Asbestos kinda-outbuilding roof - how would you handle it?

[BiBabbles]

Currently waiting to hear back from surveyor as we're not sure how much of the roof described as 'a pitched roof covered with an asbestos sheet finish' and 'an asbestos cement sheeting roof' is included but it keeps picking at my mind so thought maybe some more knowledgeable people here may be able to help either ease my thoughts or know to ask when I talk with him or keep an eye out for for our upcoming second viewing (we haven't seen anything but the front since early December). This is the only thing in the survey that's thrown me off, it's one of a handful of 2s with none of the rest being surprises, the only 3s were the standard 'we can't tell' electric / gas / flue.

The 'outbuilding' is actually more a former outbuilding that has been connected to the house as seems pretty common for the area. I've attached part of the house plan diagram to help explain - the toilet and storage area which only open into the conservatory is the former outbuilding and definitely has the roofing, we're unsure about the part of the conservatory that's closest to it, while the farside by the door leading outside is a clear plastic sheeting (it's more a lean-to than a conservatory).

We know the previous owners lived there for decades (former council house with the last owners having bought it back in the early 80s), but the place has been empty for a while (just learned it's a probate sale) and with the wear and tear issues we know about, I know I'm probably overthinking this while stuck in waiting for the last of the local searches and enquiries.

We'll likely get it changed in a year or so anyways (my hope is to be able to convert the whole former outbuilding into an accessible shower room so with all the disruption of that we'd also change the roofing), and no one can really know until we get a professional in, but until then, how would others handle part of the house having an asbestos roof in a house that's mostly structurally sound, but needs some modest repairs and updating first (currently repairing some small damage to the lean-to wall on the far right side of the image that leaks in hard rain as we last saw it and some other small repairs, installing extractor fans in the kitchen and upstairs bathroom and updating the heating system from electric storage heaters are top of the to-dos lists after a deep clean).

I bought a house with an asbestos roof outside. I had it removed by specialists before we moved in. The sale price reflected the need for this.

Asbestos sheeting isn’t too difficult to remove. You need appropriate masks and suit, and it needs to be double wrapped and disposed of properly. But it’s not the headache that finding asbestos in the house might be. We have some on a wood store in the garden and we will dispose of it and replace it when we can be bothered.

Same here. We had to have it removed ( by experts) as part of the mortgage offer

also, until you start moving it, it is not dangerous. In other words it can just sit there, fine. As soon as you start building work etc then you need to get it removed.

Thank you for the quick replies!

It's reassuring to hear it's not that much of a faff. The house price reflected that significant updating is needed (the previous owners put in great ramps in and out and mobility related things, but the rest of the house needs updating).

Obviously it will depend on a lot of factors, but for those who've done it, how much did it cost you and what did you replace the asbestos with?

Around 7000 quid, didn’t replace.

It will be fine as long as it's in good condition and not disturbed. However, once you're ready to do renovations, you will need to get a licensed contractor in to safely remove and dispose of it. If you have the option of staying in your current home for a few weeks after taking ownership of this new house, you could even have it done then to minimise the disruption. But do make sure you hire a member of the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association to make sure it's done properly.
www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/

Be wary of specialist contractors. And be 100% it's asbestos before you hire them. We had a garage roof that surveyor said was asbestos. Left it alone for many years, as it was doing no harm. But when we needed to rebuild garage for other reasons, we hired a specialist. They were a nightmare from start to finish. They kept postponing, then when they finally arrived the day before builders due to start the rebuild, they wanted double the money we'd agreed. Because of last minute timing, we didn't have time to find an alternative. Later, our neighbour said they'd not double wrapped anything, no safety equipment, nothing. Turns out it was a mistake on the part of the surveyor - no asbestos after all. Massive waste of money.

We had an asbestos garage roof (3m x2m) panels removed, and cost under £500 (London). They did a professional job, wrapped, sent disposal note etc. We then knocked down the garage, so no idea what replacing would cost, I'm afraid.

Specialist asbestos contractors are £££ - we had a quote of £800 to remove and dispose of a sheet of asbestos cement board from within the house. In the end DH did it. All suited up, and masked wrapped appropriately and took it to the nearest tip with an asbestos skip (call ahead to be sure). The whole thing cost us under £50. This is even simpler because it’s outside. So it’s a case of knowing it’s asbestos and working safely, along with ensuring it is disposed of legally. But it’s not too bad. Some kinds of asbestos are very tricky, though this is not one of them.

You don't have to use a specialist, but I am not sure what the rules exactly are.
You must use masks etc.
if you do it yourself, you can take it to the tip, it must be double bagged and there is a special area for it.

If a specialist takes it to the tip they have to pay to dispose which is one of the costs

We knocked an asbestos clad garage down once (20 years ago ) like others have said just double bagged it and took it to local tip and also dropped a bit in the dustbin 😮. It’s not really dangerous unless you start cutting it or grinding it and creating dust.

You can get bags from the council if your council take asbestos (Portland asbestos). However, if i were ever buying a house that predates 1991 I would have an asbestos survey. Artex up to 1991 has to be tested before any work can be done.

Materials containing asbestos are only a problem if they're damaged which can mean that the fibres can come away and become airborne. This is why disposal can involve damping down, being masked up and double wrapping the material being disposed of.

Personally, I'd no more consider having an unlicensed person remove asbestos from my house than I would have my boiler repaired by somebody who wasn't on the Gas Safe Register, or my teeth extracted by somebody who wasn't a qualified dentist. Asbestos is a known carcinogen and I'd not want the fibres released to float around my house and be inhaled by my family. I can't see how you'd remove an asbestos roof without creating dust. This is not a job that anyone should be cutting corners on.

If it’s outside , just buy a decent filtered dust mask and the breeze will deal with any particles, I’ve seen professionals do it on a neighbours garage and they just had masks and suits , gloves on and took in down and put it in a covered skip they used - job done. Didn’t look like they did anything different to doing it yourself .