Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More
Asbestos is a word you hear thrown around once in a while usually before or during home renovations. It’s important that you understand what Asbestos is, where it can be found, and the removal process. Today let’s learn about Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More!
Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More
This is the post that I’ve been putting off writing. Why? A few weeks ago I was still dealing with the shock of discovering we have asbestos in our home. If you think your home is safe from asbestos, you could be dead wrong! Our house was built in 1978, therefore I thought our home was in the asbestos-free time frame, but I was sorely mistaken.
How we discovered asbestos in our home
What started as a small leak turned into a full gut of our kitchen. The disaster restoration team came in and started assessing the damage. What happened next was a downward spiral of issues I pray never happens to you. The polybutylene pipe failure from two weeks ago turned into a full blown mold remediation (luckily it wasn’t black mold.) Shortly after removing the wet base cabinets in our kitchen, the contractor discovered a layer of old vinyl flooring under our flooring. He told me that they sent a sample to the lab for asbestos testing. I thought, “No big deal”, and dismissed it knowing that our house couldn’t possibly contain asbestos. The next morning I got a phone call, “The lab results came back and that old flooring tested positive for asbestos.”
What I learned over the next few days about asbestos both scared me and also gave me peace of mind knowing that the contractors had handled the asbestos removal properly. Now that our home is officially asbestos-free and we’ve finally moved back into the house, I’m emotionally ready to share with you what I learned. Let’s chat about Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More.
Asbestos fibers under a microscope courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
What is asbestos?
(source: EPA.gov)
Asbestos is a mineral fiber. It can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. Asbestos as a building material made sense before it was discovered to cause health problems. It was heat and fire resistant and the glues that contain asbestos work REALLY well. You can’t get glue for vinyl flooring today that sticks as well as the asbestos based glues. But, because of the health hazards you’ll learn about in a minute, asbestos products have been banned in the US.
When was asbestos discovered to be a health hazard?
Back in the early 1900’s asbestos was suspected to be a health hazard. In 1924, a UK citizen was the first person diagnosed with Asbestosis (progressive fibrosis of the lungs.) In 1931, the term Mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer) was used in medical literature. But, the risks and dangers of asbestos were swept under the rug and hidden until the 1970’s. Finally, in 1989 asbestos was phased out of building materials and eventually banned in 2003. That is almost 80 years after the dangers of asbestos were first discovered! Before the ban, asbestos was used in almost a million residences and buildings. Sadly, over 100,000 people have become ill or died from asbestos exposure.
The bottom line is that your home could have asbestos products even if it was built in 2003 or earlier. The asbestos abatement team told me that just because there was a ban placed on the use of asbestos, there were still products containing it on store shelves. For this reason, you should never assume that your home is asbestos-free. It is much safer to have a professional test for asbestos than risk exposure.
What products contain asbestos?
- Roofing and siding materials
- Some roofing and siding shingles are made of asbestos cement
- Insulation of a home built between 1930-1950
- Attic and wall insulation as vermiculite ore
- Textured paint and wall patching
- Artificial ashes and embers used in gas fireplaces
- Old stove-top pads
- Walls and floors around woodburning stoves can have asbestos fiber, millwork or concrete pads
- Vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring
- Vinyl floor adhesives
- Asbestos blanket or tape on hot water and steam pipes in older homes
- Oil and coal furnaces door gasket insulation
(The above list is not a complete list, so it’s advised to test any old building products that are being disturbed during renovations and repairs.)
What to do if you suspect asbestos products in your home:
First of all, don’t freak out. Have the product tested by a professional asbestos abatement company and ask if they can do a quick test on the product. A quick test will require a 1″ sample of the material and use of a PLM (Polarized Light Microscopy) test to look for asbestos fiber structures under a microscope. Alternatively, you can find a local environmental hazard testing company that will test homes for asbestos, lead, mold, and many other environmental hazards.
Results will often report if asbestos is present, what type of asbestos, and the concentration. If you have asbestos flooring that is in good condition (not flaking, damaged or will be tampered with) you can lay new flooring over top of the old floor. In the case of our vinyl flooring, one of the previous owners added new flooring on top of the old. This is acceptable, but it must be disclosed that there is asbestos flooring in the home when the house is sold. I want to emphasize that any asbestos that is sealed and in good condition is not a health hazard. When asbestos product particles become airborne, that’s when there’s a concern.
If you are having renovations, repairs, or a remodel around the material, you will most likely need to have the asbestos removed (or abated.)
How Asbestos is Removed?
It’s best to move out of your home during asbestos abatement. Typically, the abatement team will arrive and seal off the room(s) completely. Doorways, air ducts, and even the windows are sealed with plastic. Big scary asbestos signs are placed on every doorway to deter people from entering.
Giant HEPA filters will likely be installed outside a window or door to pull air out of the room. This creates a negative air pressure which prevents air from escaping into the rest of the house.
The asbestos abatement team wear disposable suits. They will also wear respirators and gloves.
If the material is in the flooring, your floor boards are cut into manageable sections and the edges are taped off to contain the asbestos backing and glue under the vinyl. The sheets are then loaded into a truck for safe transport. (Different asbestos materials may be handled differently.)
All debris is vacuumed up using a special HEPA vacuum. The room is thoroughly cleaned and all cleaning supplies are disposed of in plastic bags. All the contaminated materials, clothing, etc. are hauled back to the abatement company where they are dumped into a special sealed dumpster for asbestos products.
After the abatement team is done, they will strip down and take a shower (usually a portable shower is brought to the job site.) Only after the shower can they put on their regular clothes.
Portable shower for abatement team to use after finishing the job.
An Air test for Asbestos
After abatement is complete, an air test will be performed before anyone can enter the room without protective gear. A TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) or a PCM (Phase Contrast Microscopy) air sample must be analyzed. In our house, a TEM test was used. The technician should be a third party trained professional who puts on his own protective gear. First he may use a leaf blower in the room to stir up any dust and fibers that might have settled on the floor and in crevices. Then a small vacuum pump is run that sucks air through a filter for 45 minutes.
An acceptable asbestos air test will come back with less than .01 fibers per cc. Luckily our home is clear But, now this is our reality:
That’s right, we now have a scooter track in our home. I may miss our kitchen, but the boys don’t seem to mind.
I hope you found this article helpful in learning about Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More. Let me know if you have any questions and I can try to help answer them. Save this image to refer back to it. Especially if you take on a home renovation or have a leak.
Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More
If you need to hire an asbestos abatement contractor or any other reputable contractors to work on your home, I highly recommend this article on How to Hire Great Contractors!
See you soon with another update on our kitchen disaster and renovation. Let’s hope things proceed more smoothly from here on out.
You can read more about our kitchen disaster and renovation in these updates:
- Polybutylene Pipe Leak turns into Moldy Mess
- Planning New Kitchen Layout and more
- Planning Colors and Materials for the New Kitchen
- Let the Demolition Begin
- How to Remove Soffits
- Move Back in the Kitchen Temporarily and Throw a New Year’s Party
- Termite Damage and Kitchen Update
- How and When You Should File for a Permit during a Kitchen Renovation – Your Questions Answered
- Everything You Should Know about Termites and Termite Damage
- Structural Engineer Plans and another Kitchen Update
- How to Survive without a Kitchen During Renovation
Unfortunately, you are incorrect about the US banning asbestos products. You can still buy over 3000 asbestos type products from any hardware store. The US banned any new products being manufactured and they must state on the packaging that they contain asbestos. But, they do not have to use the word asbestos. It can say naturally occurring mineral fibers, or the specific name of the type of asbestos or asbestiform, such as chrysotile, amosite, etc. In schools, they removed the asbestos only to find that when they put in new floors, the tiles were asbestos free but the mastic or glue to hold the tiles in place was asbestos containing. The manufacturers also found that most used the same microscopy PLM that only detects the larger fibers (still undetectable by the human eye and much cheaper) instead of TEM (transmission electron microscopy which detects the smallest of fibers but is extremely expensive). So, products were made so they passed the PLM but not the TEM (which was rarely used). Be aware that you cannot tell by a visual inspection if a product contains asbestos, and the age of the property is not a sure way to indicate asbestos presence. Only by testing by a licensed, trained asbestos inspector can you be sure that asbestos does not exist and the level of care needed for the removal.
Thanks, Lena. That is disturbing. Thanks for sharing.
This is so helpful. Thank you. I am reading from Europe. My apartment in England is having asbestos floor tiles removed, after a leak, next week. I was very concerned about when it would be safe to move back in. I imagined needing to remove and replace all the carpets and furniture in the apartment, but perhaps that can be avoided.
Maybe you can help me ? I had a house fire march 3 of this year. The fire department did a awsome job putting it out fairly quick. When it was all said and done most of the fire damage was on 1 side of my home. The house was built in 1911 and has many face lifts. The rest of the house damaged by smoke. Firefighters put holes through out the house checking for hot spots. Walls, ceilings of most of house. Fast forward insurance company had tests done and we have asbestos at all locations. I’m being told that all my belongings in home can be cleaned? Clothes furniture. Everything. This doesn’t sound right. Any info you can share?
Matt, first, I’m so sorry this has happened to you. Regarding asbestos abatement, if it were me, I’d be okay with having smooth surfaces cleaned. If it was cloth or clothing (and it was outside during demolition) I’m not sure if I’d feel comfortable with those being cleaned. But, that’s just me. Maybe they have a way to strong vacuum the cloth items and then clean. But, that doesn’t address the smoke smell. I heard that’s near impossible to clean.
Hi we already figured it out we removed asbestos popcorn ceiling I was able to find a zero voc sealer encapsulation spray of that was sprayed on ceiling walls and all air in that room called Fiberlock- Fiberset PM
what do we use as a primer to ensure no particle dust remains but is encapsulated
Randi, I’m not sure what you mean? Where is the asbestos you are talking about? Typically asbestos in drywall or joint compound isn’t an issue if the walls have been painted. The danger is when you cut into the wall or pull the drywall down and release the fibers into the air.
Asbestos is not banned in the United States
I know this may be personal, but do you know the costs for all of these tests. We have insulation that is deterating and it’s asbestos. We need to get it removed ASAP. But I’m wondering how much money we’re looking at.
The tests aren’t very expensive. It depends on your lab and if you are set up as a contractor (plus how quickly you need the results.) But,I’d say around $50 – $70 per sample. The real expense comes to have it abated.
where do the companies put the hazardous stuff after it goes into their dumpsters? Does anyone have a way to break it down and destroy it? Are our dumps filled with this asbestos?
It is put in a separate sealed area in the dump.
I am having this done in my own house soon. How many days did you have to stay out of the house?
Two days. The abatement was done in a few hours. But, we had to wait for the air sample tests to come back clear.
I am so thankful I have not had a run in with asbestos. Thankfully it was banned in the 80’s and construction companies use other means, which is beneficial for all of us. I plan on just living in homes that were built post-1980 and hope that it does not come back and bite me. Thanks for all the information!
I had no idea that asbestos could be basically anywhere in an older home. I can see why it would be smart to have any house you are looking of buying tested for it. My sister noticed her kitchen floor would shift up and down while she walked on it. They eventually had it tested and found it has asbestos. It took them about a month to get it all taken care of. What a nightmare.
Thanks for sharing your story. There needs to be more public awareness about asbestos. I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that. It must have been such a stressful time for you and your family.
My husband and I are under contract to buy a 1969 ranch, which a house flipper remodeled. I wonder how much asbestos was in the house and what care the renovators took, if any, in removing it. I’ve learned that before the remodel, the house had that horrible 1960s wood paneling throughout, which would have had asbestos mastic. The drywall has been replaced, and, thankfully, most of the floors are hardwood, but I’m sure that there were other sources of asbestos in a house from this era. I noticed when we toured the house a couple of days ago that a lot of dust from the renovation had collected in the vents and air ducts. So now I’m envisioning friable asbestos floating around in there.
Hi Brittany, Thanks for such an informative post.
11 days ago, the pipe that fills the toilet tank busted while i was at work. I came home to 4″ of water throughout most of my apartment. ( i rent) we got most of it up that night, and i continued the next day. A flood restoration company came out and started the process of pulling up all the carpeting and some of the kitchen flooring. A guy came out to test for mold and asbestos, all work has come to a complete halt. one day was it, and they just left the dehumidifiers running. nothing has happend since, the guy who took the samples said he needed state okay on it, but still not one thing has been done… my question is isn’t there a time limit for this sort of thing, so i can get my apartment fixed
Hi Brittany,
This is great info – I am currently in the middle of what sounds like a similar project. Water leak, leads to pulling up the floor, 3 layers of vinyl, first 2 layers clear of asbestos – 3rd layer positive! Ugh, not to mention the mold too. My question for you – did you take all the appliances and everything out of kitchen before the asbestos removal? I am curious since we are mainly tearing out the floor – does everything in the upper cabinets need to be removed? I would assume yes, based on what you mention about your experience, but would be interested to hear what you think. Thanks!
Kathy, our kitchen was already gutted and the upper cabinets were emptied when they were doing the mold abatement. If I were you, I would empty them and seal them or thoroughly clean them afterwards. And yes, the entire kitchen was emptied from the backsplash down. I would expect you’d need to do that when ripping out the flooring down to the subfloor. I also wouldn’t recommend taking on this job yourself. But, that’s your call.
We are dealing with a similar issue: water damage in kitchen resulting in mold, subsequent discovery of asbestos behind the wall. Insurance company is not authorizing the removal of the kitchen appliances before the abatement process begins, but insists that wrapping them in plastic is sufficient. Others have said the appliances should be removed, which puts us at somewhat of a standstill.
3.5K for just one room?! omg, the abatement co. is recommending a gut of the *whole house* (1300 sf); I was thinking it’d be around 10-12K, but am now revising that to 15-20K.
gah!
Marie, that cost depends on a lot of different factors (location, the material with asbestos, work needed to remove it, cost to dump in a containment area, etc.) I wouldn’t freak out until you get a quote.
Hey Brittany! After running into you at Haven and our brief talk about asbestos, it’s ever present in my mind, especially as I start on my kids’ bathroom renovation/makeover for my August Upgrade challenge. My house was built in 1973, and I’m so thankful that you brought this to my attention because I just didn’t think about it. I haven’t removed any vinyl flooring in my house (although we have it); I’ve just gone over it with Snap Stone interlocking porcelain tiles, which worked well for my laundry room. I’ll be doing it for my kids’ bathroom, too, where there is vinyl tile. But I’ve got this decorative board stuff that is adhering to the top of my kids shower, and I’m afraid to remove it. It’s sort of like beadboard. I’m going to call someone in to do an inspection just to make sure. I can’t move forward without knowing for sure…. Thanks for the warnings! 🙂
Serena @ Thrift Diving
Thanks for sharing. My husband and I are going through a similiar process following a leaky dishwasher, great to hear what the process is like. we tested positive today, waiting to hear the next steps from the restoration crew!
We are in the process of remodeling our home. We have the vinyl tile and likely linoleum as well. Is the removal of kitchen linoleum with asbestos considered friable vs. non friable? Is negative air enclosure required? Is it common for asbestos to be in plaster walls? Our home was built in 1957. I never thought this would be so stressful!
Thanks!
Esther,
First, I am an abatement professional. I have worked on the removal as well as the testing sides of asbestos work. If you had respiratory issues so early, it is not the asbestos, but probably instead a mold or air duct issue. Asbestos does not affect the respiratory system so quickly, and will not cause pneumonia. Also, the painter has no way of knowing if the popcorn ceiling is asbestos or not; but in his defense – if a contractor doesn’t know, they HAVE to assume it is positive for asbestos (lead paint is the same).
Contact your local housing organization, they may have programs that can assist in the testing/removal of asbestos and lead in your home. – They may even have a program that will not only remove the hazardous materials, but will reinstall new items (doors, walls, windows, etc) for free or at least at a reduced price.
Popcorn ceiling is a friable – Class I work – will need to be removed inside a negative air enclosure.
Floor tile is non-friable – Class II work – if removed with hand tools (putty knives, 5 in 1’s) does not need an enclosure; and removal yourself is quick and easy (you can legally place in bags and put with your normal garbage).
I do not recommend removing linoleum yourself as it tends to tear between layers, thus releasing the asbestos fibers.
Pipe insulation can be spray painted (encapsulating) which will hold the asbestos in a matrix.
Hope all this helps!
Excellent information! Thanks for replying Mark.
Hi Brittany,
Wow, what a story. You provided some useful insights and things most of us would never have even thought of.
We have city-sewer and recently had 2, yeah, 2, backflows into our utility sink in our basement. The first wasn’t too bad, just the sink and a little overflow onto the floor and rugs. We cleaned up, had a drain company snake the sink drain, and moved on. The second, the very next day, was gushing, smelly, chunky discharge all over the floor, running out of the sink, getting to a depth of about 2′ in places before the h2o was shut off. I don’t know why having the h2o on complicated the issue, but shutting it off stopped the gush. I bailed with a trash bucket out the back door into some rocky planted area. The drain company came back and snaked 2x out to the street (about 90 feet of snake, he said), didn’t have any tree roots or feel any breaks, just some “thickness”, which he got thru both times with effort. He suggested contacting the town and having the sewer line flushed to be sure it was clear. Did that the next day; of course, they said they were ok. Contacted the ins. co….luckily we are covered for the loss. However, the clean up company that came in to help said that the flooring under the carpet was most likely asbestos and they couldn’t do more than soak and wash it. They wiped down almost everything, took the destroyed stuff, and working with the ins. co. got an asbestos tester to come. This was all in the last 2 wks. We should have the results in another day or so. We’ve done a complete empty of the room of all belongings so they can come in and remove, or the clean-up comp. can come and do if no asbst.. The tester also said we would be ok to stay, but I’m not feeling too confident. At what point would you suggest leaving? Before they begin, or when they are ready to leave as well? I don’t want to leave the house open for anyone to walk in as we’re close to the city and I’m not that trusting. Thoughts? Any are appreciated! Thanks for all the insights. Wish us luck!
kim
Kim, you are safe as long as the asbestos material (fibers) aren’t disturbed. Once they start ripping up anything that will expose or disturb it, I’d leave the house until you have the clean air test results. Make sure they leave the tarps up if there is asbestos abatement until the air test is passed.
Hi, thank you for posting this. How long did you keep your kids out of the house after the removal? The work has to be done in my toddler’s bathroom across the hall from his bedroom, so I’m a little paranoid about his being here.
Julie, the tarps and everything remained up for 24 hours after the work was done until we got the lab results back that it was asbestos-free. So, it would depend on how quick you can get a tech to take the air test results and how quickly they can get it to through the lab. For extra caution, I kept the kids out of the house while the work was being done. But, they were also set up at my in-laws at that point anyway, so we didn’t have any rush to get back in.
Did your asbestos abatement company make you empty out your ENTIRE KITCHEN of all dishes and food before they would come in and do their work?
Jackie, yes, but our kitchen was also almost completely gutted due to the water leak and mold issues.
Your house seems alot like mine. popcorn ceiling, chair rails all over (which i like) and vinyl flooring under the tile. was your house built in 1970?
Hello. I purchased a home in 2001, withoud doing any inspection. My husband and I started having respiratory problems since then. Today, someone came to paint the home, and said that because I have popcorn ceiling, he wont paint because he is sure we have ASBESTOS> Who do I contact, and if I do, the house might need demolition. Does the homeowners insurance pay for that ? The painter was 100% sure I have mt the home told and asbestos, and that is what is causing recurring pneumonia in my family. We don’t have a lot of money, and if the insurance wont cover the repairs, or demolition, where else am I supposed to go? meanwhile, if I do stay we will die of lung cancer.The house was built in 1932. PLease help. Sick and desperate. Thank you
Esther, I think the first step would be to contact your insurance agent. They will be able to tell you if it is covered or not. If they can’t help you, try contacting your city or state building and planning office. If it’s just the popcorn, remediation by a professional shouldn’t be too difficult and I can’t imagine your house would need to be demolished. Good luck to you and your family.
Hi I admit to being scared to buy an older home due to the risk of asbestos which is a shame because they are usually well built and considerably more affordable is it safe to assume that every house built before the late 1970s or 1980s contains some asbestos somewhere? Sorry to be the one to ask the hard questions but you never say what the age of your home actually is only that you assumed it was too new to have asbestos issues and that you sent it out for testing and it came back as positive for asbestos. What year was your home built? Its hard to believe a home built in the late 80s or early 90s for instance has such a severe problem.I have to ask are you really sure the test result was trustworthy and accurate? Was it done by the same company that stood to gain financially from asbestos removal or had a connection to the company that you hired for the removal ? Did you get a second opinion? Just asking.
Lisa
Lisa, our house was built in 1978. I actually do know now that the testing was correct as we have since found out that previous owners knew about the asbestos and so chose to cover the existing floor rather than risk exposure by ripping it up. I wouldn’t be scared of buying an older home. Just educate yourself and ask for tests when you are considering buying one.
Did you have drywall tested for asbestos?
The contractor that the insurance company sent tested it. Typically you’ll find it in the joint compound, but it can also be in drywall.
I assume that it was negative? I am planning some renovations and sent some vinyl flooring from (I assume) the early 70’s in for testing. If it comes back positive I’ll probably just cover it with 1/4″ plywood and then go with vinyl (fake) ceramic tile instead of what I really want (ceramic). This is due to the fact that I there is particle board under the vinyl, so they won’t put ceramic tile on top of that. Now I am also thinking about the drywall – never occurred to me in the past when doing things that it could be in there – have drilled into it more than once. I hope that it comes back free of it because I want to tear my ugly soffits out! 🙂
Oh I’ve been there. I hope it comes back negative. Be forewarned that, by law, you will have to disclose the presence of asbestos in your home if you cover it up. Plus, your floor height will change, from the rest of the house. It might be worth it to get a quote for abatement.
I’d love to see the bill too. We had asbestos tile in our den and when I called to ask an abatement company, they told me it was easy to do myself so to just wet it all down and pull it up. I wore a HEPA mask and used some soy-based solvent for removing the mastic. Every once in a while I worry that I took 30 years of mine and Scott’s lives and hurt our puppies, but I also checked out the EPA websites for both the US and Canada and they have similar recommendations. It was a long process, but I’m glad it’s gone now. Unfortunately, we probably have it in a couple more rooms, including the kitchen.
Bri, we saw the bill finally, it was $3.5K, but was paid by insurance.
Brittany, thank you very much for you, your website and your post about this. Was your asbestos removal $35,000 or $3,000-$5,000? The font is making it difficult for me to tell which numbers you typed.
We have just found your website and your blog about your experience…during our own research for what will soon come to be our own nightmare as well. Our homeowners insurance will not pay for the removal of asbestos. They also will not pay for the repair of our flood-damaged areas until the asbestos has been removed.
It was $3,500.
OH man, what an ordeal, mold AND asbestos! At least it’s behind you now and you can move on to the more fun stuff! Hey, I live in an older house (1946) and I believe there is asbestos in the original kitchen flooring. (I may have been told this 20 yrs ago when I moved in, but I’m getting old and senile and can’t remember for sure!) Anyway, I am about to embark on a DIY kitchen remodel. And after reading your asbestos post the other day, I realized that I need to get my floor tested, and if there IS asbestos I must either have it abated professionally OR just go over everything with new floor (which means there will be 4 layers of flooring and a 1/2 ” to 3/4″ step up into my kitchen, erg.) Can I ask you how much the abatement cost? (or did insurance pay since the removal was part of your leaking pipe problem?) I am very bummed about the prospect of paying a ton for this to be done since I am already on such a tight budget. I might just go with a “raised” kitchen. Sighhhh. Oh, I also live in the SF Bay Area in CA which means whatever you paid I can probably double it :)~ Thanks for any info you can give me.
Julie, I wish I had more information on the cost for you. If I see the bill I’ll let you know. Do you have homeowner’s insurance? Ours paid for the abatement. It does sound like a tough situation for you to be in and that is a lot of floor layers. I’d be willing to bet that one of them has asbestos ;-(.
We’re in the midwest where things are probably much cheaper, but we just had all the asbestos on our duct work taken off, and it was $1000.
Thanks for the info, Starr. I imagine my floor would be a good $2000 or $3000. And that’s a good chunk of my budget. I think it’s going to be “step up” time into my kitchen. Not ideal, but not the end of the world. Gotta work with what ya got, right? Hmmm, perhaps I should paint the threshold bright Yellow and add a “CAUTION” sign?? :)~
The total cost for Asbestos Abatement was about $3.5K, but it was billed directly to the restoration company.
Brittany…what an informative post…You have certainly had so many obstacles to overcome. Thanks for always sharing such important and vital information on our homes…Glad that you are finally in and asbestos free.
Wow! Thanks for sharing and so glad you are asbestos free. Living in an older home, asbestos is something that’s been on my mind lately… makes me wonder about my attic insulation especially. Great post and so sorry you had to go through this!
I really appreciate you posting this information! I probably would have torn up the floor in our hallway, familyroom & kitchen not realizing what dangers I was exposing my family to. It’s not that I haven’t heard of it before, but I read your blog daily and kinda feel like I know you. I guess it feels more real seeing how you and your family have gone through this.
Just want to make sure to thank you!
Thanks Beth. Be careful girl. Asbestos is serious stuff.
I’m sorry you’re having to go through this, Brittany. But this is a really informative post, and includes info that I don’t think has been widely publicized in the past. I think people who live in newer homes don’t think asbestos could be an issue for them, but obviously that isn’t the case.
A lot of people will know know this because you wrote about your experience. Silver lining, perhaps?
And you do know that once your kitchen is back in order, your boys are still going to expect to be able to ride their scooters inside. You’ve set a dangerous precedent. 🙂
Take care,
Amy
Hey, girl! I’m glad you are back in your house now, so sorry you had to go through all this, but hopefully the silver lining will be a great new kitchen. Can’t wait to see what all you do in there. Hang in there!
What an ordeal you have been through! At our home we went through the discovery and removal of dry-rot and reading your post brought back the memories. I really feel for you.
When things go wrong here we often say “Life is what happens when you were busy making other plans” This sure is a big life ordeal.
But I do love the scooter track, I bet it’s loads of fun 🙂
Ann
Oh my goodness Brittany, you’ve been through quite an ordeal! I sure hope your insurance covered all this. What a mess. Did it ruin your kitchen cabinets too? Thanks for giving the heads up on asbestos. I don’t think we have any in our house either, but it’s good to know what to look out for. Hope this week is a much better one!
Deborah
It ruined two of the lower cabinets. But, we are considering ripping them all out and starting fresh…or I should say I’ll be doing most of it.
Hi Brittany! I’ve learned a lot from your water damage post and now your asbestos post. Thank you for taking the time to provide extremely educational and well-written and in-depth posts while you have been dealing with all of this. Right after the water damage post, I re-acquainted myself to my house’s water shut-off – Thank you! Would you consider writing an occassional “Home Upkeep/Maintenance” post?
When life gives you “stinky-polybutylene-pipe-water-damage-and-what-the-hell-asbestos-flooring”, I love that you can spin it into a scooter track! Keep finding the humor and I’m glad your family is safe!
Koliti, I will put it on my growing list of posts to write ;-). Great idea!
I just went and read your posting about the beginning of this saga. You do such a valuable service when you post this information, thank you SO much. I need to find out where the shut off valve is and how to shut it off; a huge, major leak is my nightmare scenario. When I read of your experience, I recognize that I have to be the big girl and learn what to do BEFORE something happens.
The question that kept running through my mind, over and over was, how much does this all cost? I am glad that your family is back home and the problem has been fixed, but what a burden. Again, I wish my thanks helped in some way to offset the cost. Hang in there.
Sue, we haven’t seen the final bill yet, but we exceeded the $5K cap just for mold and are now paying out of pocket ;-(. The put our kitchen back together is about $10K.
AND, I really appreciate your comment, it helped make me smile 😉
Sue, we finally saw the bill for the Asbestos Remediation and it was $3.5K
Thank for sharing this! I’m trying to see how much we may be on the hook for since we have asbestos that needs to be removed. I know this is an old post but still very relevant! I’m hoping my homeowners insurance covers part of it.
Heather, I hope your insurance picks up most if not all of the bill. I’m sorry you have to go through this.
Thanks for such an informative post on asbestos. Glad to hear that you now have your kitchen back and you are all safe.
Hope you have the energy/time to continue sharing your leaky pipe story. Wow, life experiences you didn’t ask for.
Joy
Thanks for sharing this real life experience. While a total bummer and life changer, looks like you have some exciting kitchen planning to get done. So do share a little more about the leak because my husband was thinking of switching out some of our copper piping.
Copper pipes are the best ones you can have. If installed properly they should last a long time. You can read more about our leaky pipe and how to determine if you have polybutylene pipes here: https://prettyhandygirl.com/2012/10/water-leaks-polybutylene-pipes-and-mold-what-to-do.html