We have asbestos

[whatnow41]

In our kitchen.

Had a leak and are claiming on the insurance. Before the dryer people can come out and start that but, they sent someone to test the floor tiles, and they have come back as containing asbestos. They need to be removed before drying can begin.

I'm still in shock, and so so glad we are doing this through the insurance, as it seemed like a small leak that we could have sorted ourselves. The excess is £400 and I thought maybe it would cost about that or less to replace the flooring and repaint the walls.

So, will my kitchen cabinets all have to come out do you think? We've no idea if they've been affected by the damp or not but the walls are damp, it was a slow leak that took a while to spot as it seeped under wooden flooring and was only spotted once the water reached the carpet in the next room.

What else do I need to know or be aware of? I've never done a kitchen renovation before and wasn't planning on it either. Would it be best to get as much work done as we can afford? I'm deeply unhappy with the kitchen but that is due to size, which obviously won't change. TIA

What will the insurance pay for? I think you need to speak with the insurance assessor first really. Sounds very stressful!

I'm somewhat confused by this... The floor tiles will have asbestos bound into them... It won't be friable...how will the drying process disturb it?

Removing the tiles and adhesive below (also likely to contain asbestos if tiles do) will be slow /messy... Need an enclosure. Pressume tiles go underneath kitchen units?

I'd ring them and get a clear explanation of what they are going to do/how/area covered and it's affect on kitchen.

Asbestos only usually needs to be removed if it's damaged or going to be disturbed. I'd ask for a second opinion.

Thanks for the replies, I will call the assessors in the morning to ask more questions. They did say the drying out company won't touch the job until the asbestos is removed.

Sorry to side track the thread. What is a drying out company?
Surely they just put in dehumidifiers and remove anything sodden?

I don't really know. I assumed that's what they do but the original floor tiles are all damp sodden as well as the wooden flooring on top, which is now beyond repair. I think they won't lift the floor boards because the wet tiles beneath will be disturbed and potentially dangerous.

It sounds like an excuse to me. I had vinyl tiles with bound asbestos in. I just used a scraper and kept it damp to keep any dust down - not that there was any.

I had a similar leak in my kitchen a couple of years ago and had to have all of the floor standing cupboards ripped out, the walls knocked back to the brickwork and heavy duty drying equipment (dehumidifiers and fans) in my tiny kitchen for four weeks. Not going to lie it was dusty and noisy but it did show the impact of a slow leak - which was scary.

End to end, from discovery to installation of my new kitchen it was three months. Not helped by the Christmas period though. I opted to add some money to the insurance payout and get a completely new kitchen fitted. The insurance would only cover the units damaged by the water. The assessor/case handler provided by my insurance company was excellent as were the drying company.

Happy to answer any questions you might have if it helps.