Buying an untouched 60s house - ASBESTOS?

Martyn_H

We had artex on many of our walls and ceilings. We had the ceilings boarded over and I removed the artex on the walls with a steam stripper. That was 30 years ago and my lungs are still good. One other place where asbestos might be found is in garage roofing. 

You could try asking your Environmental Health department if they know of any approved companies that could undertake a survey and then get quotes.

Thurlow40

Section62 said:

Thurlow40 said:

My trouble is, I wouldn’t know Asbestos if it poked me in the eye! I’d hate to pull up some Asbestos ridden floor tiles and potentially have it floating around in the air for the foreseeable, completely unaware!

If so, getting an asbestos survey after completion would let you know what you need to be careful with.

Thank you, I think this is my worry. I could complete and it’s everywhere? I don’t know how likely that is but Id hate to worry about the safety of the environment!  I guess people buy houses of this era all of the time so maybe I’m making it a bigger deal than it is. 

Great to know though that the fibres don’t float around like my imagination suggests! Thank you 

user1977

Is there a reason why you're focusing so much on asbestos rather than any of the (many!) other potential risks?

How many times have you ever heard of somebody buying a house and finding asbestos "everywhere"? Or coming down with an asbestos-related illness as a result of DIY?

Yes, it's not a non-existent risk, and you ought to check before you start tearing the house to bits, but you do seem to be overthinking it.

Thurlow40

user1977 said:

Is there a reason why you're focusing so much on asbestos rather than any of the (many!) other potential risks?

How many times have you ever heard of somebody buying a house and finding asbestos "everywhere"? Or coming down with an asbestos-related illness as a result of DIY?

Yes, it's not a non-existent risk, and you ought to check before you start tearing the house to bits, but you do seem to be overthinking it.

A friend of mine ripped up an old floor in her house just recently and thought she’d found asbestos, it wasn’t in the end, but her telling me her story of panic and covering things in pva just planted the seed of thought I guess!  There is nothing else, I just seem to have gone off down a bit of a rabbit hole! My current and previous house are newer builds so not something I’ve given any thought to.

Thank you, I suspect and hope I am! 

FreeBear

user1977 said:

Is there a reason why you're focusing so much on asbestos rather than any of the (many!) other potential risks?

Old buildings with lime plaster - The base coats contain animal hair, and there is a very, very small risk of being exposed to anthrax as a result.

Hot water systems - Unless the water is heated to 55°C or more, there is a remote chance that you might catch legionella.

More serious risks to be concerned about - Faulty gas appliances could leak carbon monoxide in to the home. Open fires also present a similar risk. Faulty gas appliances could also leak gas, and if there is a sufficient build up, a big bang will occur. Open fires have a nasty habit of spitting out hot embers which could cause a major fire.

Dodgy electrics can (and do) kill - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1473919/MPs-daughter-electrocuted-in-botched-fitted-kitchen.html

Dihydrogen monoxide (found in every home) is responsible for countless deaths and massive environmental damage.

badmemory

My mothers house built early 70s had one bit of asbestos.  In the cooker hood.

Thurlow40

badmemory said:

My mothers house built early 70s had one bit of asbestos.  In the cooker hood.

Thank you, that’s really good to hear.  Did you go for an Asbestos survey to confirm that or just figure it out as you went along for yourselves? 

Jaybee_16

I have artex ceilings in all rooms but plan to do nothing with them except emulsion. I have asbestos panels behind two kitchen radiators probably because it's an external wall. I don't plan to move them so they're no problem to me.

Bettie

I had asbestos inside a door. Also in my flue ( warm air heating) A specialist company came land removed it all when I had the boiler renewed.

Bigphil1474

OP, I work in H&S, dealing with commercial buildings, and all commercial buildings pre the year 2,000 could have asbestos in, and all should have an asbestos plan backed up by a survey if necessary. I tend to work to the same principle for somewhere I'm gonna spend most of my life and where my kids and grandkids are going to live/visit. We had asbestos in our artex for 14 years. It was in good condition and we didn't do anything with it other than paint it now and again. Fortunately(?) we had subsidence 15 years ago so insurance had to remove it all. The problem is if you have to drill into it for any reason, the dust can contain fibres that you could breath in - it can take 30 to 40 years for symptoms to show and that exposure to kill you. The more exposure the higher the risk, but some exposure is still a risk. 

I would get an asbestos survey done unless it's in really good condition - the house buyer survey will likely just say that you should get one done as there may be asbestos, so might as well get one anyway. If it's a house that needs a major refurb. then might be better to get rid of the artex now rather than have it sealed or boarded over? Intact asbestos panelling, like you see on garage roofs, is much easier to dispose of.

Alternatively, ask a builder about having it removed and leave it to their professional opinion as to whether a survey is needed.