Buying a home with asbestos in it...

kirtsypoos

Doozergirl, a lot of the clients I deal with are advised to leave in situ and not disturb, however if it is something that genuinely bothers the person, and they are willing to pay to remove the items involved and therefore give themselves peace of mind I don't see a problem.
Also, if the work is done correctly there is no hazard created by the disturbance as Type H vacuum cleaners (amongst other control measures) are used to ensure the area is as clear of asbestos fibres as possible.
I do agree that scaremongering is at an all time high regarding asbestos - I lived in a house with an attached garage with asbestos cement roof sheets - I wouldn't have removed them but the roof started leaking so it needed replacing.

CambridgeBuyer, I'm not au fait with removal prices in your area, but the average charge for floor tiles is approx £10 per sqm so £1500 seems a lot unless it's a huge place? The ceilings cost seems to be in line with an average cost for removal of textured coating on a standard property, and the soffit prices are in line with cement removals, so it is only the floor tile cost I would query.
That being said, floor tiles are the material I would be least worried about so I probably wouldn't bother unless you were having work done which affected the floor.

phill99

Google: helping people to develop paranoia since 2003.

class2ldn

Rather then start a new thread just wanted to ask on here.
We have artex ceilings but it's not been established if there is any asbestos in.
Obviously we need to do that but we've noticed around the loft hatch area that some cracks have appeared about 5-6 inches long in the actual artex.
We are in the process of getting someone in to have a look but does anyone know if this could be a big issue?
We've not been prodding around for obvious reasons but a bit worried now.
Any advice?
Thanks.

Doozergirl

class2ldn wrote: »

Rather then start a new thread just wanted to ask on here.
We have artex ceilings but it's not been established if there is any asbestos in.
Obviously we need to do that but we've noticed around the loft hatch area that some cracks have appeared about 5-6 inches long in the actual artex.
We are in the process of getting someone in to have a look but does anyone know if this could be a big issue?
We've not been prodding around for obvious reasons but a bit worried now.
Any advice?
Thanks.

There is virtually no risk.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1525683/Christopher-Bookers-notebook.html

The small amount of asbestos fibre is firmly bonded into a matrix.

class2ldn

Thanks for that. It's just because of the cracks we are worried but like I say until we actually get it checked not much more we can do.

class2ldn

Just got one quote for a survey. £185 + vat. 385+ for a full house survey which includes a detailed report and photos etc.
Seems expensive to me just to get a sample

kirtsypoos

Class2ldn that does seem on the expensive side. A normal management survey is about 135 + VAT dependant on company/area. Saying that, most surveying companies are very busy at the moment so can charge a premium.

You can take a sample yourself and send it in to a lab just to get a result for the artex which will be significantly cheaper.

gadgetmind

I just got a kit and sampled Artex myself.

http://www.bradley-enviro.co.uk/services/asbestos-consultants/asbestos-self-sampling-kits.html

Angie_B

patman99 wrote: »

I used to work in a care home as a handyman and underwent asbestos training.
Asbestos was only banned in 2001, so plenty of buildings with artexed cielings will have it.

Just make sure that if you need to drill into the ceiling you wear a proper dust mask and you will be safe.

I think your training may have been inadequate or out of date, I'm afraid.

A regular dust mask will not stop asbestos dust entering your body and no one should be advised that they will be safe if they drill into asbestos wearing one. To prevent asbestos inhalation, you need proper respiratory protection with a cartridge filter, not some dust mask bought in a local DIY shed.

The only advise worth listening to in regards to asbestos is Do Not Disturb. Do not drill into it/sand it/saw at it/smash it up with a hammer. If you leave it alone, it is utterly harmless.

I would not bother to remove it. If it is in good condition, it will not cause you any problems whatsoever. But don't drill into it (wearing a dust mask or not!).

Dan-Dan

I think for £300 a survey MIGHT be a good idea , depending on peoples views to risk etc , we had a survey done FOC from an asbestos surveyor , family friend , and he identified asbestos containing board up the spine of the house (where the warm air heating system used to be before gch was installed) and so we know now where in the landing we cant drill , which i think is knowledge worth knowing about