Asbestos Removal in Central Florida

[Aaron Brown]

Hey BP,

I've recently closed on my third property, a duplex in Deland Florida, and this is the first time I've dealt with a property that needed work. Going into the deal, I knew that it had asbestos siding that needed to be removed and even though I've always heard it's costly, the numbers on the deal were too great to pass on. After getting a quote for the asbestos siding removal, as well as the siding replacement and repainting that is needed, I now realize I was in over my head and severely underestimated the cost to rehab a property with asbestos siding. The removal and disposal was quoted at $5480, the cost to replace and install the siding was quoted at $19,200, and the cost to repaint, prime and pressure wash was quoted at $2,282 for a grant total of $21,407. I have never done this before but this seems outrageously high and certainly much higher than I ever anticipated. I wanted to defer to the BP community, particularly those familiar with properties in the central Florida market, to see if this is too high of a quote. The duplex was built in 1949, so it is older, and is right around 1050 square feet with the asbestos is only on the exterior siding. Any insight or reference to a more affordable siding installation company for bids would be very much appreciated!

Cheers,

Aaron Kingsley Brown