Buying a home with asbestos in it...

CambridgeBuyer

So, getting quotes for reinstatement seems to be quite a challenge. I've had one asbestos removal contractor say I'd probably be looking at £10,000 + VAT for removal + reinstatement combined, which seems quite high in my opinion. Most other asbestos removal contractors won't comment on the cost of reinstating the ceilings + floors. (as it's not really their job to be fair)

Besides that, I've tried getting quotes from building contractors for the reinstatement, but most of them aren't that keen on providing rough quotes. (not surprising I guess, as there's many in my situation ringing them down)

Would anyone here have a rough idea of what I'd be looking at for the reinstatement costs?

Angie_B

You seem quite determined to spend a lot of money removing something that is really not going to cause you any issues if you just leave it alone.

Is there a reason you are so focused on removing? It is honestly not a hazard in general day to day living.

CambridgeBuyer

Angie:
Maybe my worry about the asbestos thing is more psychological than realistic, as some say. But the idea of having something so deadly in my home feels rather uncomfortable, especially considering it takes 30-40 years for you to develop the currently incurable cancer if you've been exposed.

I guess originating from a country that was one of the first to have a total ban on all forms of asbestos (20 years before the UK did so) also shapes my view a bit. As most people have pointed out, in the UK nearly every older building has it, which probably includes the one I'm tenanting ATM.

So it is difficult to avoid around here, and with the big costs of getting rid of it, I can't help to think that it is being underestimated exactly because it isn't financially viable to remove in most cases. And from what I've learned so far, the number of deaths from mesothelioma in the UK were still increasing rather decreasing, even 40 odd years since the dangers of asbestos became widely known and people started handling asbestos materials more carefully.

I guess what I'm saying is, even if the likelihood of my worries being motivated are very small, it is a worry I sure could do without. Hence why I'm trying to get a picture of what it would cost to have that potential dream home not have a subtle feeling of being a "haunted house". (irrespective of whether the ghosts are real or all in my mind...)

lincroft1710

Considering how many garages and sheds from the 1950s to 1980s had corrugated asbestos cement sheet roofs plus many garages built from asbestos cement sheets, it is surprising that relatively few people have been affected. Many industrial and agricultural buildings also had cacs roofs.

Angie_B

CambridgeBuyer wrote: »

Angie:
So it is difficult to avoid around here, and with the big costs of getting rid of it, I can't help to think that it is being underestimated exactly because it isn't financially viable to remove in most cases. And from what I've learned so far, the number of deaths from mesothelioma in the UK were still increasing rather decreasing, even 40 odd years since the dangers of asbestos became widely known and people started handling asbestos materials more carefully.

I guess what I'm saying is, even if the likelihood of my worries being motivated are very small, it is a worry I sure could do without. Hence why I'm trying to get a picture of what it would cost to have that potential dream home not have a subtle feeling of being a "haunted house". (irrespective of whether the ghosts are real or all in my mind...)

The reason more deaths are being reported now is because asbestosis can regularly take 30-40 odd years to make itself known. Knowledge and reporting are also on the up. So the vast majority of people being diagnosed now were those working in ship building and on construction sites over 30 years ago.

To be honest, the reason no one can tell you how much it is going to cost, beyond "a lot", is because it's not typical to strip residential places. Quarantining and stripping a house is a lot of work for very little gain, which is probably why most contractors are reluctant to quote or take on the work.

Winter_Phoenix

CambridgeBuyer wrote: »

Angie:
Maybe my worry about the asbestos thing is more psychological than realistic, as some say. But the idea of having something so deadly in my home feels rather uncomfortable, especially considering it takes 30-40 years for you to develop the currently incurable cancer if you've been exposed.

I guess originating from a country that was one of the first to have a total ban on all forms of asbestos (20 years before the UK did so) also shapes my view a bit. As most people have pointed out, in the UK nearly every older building has it, which probably includes the one I'm tenanting ATM.

So it is difficult to avoid around here, and with the big costs of getting rid of it, I can't help to think that it is being underestimated exactly because it isn't financially viable to remove in most cases. And from what I've learned so far, the number of deaths from mesothelioma in the UK were still increasing rather decreasing, even 40 odd years since the dangers of asbestos became widely known and people started handling asbestos materials more carefully.

I guess what I'm saying is, even if the likelihood of my worries being motivated are very small, it is a worry I sure could do without. Hence why I'm trying to get a picture of what it would cost to have that potential dream home not have a subtle feeling of being a "haunted house". (irrespective of whether the ghosts are real or all in my mind...)

I do understand your concerns about asbestos, but as others have said, as long as it is sealed/not disturbed, it will do you no harm.

You also perhaps need to consider that there are many other things in your environment which are just as hazardous (or more so), and eliminating them all is going to be just about impossible.

For example, if your house is an older one, then the 'underneath' coats of gloss paint will contain lead, which is toxic. Getting a specialist firm in to remove every scrap of gloss paint, down to the bare wood - and then perhaps another specialist firm to check that no paint dust remains in the house - is the only way to eliminate this. Or you could just let the toxic layers of paint remain safely sealed under the newer coats.

And then there's MDF, which contains small quantities of carcinogenic formaldehyde. Working with MDF (for example, sawing it) releases formaldehyde along with softwood dust (and in some cases hardwood dust). Wood dust is known to cause asthma and hardwood dust a rare form of nasal cancer. [Here's the government's informational website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/faq-mdf.htm]. Again, you would need to have every scrap of MDF removed from your house without any of it being damaged in the process.

In a city such as Cambridge, toxic pollution levels from deisel and petrol engines will almost inevitably be high. It will take the installation of a very expensive air filtration system to ensure that none of this enters your home.

Your tap water will probably contain minute traces of copper from pipes (and lead from pipes in an old house), plus minute amounts of aluminium and bleach from water purification plants, and fluoride which either occurs naturally or is added by water companies to improve dental health. All these are toxic above a minimal quantity, and heavy metals can build up in the body over time. Again, a water purifying system will be required - and you will need to check that it is one which doesn't use other chemicals which may prove to be equally hazardous.

Then there are your carpets, your soft furnishings, your household cleaners, your chopping boards, the plastics which your food is wrapped in, your light bulbs... etc. etc.

If you go ahead and have your asbestos removed at vast expense, instead of simply making sure it is safe, will you simply switch your worries to the next hazardous substance?

HeyBigSpender

I'm interested in your progress Cambridge-Buyer. I have some artex which may or may not have asbestos. It is probably the white, less dangerous kind. But I need to remove it because it is in a prominent part of of the living room, prone to being knocked and chipped and looks dreadful. It's not just a matter of covering it up and not disturbing it.

I am left confused and depressed by the overload of information online. There seems to be two sides, one stating that asbestos, once found, must be covered or removed but at great expense, and another stating that the danger is over-rated and driven by profit. The first side retorting that the main source of this questioning (the link in Doozer-girls post above) is perhaps an asbestos apologist, perhaps employed by asbestos producers. when you google the main names in that website, you'll see what I mean.

There seems to be very little authoritative/official advice beyond "DON'T DISTURB IT". I had asbestos surveyors remove another bit of asbestos for me not so long ago. They were expensive, and the entire process struck me as, well, dodgy.

I would love to find a trustworthy online sampling site. For all I know, the ones that have turned up on google could be just chucking the sample in the bin, replying that it's okay and pocketing my £40 or whatever.

Good luck with your purchase CambridgeBuyer. It's a beautiful city.

kirtsypoos

HeyBigSpender,

There is a midlands based company who are pretty good - I've never used them personally, but we have used them through work (they send out packs in the post for you to send the sampling back with)

Dan-Dan

kirtsypoos wrote: »

HeyBigSpender,

There is a midlands based company who are pretty good - I've never used them personally, but we have used them through work (they send out packs in the post for you to send the sampling back with)

So the customer removes the suspected asbestos themselves and sends it in?

Is that usual ?

gadgetmind

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Is that usual ?

Yes, and I put a link to the people we used pretty early on in this thread.