Structural Survey

jodieangell

Hi everyone,

I've got a full structural survey booked for next Monday (23rd) on a home that I'm hoping to purchase.

I know the surveyor will mention if they think it is likely to contain any dangerous materials such as asbestos. After doing some research, I've made myself rather stressed and not quite sure how I'm going to get through the next few days without worrying (although I'm trying my hardest not to).

Every room has textured ceilings, which, to the eye, look in good condition and don't look old. Now I know the surveyor can't disclose on the survey for certain whether asbestos is found/not found.

Has anyone had a similar experience to this before and what did you do?

If the surveyor comes back and says it's unlikely to contain asbestos, shouldn't I be still getting an asbestos sampling done to be 100% safe?

I could really do with some advice on what to do and any recommendations for who to go to for an asbestos sampling test as well.

Thanks in advance.

babyblade41

I think I've had artex ceilings in pretty much every property I've bought . Just overboard them.

We have had this come up many times here & I certainly haven't worried about it myself .

If it's not broken up it's perfectly safe  & don't go snorting it either !!!

canaldumidi

This comes up regularly here as so many houses have artex. Even if there is asbestos in it, it's really not a problem if you leave it alone. Paint over it, or plaster over it to smooth it out if you want. It's only if you rip it out and break it up that it might (just might) be a hazard.

People worry far too much.

The pronlem is your're already stressed out by the whole buying process, so worrying about every little thing.

Chill!

user1977

You been in (and probably lived in) buildings which contain asbestos, and lived to tell the tale.

Unless it's something built after asbestos stopped being used, you can never guarantee that a building doesn't contain asbestos (a surveyor is only able to comment on suspicious items which they can see). So even with samples being tested you're not going to be 100% "safe", all it will prove is that those samples didn't contain asbestos.

Noneforit999

Artex ceilings are very common.

They are also not a cause for concern unless you plan to keep them as they are and to drill into them regularly.

You can either have them overboarded or simply skimmed over by a plasterer.

Of the many things you could be concerned about, Artex ceilings is not one of them. 

We are currently buying a house with Artex ceilings all over but they are being skimmed so any surveyor would have no idea they are even there. 

Section62

Noneforit999 said:

Artex ceilings are very common.

They are also not a cause for concern unless you plan to keep them as they are and to drill into them regularly.

That is incorrect advice.

The first test whether or not there should be cause for concern is whether or not the Artex contains asbestos.

The second test is the existing condition of the Artex - if it is unsound or starting to flake then that would be a definite cause for concern.

The third test is whether the occupier intends to have any work done on the ceiling with the potential to release fibres.  The phrase "drill into them regularly" is wholly misleading.  Sawing, scraping and sanding are some of the other actions that can result in the release of asbestos fibres, and harm can be done through a single exposure, it doesn't have to be "regular".

I recently helped out on a project which required the removal of a chrysotile asbestos-containing artex ceiling in a kitchen. The asbestos removal contractor spent three hours covering every surface with polythene and installing a double-airlock. It took about 30mins to pull the ceiling down and bag up the waste. Followed by about an hour of cleaning up and dampening down the polythene before removing that.  These people know what they are doing and understand the risks.  It astounds me that folks post on this forum playing down the potential risk (both to health and financially) of dealing with asbestos-containing materials.

The OP is correct to have concerns, and should seek professional advice both on having the suspect materials tested and (if necessary) on their safe removal.

Noneforit999 said:

We are currently buying a house with Artex ceilings all over but they are being skimmed so any surveyor would have no idea they are even there.

This is why buyers and people working on property should have concerns about the potential presence of asbestos in Artex even if the Artex can't be seen.

Noneforit999

Section62 said:

Noneforit999 said:

Artex ceilings are very common.

They are also not a cause for concern unless you plan to keep them as they are and to drill into them regularly.

That is incorrect advice.

The first test whether or not there should be cause for concern is whether or not the Artex contains asbestos.

The second test is the existing condition of the Artex - if it is unsound or starting to flake then that would be a definite cause for concern.

The third test is whether the occupier intends to have any work done on the ceiling with the potential to release fibres.  The phrase "drill into them regularly" is wholly misleading.  Sawing, scraping and sanding are some of the other actions that can result in the release of asbestos fibres, and harm can be done through a single exposure, it doesn't have to be "regular".

I recently helped out on a project which required the removal of a chrysotile asbestos-containing artex ceiling in a kitchen. The asbestos removal contractor spent three hours covering every surface with polythene and installing a double-airlock. It took about 30mins to pull the ceiling down and bag up the waste. Followed by about an hour of cleaning up and dampening down the polythene before removing that.  These people know what they are doing and understand the risks.  It astounds me that folks post on this forum playing down the potential risk (both to health and financially) of dealing with asbestos-containing materials.

The OP is correct to have concerns, and should seek professional advice both on having the suspect materials tested and (if necessary) on their safe removal.

Noneforit999 said:

We are currently buying a house with Artex ceilings all over but they are being skimmed so any surveyor would have no idea they are even there.

This is why buyers and people working on property should have concerns about the potential presence of asbestos in Artex even if the Artex can't be seen.

What are you suggesting the OP does?

Have an Asbestos specialist come in and test the Artex before they buy it?

Then what? If it comes back there is asbestos, they lower their offer to account for having it professionally removed?

Many older houses have artex ceilings, lots of which likely contain asbestos. Just do what everyone else does, overboard them or get them skimmed over.

To go through the expensive of getting it tested and then removed professionally for something which you can just overboard is not worth it. 

As a vendor, I would be telling you to move on if you wanted to bring in a specialist to start scraping parts of the ceiling. 

Section62

Noneforit999 said:

Section62 said:

The OP is correct to have concerns, and should seek professional advice both on having the suspect materials tested and (if necessary) on their safe removal.

What are you suggesting the OP does?

As per BiB.

Noneforit999 said:

Have an Asbestos specialist come in and test the Artex before they buy it?

Then what? If it comes back there is asbestos, they lower their offer to account for having it professionally removed?

That depends on what the first professional (usually a surveyor) says about the suspect materials.  If they advise having it tested before purchase then it would be unwise to ignore that advice.  If subsequent advice suggests the cost of dealing with the material is excessive, a lower offer for the property might be appropriate.

Getting advice from professionals in a situation like this will always be better than taking the advice from friendly folk on the internet making sweeping statements without even seeing the materials in question, or understanding what plans the OP has for the property.

Noneforit999 said:

Many older houses have artex ceilings, lots of which likely contain asbestos. Just do what everyone else does, overboard them or get them skimmed over.

To go through the expensive of getting it tested and then removed professionally for something which you can just overboard is not worth it.

Examples of sweeping statements^

There are a variety of circumstances where having the asbestos containing material removed would be vastly more appropriate than overboarding it.

And if somone has concerns then the best approach is to get professional advice.  If the Artex doesn't contain asbestos then the OP can relax and no longer be concerned.  Hiding the material doesn't make the risk of it containing asbestos - and therefore the concerns - go away.  People who don't have concerns can skip this step if they wish.

Noneforit999 said:

As a vendor, I would be telling you to move on if you wanted to bring in a specialist to start scraping parts of the ceiling.

As is your right.

I'd be moving on anyway though - because if you are being secretive about whether or not your ceilings have asbestos in them then I'd assume you know that they do, and also wonder what else you were trying to hide from me.

I would of course make sure that the EA was aware there was reason to think it was possible the ceilings had asbestos-containing artex on them and that I was pulling out due to your refusal to allow the reasonable request to have the material tested (at my expense).