Asbestos Garage. Needs removing ?

spiritus

I am a first time buyer and have put an offer on a house. The offer has been accepted but they have put a caveat that they will not reduce the price any further regardless of whether a survey finds any work needs doing.

I have gone ahead with the valuation survey from the mortgage company who have commented that the garage round the back is asbestos with an asbestos roof.

Is this an automatic no brainer and should it be replaced or is there any danger to us if we just decide to leave the garage standing as it is. It appears to be in reasonably good condition.

My offer for the house is at the upper end of my budget and at the lower end of the seller's price range so I can't afford much work to be done on the house.

Any suggestions please ?

yan1

If you really want the house, then on't let this put you off buying it. If it's in pretty good nick then you shouldn't be too alarmed by it immediately. BUT- Do put it near the top of your to do list, as soon as you can afford to deal with it.
Since the discovery of this 'issue', Might be worth asking for a reduction- if you don't ask if you don't get!!

spiritus

Hi Yan1

The seller will definitely NOT reduce the price anymore. They made a point of that when they accepted my offer.

As it appears the roof and the walls of the garage are from asbestos then I'm assuming the whole thing will have to be replaced. What would the approximate cost be ?

kazwookie

It is a declining market, house prices are falling, so I have been told.

Personally I would go back to the seller and talk about a lower price to allow for the work to be done, and if need be walk away, does he have another buyer lined up??

It might pay the seller to think about this.

To get rid of Asbestos is a real pain as you have to use licensed contractor, who know how to handle the stuff.

yan1

This thread will open the debate of DIY asbestos disposal or not!!!
To Have a licensed company to dispose of the whole thing will run into thousands rather than hundreds, how many will depend ease of dismantle type of asbestos etc.
To replace with another garage, well it depends on what type of construction, size and spec you go for.
From Disposal of existing through to rebuilding a new one will be a good few thousand at least. ( If someone does it all for you).
People get into a frenzy when they hear the 'A' word, and maybe rightly so, but, if you really want the house then Compromise may be needed.

minimadtrix

Do not be fooled by expensive costs of removing the garage.

We had a garage made from asbestos. The key to all this is what type of asbestos it is. If the garage is made out of what looks to be sheets of metal (i.e. sectional), the cost isn't going to be too bad - this is because its not the dangerous asbetsos that can't be handled.

You will be able to remove the garage yourself - damp down the sheets first (we gave them a good hosing down actually) - use a face mask to makesure you don't breathe anything in (this will be very slight, but always a good idea) and then dismantal.

I think each local authority is different - we had to take ours to a scrap dealer who deals with asbestos disposal. They gave us a certificate to confirm that we had lawfully disposed of it and you have to keep that certificate for a number of years (can't remember how many). We were able to take this to the scrap dealer on the back of a trailer, but it did have to be covered over.

It cost us around £150 including the certificate to get rid of the stuff.

Some other local authorities will let you let it to your local dump (if they have the facility to take it) and all should give you advice on who you can contact to have it removed from your property.

By the way, you might find that you're gutters and drains are also made from the same type of material if they haven't been replaced with plastic ones.

yan1

here we go- DIY!!!!!!!!
Let's ask why there are licensed contractors around to deal with asbestos removal??? Similar reason to why Corgi governs gas installations- It can be bloody dangerous if not dealt with properly!
Why take the chance?

minimadtrix

yan1 wrote: »

here we go- DIY!!!!!!!!
Let's ask why there are licensed contractors around to deal with asbestos removal??? Similar reason to why Corgi governs gas installations- It can be bloody dangerous if not dealt with properly!
Why take the chance?

Why don't you read my post again. I'm telling the OP that different LAs have different views and that it's not a case of DIYers, its a case of reassuring the OP that the job isn't as bad as they think it might be. I have been through the same situation and have given my advice.

yan1

I actually agree with you 100%!!!!!!!
In this instance the op is potentially buying into a house with an asbestos garage, so until thorough tests have been carried out on the whole structure no-one can say exactly what the procedure will involve.
I appreciate that you have had the experience of dismantle/ disposal and glad your situation worked out. As you say, it MAY work out inexpensive and no gig problem, but because this could be be the deciding factor of to buy or not to buy surely the op should be looking at the worst case scenario?

Toiletduck

yan1 wrote: »

here we go- DIY!!!!!!!!
Let's ask why there are licensed contractors around to deal with asbestos removal??? Similar reason to why Corgi governs gas installations- It can be bloody dangerous if not dealt with properly!
Why take the chance?

Well I would have thought if you work for an asbestos removal company you are going to come into contact with asbestos fibres on a daily basis and will therefore be at a high risk of developing an asbestos related illness over the years. So the company will have to take the upmost precautions to protect the employees, whereas if you take down one asbsestos garage in your lifetime and take appropraite sensible precautions you should be able to do the job with no problems.

Not exactly the same as dealling with gas where a botched diy job could blow up your house.

Seems sensible to me.

simcla

Licensed contractors are licensed to removal all Asbestos containing materials, a number of which (Asbestos insulation board, pipe lagging, sprayed asbestos coating etc) you need a licence to remove. An 'asbestos' garage is most likely to be made from Asbestos cement, and a licence is not required to work on asbestos cement. If you are going to remove it yourself look on the HSE website (UK government) at asbestos essentials. This tells you how to remove an Asbestos cement structure.

If you want to leave the garage and it is good condition - Then leave it alone- Asbestos cement in good condition will only release fibres if it is damaged (broken, drilled into, sanded scraped)

ps Minimadtrix - wetting agents aren'y just water and you should use a PF3 rated mask - The 'nuisance' dust ones don't do diddly.