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Original poster

Who can check my house for asbestos?

18 replies

Skyisbluetoday · 13/09/2020 17:31

Such a DIY virgin...so please bear with me! We are looking to make some home improvements to a house built around 1890's but that we have only just bought ourselves. The survey said we should check for asbestos. Who should we ask?
Is this something any painter/decorator could identify? I am particularly wondering about walls and artex type ceiling...

OP posts:

Mistymonday · 13/09/2020 17:34

You can! Get a kit, take a sample, send it off In post. They send you results. I think i used these people for my house: asbestossamplesdirect.com/

Plus we got a negative result so we reused the mask that came with the kit during covid times -

Original poster

Skyisbluetoday · 13/09/2020 17:40

Wow! That's interesting. Certainly will look into that immediately. So would an 'expert' have to take samples too? I naively imagined they could just look at something and be able to tell.

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Thisismytimetoshine · 13/09/2020 17:45

@Mistymonday

You can! Get a kit, take a sample, send it off In post. They send you results. I think i used these people for my house: asbestossamplesdirect.com/

Plus we got a negative result so we reused the mask that came with the kit during covid times -

I'd never heard of these

. If asbestos is suspected, you are really not advised to break the seal to take samples without taking serious precautions. If I was you, op, I'd contact a quantity surveyor.

EasterBuns · 13/09/2020 17:45

Ideal thing would be to not disturb anything that might contain asbestos, not sure I would be ‘taking samples’. The whole problem with asbestos is that once disturbed it stays in the environment for a long time so you would be breathing it in. How extensive are the renovations, will you be rewiring or replumbing?

Original poster

Skyisbluetoday · 13/09/2020 17:53

Well, if I have my way we will strip walls and ceilings, rewire and move radiators. We have not had a quote yet, but that is for another post...

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ChildofCastor · 13/09/2020 17:53

We had a survey done by a specialist company a few months ago, cost £150 and well worth it imo. Chap was here for a couple of hours, went round the house, garage, etc. taking samples. We then got a written report telling us where there was asbestos, which type it was and recommended course of action. Hope your DIY goes well.

mineofuselessinformation · 13/09/2020 17:55

Is it artex?
A lot of artex applied in the 80s had asbestos in it.

WinterAndRoughWeather · 13/09/2020 17:57

Did your surveyor actually suspect asbestos or was it just one of those coverall phrases they use in the survey?

nomdeguerrrr · 13/09/2020 18:35

You'll need a specialist company to do an asbestos survey. This will come and drill holes and take samples from all around the house (or wherever you are renovating). I used Franks Portlock. The cost will depend on the size of your property and how many samples they need to take.

EasterBuns · 13/09/2020 22:23

If it’s just airtex ceilings you are worried about you can just plaster over them. Don’t think it’s generally in wall plaster but could be wrong.

Mistymonday · 13/09/2020 22:28

You get a mask, goggles, a biohazard suit and a sheet to seal off the room. You seal the area where the sample is with a coating afterwards to stop any dust. If it’s positive then you spend money on the experts. House is being renovated so not living there. We were very careful. Felt fine for us but others might be more nervous that they want to spend more.

Saz12 · 13/09/2020 23:03

There are quite a few different types of asbestos products.
If you’re moving/handling concretised asbestos, outside (ie well-ventilated) as a one-off it’s really low risk (that’s the corrugated sheet stuff that weighs a zillion tonnes that used to be used on flat rooves).
But if you’re working all day in a small loft void filled with 50-year-old asbesdos insulation Id not be so happy.

Id at for a survey unless you were certain of what you were looking at.

Saz12 · 13/09/2020 23:06

Or ask the surveyor! He really ought to give you some ideas other than “in the 80’s we used asbestos so it’s a blanket warning now.... “ given the cost of surveys...

Original poster

Skyisbluetoday · 14/09/2020 07:33

Thank you all. The survey probably mentioned it as a bit of a cover all but I'd rather be sure what I am dealing with. It would not just be one sample I imagine and as I am not sure what I need to test I'd definitely prefer to get some piece of mind from someone I trust more than me and my husband.

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Beebumble2 · 14/09/2020 07:59

We’ve bought two houses that had asbestos. The first one had asbestos sofits, a common Building material in the 60s, but was outside. When we had the gutterings, facings and drainpipes replaced we had to get a licensed company to remove the asbestos.
The second was an individually designed house, again in the 60s that had a lot of cedar used in the construction. That house had asbestos in its plasterboard. We used a specialist asbestos removal company. All sounds scary, but fine if you use the right people.
Look up local asbestos removal companies for testing and a quote for removal, if there is any.

leafeater · 14/09/2020 08:21

This government site explains the different surveys and how to find a surveyor...

www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/surveys.htm

Original poster

Skyisbluetoday · 14/09/2020 11:08

Thank you very much. Great advice.

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RedRiverShore · 14/09/2020 14:18

A friend used to work at an asbestos testing place so he ordered us the kit and then took the samples for us, it cost about £100. It was asbestos board in a ceiling in an outbuilding and took one day to remove, 2 men working in ppe at the bottom of the garden blocked off by tape and was just under £2k to have about 30 square metres removed, bagged and disposed of, they gave us a certificate for it afterwards

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