Asbestos guttering and eaves

Worriedgonzo

Hi, had a survey done on a house and its guttering needs replacing. It's made out of asbestos cement partly and the eaves also have asbestos. I'm in a mid terrace house and asking if anyone knows if I replace the guttering I also have to get the eaves changed as well by an asbestos contractor. If so how much on average would a job like that cost so I don't get ripped off? Thanks!!!

BlueC

How big is the house?

Why does it need replacing?

ed110220

The best thing with asbestos is normally to leave it alone. So unless it is damaged or degraded, leave it up there. It won't do anyone any harm undisturbed (ie not drilled, cut etc).

Jamie_Carter

The asbestos used in guttering and eaves are made from asbestos cement, and contain crysotile (I think that's how you spell it), which is known as 'white asbestos'. As long as the asbestos in the eaves isn't going to be disturbed when they change the guttering, then it doesn't have to be replaced.

With asbestos cement it is only really an issue if it is drilled or broken. So as long as you don't disturb it there isn't an issue.

As for the removal of the asbestos guttering, this will have to be carried out by a specialist company, so you will need to get a quote from them. Whatever you do, don't use a cowboy building company who say that they can do the job cheap, as you could be held responsible if they fly tip the asbestos.

sk240

I too have asbestos guttering etc, it seems to be much stronger than UPVC so was thinking of just leavinng it alone and painting it, is that a sensible idea?

Jamie_Carter

sk240 wrote: »

I too have asbestos guttering etc, it seems to be much stronger than UPVC so was thinking of just leavinng it alone and painting it, is that a sensible idea?

It is far stronger than UPVC.

The only trouble with painting it is that to do a proper job you would need to rub it down. But that is a huge NO, NO.