Concrete sectional garages and traditional brick-built garages can both provide secure parking, storage or workshop space. The right choice depends on your budget, preferred appearance, available space and how you intend to use the building.
Concrete garages are usually quicker to install and can offer a cost-effective alternative to masonry construction. A brick-built garage may provide greater freedom to match an existing property exactly, but it will generally involve more on-site building work.
What Is the Difference Between the Two?
Concrete Sectional Garages
A sectional garage is assembled using reinforced concrete panels manufactured before they arrive at the property. The panels are erected on a suitable concrete base, followed by the roof, doors, windows and other finishing components.
Dencroft’s concrete garages use machine-vibrated panels reinforced with high-yield steel. Tongued and grooved joints help the panels interlock to form a rigid, weather-resistant structure.
Traditional Brick-Built Garages
A traditional brick garage is constructed on site using masonry building methods. The project may involve excavation, foundations, bricklaying, roofing and the installation of doors, windows, drainage and electrical services.
This gives homeowners considerable freedom over the design, but it normally requires more trades, a longer construction programme and greater disruption around the property.
Which Garage Is More Affordable?
A concrete sectional garage will often cost less than a comparable brick-built garage. Manufacturing the panels in advance reduces the amount of labour required on site, while the installation process is more streamlined than traditional masonry construction.
However, the final cost of either option will depend on:
- The size and height of the garage
- The type of roof and garage door
- Ground conditions and base preparation
- Site access and delivery requirements
- Windows, personnel doors and other optional features
- Removal of an existing building
- Insulation, electrical work and internal finishes
Quotes should be compared on a like-for-like basis. A basic sectional garage and a fully insulated brick building designed for regular occupation are not equivalent projects.
How Do Installation Times Compare?
Once a suitable base is ready, a sectional concrete garage can generally be assembled much more quickly than a garage built brick by brick. The exact installation time depends on the size, specification, access and weather conditions, so it should not be assumed that every garage can be completed in one day.
A brick-built garage is likely to take longer because several stages and trades may be involved. Foundations and masonry also require appropriate curing or drying time before later work can continue.
Dencroft can assist with site measurements, base preparation, removal work and installation as part of its concrete garage installation process.
Appearance and Design Options
A brick-built garage can be constructed using bricks selected to complement the house, which may be important where the garage will sit prominently beside the property.
Concrete garages are available in more finishes than many homeowners realise. Alongside traditional textured panels, Dencroft offers Denbrick and Denstone finishes designed to create the appearance of brick or stone while retaining sectional concrete construction.
It is important to distinguish these finishes from a traditionally built masonry garage. They provide a brick or stone effect, but the underlying structure is still made from precast concrete panels.
Apex and pent roofs, different door styles, windows, fascias and colour choices can also be selected to help the garage suit its surroundings.
Durability and Maintenance
Both types of garage can provide many years of use when they are properly designed, installed and maintained.
Concrete panels do not rot or warp and require relatively little routine treatment. However, the roof, joints, doors, windows, guttering and drainage should still be inspected and maintained. Any cracks, leaks or damaged fittings should be dealt with before they become more serious.
Brick-built garages also require maintenance. Mortar joints may eventually need repointing, while bricks, roof coverings, gutters and timber components can be affected by prolonged weather exposure.
Insulation and Intended Use
If the garage will mainly be used for parking, general storage or occasional DIY, a sectional concrete building can provide a practical solution without the expense of constructing a room to domestic standards.
A traditional cavity-wall garage may be easier to integrate with a house or insulate as part of a more complex building project. This can be useful if the space is intended for regular occupation, although planning permission and Building Regulations requirements may then apply.
Concrete garages can also be upgraded with insulation and anti-condensation options. The required specification should be discussed before ordering, particularly if the building will contain temperature-sensitive belongings or be used throughout the year.
Does the Construction Method Affect Planning Permission?
Planning permission is not decided simply by whether a garage is made from concrete or brick. In England, permitted development rules consider factors such as the garage’s position, height, proximity to boundaries and the amount of land covered by buildings.
Different restrictions can apply to listed buildings, conservation areas and properties where permitted development rights have been removed. Planning rules also differ across the UK, so homeowners should check with their local planning authority before work begins.
Planning permission and Building Regulations are separate matters. A project that does not need planning permission may still need Building Regulations approval depending on its size, position and intended use.
Which Type of Garage Should You Choose?
A sectional concrete garage may be the right option if you want:
- A streamlined installation process
- Lower costs than a comparable masonry build
- A durable structure with manageable maintenance
- A choice of sizes, roofs, doors and external finishes
A traditional brick-built garage may be more appropriate if an exact masonry match is essential, the building forms part of a wider extension or you require a specification closer to a conventional room.
If you are considering a new garage, contact Dencroft Garages to discuss your property, intended use and preferred design. The team can arrange a site survey and provide a quotation based on your chosen specification.