that won't work.

Is an insulated door possible with low headroom?

Often, yes. Insulated laths make a larger roll than single-skin laths of the same height, so the box is bigger. If that box won't fit behind the lintel, it can go under the lintel or in front of the wall. We'll show you the clear height you'd keep with each option, so you can decide whether insulation is worth the trade-off.