Asbestos garage - please help!

kiki*_2

Hi just had a valuation done on a house we love, it has come back and said they suspect asbesto in the garage roof and the artex ceilings. Does anyone know how much this will cost to sort? Does it need sorting?

sismith42

If it is in good condition and you dont want to do anything like redecorate, you're best off leaving it alone. If you are looking to redecorate/redo the garage or its starting to crumble, you'll want a specialist surveyor in to inspect, take samples, and send them away to the lab for testing. Not all types of asbestos cause cancer, but I don't know if any of the safer ones are used in building, or whether they're meerly a geological curiosity.

SailorSam

My next door neighbours in my last house had the house sealed and men were there removing all the artex. Don't know why it was done though, all the houses on the estate were the same and i never heard of any others doing it.

Davesnave

The report you've had could have been written about hundreds of thousands of properties, if not millions. Artex ceilings are not a problem so long as they're in good nick, painted, and no one tries to sand them flat (not likely to work anyway.) You can wear a suitable mask if you drill into a ceiling, though the risk is low, because the asbestos (if present) is only a small % of the Artex mix.

As for the garage roof, if it looks to be in good condition it's probably fine too, and there's nothing to stop you sealing it inside with a suitable paint if you are nervous about working in there. If you feel it will need renewal, be prepared for some extra costs in disposing of the roofing sheets. I think my council charges £10 a sheet, but a specialist contractor will probably want a good deal more than that. You could perhaps get a quote over the 'phone, if you work out the area first..

I wouldn't see either matter as a deal breaker. The surveyor is just covering their rear end. Did the valuation come back at the right amount? That's the question you should be asking!

kiki*_2

Yes valuation was the correct price. The garage isn't in good condition though and we were hoping to knock it down! A friend had a quote for £800 though so not as bad as I thought, I was thinking thousands!

kiki*_2

Does anyone know what license people need to remove asbestos?

ess0two

kiki* wrote: »

Yes valuation was the correct price. The garage isn't in good condition though and we were hoping to knock it down! A friend had a quote for £800 though so not as bad as I thought, I was thinking thousands!

I disposed of an old roof,i had to wrap the sheets in plastic,a guy from the council checked them and gave me ticket to deposit them in a specialist skip at the local tip.
Only cost was flatbed van for 2 hrs and a mate to help wrap sheets,£50 in total for transport and beer:)

kiki*_2

Ooh that's quite cheap! Did you keep the rest of the garage and just replace the roof then?

vax2002

kiki* wrote: »

Does anyone know what license people need to remove asbestos?

None if it your own white asbestos in your own property and you do it yourself , however you do need a licence to transport it.
They are guides how to do this on the HSE website

pawlala

SailorSam wrote: »

My next door neighbours in my last house had the house sealed and men were there removing all the artex. Don't know why it was done though, all the houses on the estate were the same and i never heard of any others doing it.

probably because all the others knew that artex no longer requires a license to remove it and therefore no 'sealed house' (i.e. enclosure)

pawlala

sismith42 wrote: »

Not all types of asbestos cause cancer, but I don't know if any of the safer ones are used in building, or whether they're meerly a geological curiosity.

Absolutely false, asbestos is a class 1 carcinogen regardless of its colour or type. There are no "safer" types of asbestos and all must be regarded as equally dangerous if damaged or disturbed.