If you can find the show “Holmes on Homes” (on HGTV in Canada) every so often he runs across asbestos in s renovation project. YMMV compared to Canada, but once you know you have a hazardous situation, you might get in trouble by simply throwing it in a dumpster, depending on health, safety and environmental laws.
Holmes would call in experts who built a containing plastic enclosure, used misting and showers, and bagged all debris and even moonsuits in an airlock when exiting, and disposed of everytihng according to law. Also, air samples were taken several times during and after the process and sent to labs for analysis. The area was deemed safe if the ambient level met OSHA-type standards.
Not sure what lab analysis costs or if it is required in your neck of the woods.
Of course, now that you know of asbestos in the house, full disclosure rules mean you must tell prospective buyers… so better for property values to remove it.
This is most certainly true. However, you do run a financial risk by leaving asbestos on heating pipes. I my house, we’ve replaced one heating pipe and added a new radiator. Both jobs required cutting into our existing pipes, which would have been much more tricky if they were still covered in asbestos.
Isn’t there also a potential problem when selling on the property? I’m sure many (if not most) people would shy away from buying a house that they knew had asbestos in it; and they also have no way of knowing what a good job you did (or didn’t do) of sealing it.
Also, isn’t leaving it in place simply putting off a problem that will only get worse over time? I wouldn’t be happy about passing off the buck for some subsequent owner to have to deal with down the line.
I suppose so, if you don’t need to use any of that to pay for the equipment (respirators, air pumps, etc.), the supplies (plastic barriers, blades to cut the stuff, bags for disposal, filters for the respirators, etc.), service costs (costs to dispose of the ACM), employer payroll taxes, and the required training for the workers; as well as the costs of advertising for business, looking at the jobsite and providing an estimate, administering tax and other payments, filing for certifications, chasing down the homeowner to get paid, and maybe putting something aside for the days when you don’t happen to have a removal contract.
But yeah, if you think you don’t need to pay for any of that, then you should probably get into the asbestos removal business and start raking in your $600,000/year guaranteed salary.
Sorry for the zombie thread, but I’m dealing with this now. I just bought a house and the home inspector said that I have asbestos floor tiles. They’re in a 24 sq. foot hallway. All the research I’ve done says it’s safe to just cover them up and that the danger while real, is a little overblown. But for peace of mind I’d like to remove them. Any ideas about how much that would cost?
Not obviously. Undamaged asbestos is not dangerous; loose asbestos fibers are. Normally, I would not remove asbestos until I intended to sell the house, and, ideally, had moved out. I, like others, would strongly recommend wrapping the pipes.
However, our asbestos insulation was damaged; it cost about 2.5K to remove it from maybe 80 feet of steam piping on one floor.
[ol]
[li]Call the building department in your municipality and see what their regulations are on asbestos removal - Make certain that any contractor you decide to hire follows them to the letter as you could draw a hefty fine if h/she doesn’t.[/li][li]Get multiple estimates - They are all going to be expensive as it is hard and dangerous work and you can expect that you’ll be charged for that.[/li][li]Not go with the lowest bidder - This is not the the kind of job that you want to “low-ball.”[/li][li]Take plenty of pictures beforehand - You’ll want evidence that ALL of the asbestos in question has been removed. If the contractor has a problem with this, get another contractor.[/li][li]Not use unlicensed people or “handymen” - The chance of them screwing things up are too great to go with amateurs or people working off the books[/li][li]Have the contractor present you with a detailed plan as what h/she is going to do - make certain that understand it before you sign anything or they get started.[/li][/ol]
So they need some plastic sheeting, some sticky tape , a fan and a filter.
They can re-use the same stuff tommorrow. So how much for a days use of this stuff ? $5 ?
The cost to bury it ? Seems to be the same as for regular trash. Put it in a hole in the ground. How much more does that cost ?
There’s a lot of gouging in the asbestos removal industry. Government should regulate the cost of asbestos removal … Prevent gouging.
A licensed contractor can lose their license or be sued (or both) by reusing materials. Do some do it? Probably. But they are usually easily spotted by the fact that they “low-ball” bid and then come back with excuse as to why they can’t get the job done . Or with change orders increasing their initial bid to what you would have paid a reputable outfit.
Also, asbestos is a hazardous waste. You can’t just “dump it”; it has to be taken to a landfill which accepts it and there aren’t many of those. It also has to be hauled in a manner which doesn’t expose the public to the asbestos or its fibers, which adds additional costs. Again, fly by nighters may not do this. But they are skating on legal and civil thin ice and that can come back to bite the customer.
Is there some gouging?
Sure.
But most companies charge right around the same prices for removal and disposal so there probably isn’t that much.
Again, I’d be more worried about low bidders, as they may do the shittiest job and then submit change orders to get their prices up to where they were going to be anyway or higher. They may also leave the customer open to legal claims if the fail to dispose of the material properly.
Leaving them alone is good advice. If the flooring is in good condition - no holes, no loose tiles, etc., put something on top of it and just keep a mental note that if you sell the house later on, you should disclose that the flooring may contain asbestos. Solid tile is one of the least-dangerous typse of asbestos-containing material you might find in a house.
Otherwise, 24 square feet is well within DIY territory in most jurisdictions, and you probably don’t even need a permit due to the small amount involved and being in your own home. Just wet the tiles and pop them up, keeping them intact if at all possible. They may pop free with just a couple of taps with a scraper, or a heat gun may be useful for softening the adhesive. Any residual adhesive can be sprayed with water to reduce any possible release of fibers while you scrape it off. Do not sand or grind it off.
Some common-sense precautions would be to wear a dust respirator, safety glasses and disposable (ie: tyvek) coveralls, but that might be on the edge of overkill for such a small area.
Also, for such a small amount of non-friable material, you may even be able to wrap it up and dispose of it in your household trash. This varies by state.
Leaving them alone is great advice; undamaged asbestos does not release fibers into the air.
Asbestos backed linoleum tiles are not easy to remove, because it is easier to scrape the tiling top off the asbestos backing than it is to separate the whole piece from the (usually rough surfaced wood) subfloor. I’d recommend replacing the whole subfloor, if you can’t just leave it alone.
One tile has a corner broken off and one is starting to pop up. Would you still recommend leaving them? Reading about the tiles put my mind at ease a bit. My concern now is having something looming over my head. I know that if I cover them and decide to remodel later, I’ll definitely disturb them.
Another concerned popped up: the hallway is next to the kitchen, which has ceramic tiles. I’m wondering if that whole floor has asbestos tiles underneath the ceramic tiles? I’m not planning on redoing that floor any time soon, but that’s looking over my head, too. The joys of owning and old house!
Nope - if one is broken and peeling up then you have exposed asbestos.
That being said, removal of this type of asbestos is usually straightforward and not horribly expensive. I would estimate ~ $1,000 for the whole job (not including the new floor), but that’s commercial. Residential I’m not sure at all.
Well, it can’t hurt to call a couple (asbestos-licensed) contractors and get bids, right? (Ask for a bid to remove it and a bid to just encapsulate it). Doesn’t cost you anything to get a bid.
That way you can make an informed decision.
One minor correction, though
Your municipality probably doesn’t regulate asbestos; more likely your state environmental agency. The federal EPA has requirements, too, but they mostly don’t apply to single-family houses.
I’d start by looking for on-line information from your state.
Well, it can’t hurt to call a couple (asbestos-licensed) contractors and get bids, right? (Ask for a bid to remove it and a bid to just encapsulate it). Doesn’t cost you anything to get a bid.
That way you can make an informed decision.
One minor correction, though
Your municipality probably doesn’t regulate asbestos; more likely your state environmental agency and/or state workplace safety agency (OSHA equivalent). The federal EPA has requirements, too, but they mostly don’t apply to single-family houses.
I’d start by looking for on-line information from your state.
In the United States, asbestos is regulated by AHERA, OSHA and NESHAP, using the Federal regulations as a minimum. State OSHA requirements may be more stringent, as might the County NESHAP.
AHERA controls training and certification, as well as requirements for K-12 schools concerning the handling of asbestos.
NESHAP covers “Facilities”, which have a large definition, basically anything that is not a single residential building with 4 or less units, on a property. NESHAP also covers asbestos waste classifications and regulations for disposal.
OSHA covers asbestos exposure, classifying types of asbestos work, what type of certification must be had to perform each type of work, job set up, safety and work practices.
Other countries have different requirements, usually covered by their Occupational Health division.
There is a ton of good information out there put out by the EPA and OSHA, as well as other countries’ health ministries. Always look up those sites when you are searching for more information.
Always remember that the Contractor and the Building Owner are both responsible for the asbestos. Hiring someone to do it doesn’t take the responsibility off your shoulders if they cut corners. It just means that you will share their fate if they get caught. Asbestos litigation has bankrupted large corporations. Avoid the cheapest, go with experienced, qualified and reputable.
Yep i agree with this. Wet the crap down put on a dusk mask or respirator and some protective clothing and rip it out yourself. You will not be harmed by a limited exposure to it. It’s only prolonged exposure and inhalation (years and years and years of exposure) to concentrated amounts of airborn asbestos fibers that COULD cause health issues. Asbestos hysteria has gribbed America and Canada and it’s a big money maker for those who have been licensed to remove it. Save yourselves THOUSANDS by doing it yourself and no-one will ever know the difference.
You can save money by doing it yourself. You will also be choosing to expose yourself to a known carcinogen. It is not at all certain that it takes large exposures over long periods of time to cause problems. If fibers get into your lungs, you are at risk. There is a reason that exposed employees must use protective clothing and properly selected and fitted respirators. You can choose to expose yourself and your family. My choice would be to hire a trained professional. All that being said, if the asbestos insulation or tile is intact and you are not planning on selling the house any time soon, I would recommend encapsulation.