Asbestos Abatement Surprise

[Kyle Varner]

I am completing work on a rehab project right now for a house with burn damage.  I got a very nasty surprise when in order to get a demolition permit from the city I had to get asbestos testing.  This led to the discovery of asbestos materials in the ceiling, and thus, I had to hire an asbestos abatement contractor.  These people charge stupid amounts of money.  Luckily, in this instance, it doesn't kill the deal--but it had the potential to do so, and it took me by surprise.  I don't like bad surprises like this.

So, now I need to know how to assess and mitigate my risk of hazardous materials on a property.  Asbestos in one form or another is likely to be present in just about any structure I purchase in my market, given the ages of the houses.  But, I am unsure of how to determine if I'm going to need to perform an asbestos abatement in a given property.  I think it is related to whether I am performing some kind of demolition.  On my current property, the entire top floor had to be removed because it was burned to a crisp.  On a more standard rehab, where I am replacing drywall, floors, and doing light interior remodeling, this will likely not be the case, right?  

Basically, I'd like to know what lessons I should learn from this surprise, so that I do not get stuck with such surprises in the future, and if I do, I have planned accordingly for them.

[Aaron McGinnis]

If the house is build before about 1980, do an asbestos test as part of your due diligence.

Around here, it's very common to see asbestos in the drywall compound in houses build between 1950 and 1980... especially in nicer areas. 

If you're going to touch the walls in any way (Sanding, cutting... anything, really), and asbestos is present, you need to properly remediate. 

Asbestos positive materials I've run in to -

* Caulk around windows and doors

* HVAC duct work tape

* HVAC exhaust pipes

* Resilient flooring glue

* Resilient flooring

* Mortar in fireplaces

* Lining on underside of sinks

* Plaster

* Drywall

* Drywall mud

* Siding

* Insulation

Google "Asbestos in construction materials" and the results are staggering. Granddad put asbestos in virtually everything, leaving a huge toxic mess. (In his defense, he thought he was upgrading... and it has to be admitted, Asbestos is a great material - fireproof, long-lasting, durable... it just happens to be deadly.)