What does it cost to build your own canopy or garden house?
Updated 26 October 2026 · 5 min read
What a DIY canopy or garden house costs depends mostly on its dimensions, the timber, the foundation and the roofing. Quoting one fixed number would be careless, but you can see clearly which choices drive the price and how to build a realistic range for your own situation.
The five biggest cost items
Almost every project spends its money on the same parts. The proportions differ per design.
- Timber and structure: posts, beams and purlins. The longer the span, the heavier the timber.
- Roofing: from cheap and light to expensive and heavy. See polycarbonate or glass.
- Foundation: concrete footings, screw piles or a strip foundation. See foundations for canopies and garden houses.
- Fixings and finishing: screws, joist hangers, battens, drainage, paint or stain.
- Tools and hire: whatever you do not already own.
Materials: timber and structure
Douglas fir or larch is common for posts (often 90×90 or 100×100 mm), with rafters of roughly 45×145 up to 45×195 mm at 600 mm centres, depending on the span. A bigger span needs heavier members, and you see that directly in the price.
A few rules of thumb:
- Choose dimensions that come out of standard lengths. Cutting to size creates waste.
- Untreated softwood is cheaper but needs more maintenance. Hardwood or dried, impregnated timber costs more upfront.
- A good cut list also saves money: you order exactly what you need.
Roofing: large price differences
The roofing is often the part with the biggest gap between a budget and a premium version.
| Material | Weight (indicative) | Price level |
|---|---|---|
| Polycarbonate multi-wall 16 mm | approx. 2.5 kg/m² | low |
| EPDM (flat roof, garden house) | light | low to medium |
| Laminated glass 44.2 | approx. 22 kg/m² | high |
| Solar panels as roof | heavier, structure must be adapted | high, but it earns something back |
A heavier roof also means a heavier structure and often a sturdier foundation. So the roofing choice ripples through the entire budget.
Foundation
Concrete footings require digging, concrete and time. Screw piles go in quickly and can in principle be removed again, but you often need equipment or a contractor to drive them. Tiles or a strip foundation can work for a lighter garden house. What fits best depends on your soil and the weight. See the article on foundations.
The costs people forget
- Removal of soil, green waste or packaging.
- Fees or advice costs if you need a permit. First check whether you do, using the permit rules.
- Drainage: downpipe, gutter and where the water goes.
- Lighting or power, which must be installed by a qualified electrician.
- A reserve for mistakes: plan for some extra material.
Time and your own labour
Building yourself saves labour costs but takes time. For a simple canopy of a few square metres, think in terms of several working days with two people, spread over a few weekends if you also do the foundation yourself. Concrete curing time, rain and waiting for deliveries stretch that. A second pair of hands is not a luxury when lifting beams and roof sheets; it is a safety matter.
How to get a price range
A reliable estimate is built from your own dimensions, not from an average.
- Decide width, depth and height of your structure.
- Choose a roofing material and foundation type.
- Have a materials list calculated from those dimensions.
- Ask two or three suppliers for prices on exactly that list.
- Add tools, disposal and a reserve.
The free 3D configurator gives you a price indication as a range based on your dimensions and choices. That is an indication, not a quote: your supplier's actual prices may differ.
Note: a cheap roof on a structure that is too light is not a saving. Snow and wind loads help determine how heavy the timber and anchoring need to be.
What next?
Open the configurator, adjust dimensions and roofing and see how the range changes. A plan with drawings, materials list and cut list prevents many mistakes and extra costs; see what a good canopy drawing contains. Our plan rates are on the pricing page. All prices are indicative, may change, and part of the offering is still being prepared.