asbestos and remodelling

vanessa_2007

19 years ago

As a new homeowner of an old house built in 1917, I am wondering how to proceed with renovations. We had some asbestos duct sheets removed in thebasement. We want to put a fan in the bathroom and knock a wall down. What steps should we take to ensure that we don't run into asbestos contamination. What do people usually do in this situation. In order to have a test done, it will cost 1500$! Is this what people do before renovating an old house each time?

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Comments (6)

kudzu9
19 years ago
vanessa-
Where are you getting your number of $1500 from? A single-sample test for asbestos should be about $100 from a certified analytical lab. If someone is telling you they will do a bunch of random samples around your home, and charge you for a lot of tests, they may not be the best qualified to do this work.

In order to answer your question any better, what exactly are you doing? Are you only altering a wall (which probably wouldn't have asbestos in it)? Do you have vermiculite insulation in the ceiling? Are you tearing up a vinyl tile floor (which probably has asbestos in it)? Are you disturbing any ductwork? Tens of millions of houses in the U.S. have asbestos in them, but where is highly specific to the materials you have in your home. More information from you would be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asbestos in homes
sharon_sd
19 years ago
The test we had done on some suspect material was $75.
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vanessa_2007
Original Author
19 years ago
Hello,
Thanks for your suggestions. The test involves 150$ per sample to remove analyze in a lab. There is a charge to remove each sample in sealed conditions. I was told that the law requires three tests be conducted to allow a contractor to work on the area. We want to install a bathroom fan and a hole needs to be punched into the ceiling. We don't actually know what is behind the ceiling, but because we learnt so much about asbestos when we had the paper around ducts in the basement we became concerned about further renovations. The floor is linoleum. Is it possible there is vermiculite in the ceiling? Do we need to worry about disrupting plaster as well. Is it necessary to bring people in to take the sample? If I take it myself to a lab it will only cost 60$/sample, but I'm not sure what to look for...any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
kudzu9
19 years ago
A wall is unlikely to contain asbestos. You don't need to worry about the linoleum unless you are going to remove it.

As for the ceiling, it would be nice to be able to see what's up there. Vermiculite is very easy to identify, and even if you have it, it doesn't always contain asbestos. [See link]. Since you're going to disturb such a small part of the ceiling, even if you had asbestos-containing vermiculite, it would be relatively easy to safely move some aside and cover it. And, yes, I can tell you how to safely take a sample.

I used to work in the area of asbestos regulation and removal, and I'm all for being cautious, but I don't think you have a situation here that requires spending hundreds or thousands of dollars, or that you necessarily need specialists. Find out what you've got up there and let me know by email and I'll give you some further info on how to proceed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vermiculite
vanessa_2007
Original Author
19 years ago
Thank you so much for your help! I guess we can have our contractor carefully punch a hole through to see what is up there. If there is insulation, we can take a small sample to have tested. Everybody seems to have different thresholds for their concerns when dealing with asbestos. AS a new old home owner I wasn;t sure how to proceed.
Thanks again and any advice is always welcome!
kudzu9
19 years ago
Vanessa-
Asbestos can be scary stuff, particularly when you only know enough to be concerned, but don't have enough background to gauge risk. You should take comfort from the fact that the majority of homes that are more than 25 years old have asbestos in them, usually in a variety of materials...and we're not all dying of cancer. I'm not making light of this, because there are some kinds of home situations that have the potential for posing real risks and there are some instances where people can take a non-risky situation and turn it into a mess and a health risk. I think you're proceeding wisely and just want to make sure you don't get too paranoid about this.

One thing I forgot to ask about is whether you have a "popcorn" ceiling, because this texture can sometimes contain a fair amount of asbestos. If you have a smooth ceiling or just slightly textured, this should not be a concern. At any rate, I am willing to give you more advice as you get further along. Just click on my page and send me an email.