Any advice on Asbestos Removal and Demo??

[Lauren Alia Mlouhi]

Hi my name is Lauren, my family and I are working on developing our first multi-family property. We have been Custom Home Builders for nearly 20 years but we don’t know much about asbestos removal and demolition procedures.

We are looking to do a complete demolition of our current building (an old restaurant from the 60s) so that we can redevelop this land for a mixed-use property (apartments/commercial spaces). However, our asbestos lab report came back with positive asbestos in 7 materials (tile, Sheetrock, etc.). And 5 of these 7 materials came back with a 2% positive “visual estimation” of asbestos. From what I understand, in the state of Texas (which is where our property resides) if a material contains over 1% of asbestos, it is necessary to have it properly removed by a certified abatement company.

The gentlemen who performed the lab test results showed up to the property with an asbestos removal (abatement) guy, without giving us a heads up that he was tagging along. So we are starting to wonder whether it is common for asbestos lab testers to make deals with asbestos removal companies, which may lead to loose “visual estimations” in favor of the abatement company. We have received several quotes for asbestos removal and the cost is massive (anywhere from $40k-$95k in asbestos removal for a 6700 sqft building).

We are considering the idea of performing a “point count” analysis (or TEM). From what I understand, this is a more detailed analysis of the materials tested positive to determine whether they truly contain over 1% of asbestos.

I would welcome any feedback or advice regarding whether it would be worth paying for a point count or TEM analysis. And if anyone out there has any experience with asbestos removal and/or demolition procedures, any tips would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks.