Asbestos abatement and testing

[Mark C.]

There are some properties I am interested in that are older and they most likely have asbestos.  I am risk averse and if I were to purchase, I would tear down to the studs and do a full rehab {this would include getting rid of asbestos shingles and insulation).

1) I have done a ton of research and it appears as if getting rid of asbestos is very DIY able assuming you spend money on the safety equipment and use it properly.  Is there something I am missing?

2) I am having trouble finding an inspector that will identify asbestos.  It is very easy to find a lab that will do a test.  However, there are an infinite number of substances in a home to test so this seems hit or miss.  I would like to find someone that can identify things that 

a) don't have asbestos and thus don't need to be tested (e.g. kitchen cabinets)

b) things that  90%+ likely to have asbestos and thus should be treated as having asbestos (i.e. handle with extreme caution.

3) Is there some certification that I can get that states that a home is asbestos free?  For example, lets say I strip a house down to the studs and take of the siding.  Could an inspector look at the house at that point and certify that there are no asbestos materials inside?

Thanks

[Greg Scott]

We had a large insurance claim at one of our 1970s-built apartment complexes.  By state law we had to do a lot of asbestos testing, and I ended up getting asbestos training.

I was told that some drywall as late as mid 1980s had asbestos, so we took numerous random samples, but found none.  I was told that even if the drywall didn't often the popcorn textured ceiling had it, so we took numerous samples of those, but found none.   They took samples of insulation, but found none.  We did find some in the kitchen.  They needed samples of the flooring because sometimes that had asbestos.  In the kitchens we found up to 7 layers of flooring.  On some of the units, the bottom layer of flooring had vinyl tile with traces of asbestos and in many of them the mastic had asbestos.  (Fortunately, neither of these are a particularly friable substance.)

Generally, removing all substances that might have asbestos won't be cost effective.  (Also, I got to practice removing asbestos in the containment suits and breathers and that is *NOT* a fun job.) If you know where the asbestos is, the cheapest safe solution is often to encapsulate it.  

Also, my recollection is the testing was around $3,000 for the entire job.  It is probably cheaper to spend the money for testing and know where it is, rather than assume the asbestos is there and spend boatloads on remediating something that doesn't need to be remediated.